Participation of citizens in political life article. Mechanisms and forms of citizen participation in political life

What three forms of citizen participation in political governance are mentioned in the text? Using facts from public life and personal social experience, provide examples of how citizens can use each of the forms of participation in political governance indicated in the text.

Read the text and complete tasks 21-24.

The humanities have developed many definitions of the state. However, they all boil down to the following: the state is a universal political organization that has special public power and a specialized regulatory apparatus, expressing primarily the interests of the dominant social stratum and performing common tasks for society.

Territory is the space within which sovereign state power operates. The territory of the state is limited by the state border - the plane that defines the limits of the action of state power as sovereign.

The next characteristic of a state is its population. It is a collection of individuals united not by consanguinity or nationality, but by territoriality and citizenship - the legal relationship between a person and the state, including mutual rights, duties and responsibilities. The state is obliged to provide its citizens with support and protection, including abroad. Only citizens have the right to participate in government. This participation is expressed in the implementation of voting rights, public service, participation in referendums, and local self-government.

Citizenship and common territory of residence are formal legal factors that unite individuals into a population. In addition, people in the state are connected by a common language, religion, traditions, historical development, spiritual, cultural and ethnic factors, etc. Another important element of the state is the state apparatus. The state is characterized by a special apparatus of control and coercion, extending its power over the entire population and the entire territory of the state. The state is a politically organized society.

Power is the ability and ability to control the behavior of third parties, influence their behavior, and impose one’s will, including by force.

At the same time, the state does not coincide with society; it is a special political organization within it that manages public affairs. Such power is called public.

In the state, management work is separated from production. An official is engaged only in management, implementing the power functions of the state.

Thus, state power is exercised by an authorized group of people - the ruling elite, which implements both general social functions and their own group interests in management.

(According to V.V. Dyakonov)

Explanation.

Answer: 1. Implementation of voting rights;

2. Civil service;

3. Participation in referendums and local self-government.

The correct answer should name three forms of citizen participation in political governance:

1) participation in elections (for example, citizens elect deputies to representative bodies of government, in presidential and mixed republics - the head of state);

3) participation in local government (for example, participation in citizens’ meetings, in the work of representative bodies of local government);

4) public service (for example, citizens can join government bodies, be elected to elected positions in representative and executive bodies of state power).

Other examples of citizen participation in political governance can be given.

Every citizen can influence the political process in his country. This requires factors such as the culture of democracy and the political consciousness of the individual.

Citizen participation in political life

It is the direct participation of citizens in the political life of the state that is an important basis for the formation of political processes.

Civil political life is often unstable; it has different dynamics in different periods. This is due to the fact that various segments of the population take part in it.

Such social differentiation gives rise to the activities of various socio-political forces, in particular political parties and organizations.

Political process

The political process is a system of political states and events, changes in which occur due to the activities and interactions of individual subjects of political life.

A striking example is the change of political parties and leaders who alternately come to power. According to the scale of action, political processes are divided into two main types: foreign policy and domestic policy.

Internal political processes can occur both at the national and regional levels.

Political participation

Political participation is the actions of a citizen, the main goal of which is to gain the opportunity to influence the implementation and adoption of government decisions, as well as the choice of representatives in government institutions. This concept characterizes the degree of citizen involvement in the political process.

In a state governed by the rule of law, political participation represents the right of a citizen to elect and be elected to government bodies, the right to associate in public organizations, the right to demonstrations and rallies, the right of access to public services and officials, the right to freely appeal to government bodies.

Political culture

Political culture is a concept that consists of three components: a citizen’s diverse political views, orientation towards the spiritual values ​​of a democratic society, and society’s possession of the right to political influence.

Political knowledge is a system of knowledge about political ideologies, forms of state, institutions of power, as well as methods for implementing their functions. Political culture cannot exist without certain political knowledge.

Political knowledge gives rise to the next stage of legal culture - spiritual orientation society. Each member of society decides what type of government or political ideology suits his worldview.

A citizen who has a spiritual orientation based on political knowledge can actively and unhindered participate in the political process.

Forms of citizen participation in politics

The life system of humanity is designed in such a way that there is always power that influences and controls a certain mass of people: be it power in a separate country, in a family or, say, in a criminal group. But even despite the fact that the influence of power is seen as an undeniable and self-sufficient factor, the influence of community on power cannot be denied. Of course, the strength of this reverse influence depends, for the most part, on the regime, the political regime, if we are talking about it on the scale of a country or state.

For example, in a democratic form of government, theoretically, citizens are given a greater opportunity to influence the authorities. The political participation envisioned for a democratic society is universal, equal, and proactive. Every individual citizen has the right to participate in the life of the country, to protect their interests, to the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with any factors, theoretically independently choose their own “power,” or simply show interest in politics as a sphere of accessible activity. Political participation in a democratic society is free and serves as a means for citizens to express a sense of duty to the country, a means to achieve their goals, and realize the need for self-expression. Such participation is ensured by the state in terms of providing various legal norms and procedures and equal distribution of participation resources, such as money, access to the media, education, a “transparent” vision of the exercise of power, and so on. Also, a democratic society allows, within certain limits, expressions of citizen protest such as rallies, demonstrations, strikes, and petitions. Events of this kind serve both as a tool for political education of citizens and as proof, in fact, that the state is truly democratic and every citizen has the right to self-expression.

Under a totalitarian system, everything and everyone is under the complete control of government agencies. And the government strives to mobilize the population into political participation, creating the appearance of general politicization, which, naturally, practically does not take into account the opinions of citizens. Under this regime, the influence of the community on power is minimally limited, and often simply nominal. Accordingly, the political participation of citizens is determined purely by the needs of the authorities, and is most of all a means of controlling the subject masses. Of course, such a regime, although it is tough and suppresses dissenting opinions in every possible way, has the best chance of such powerful political participation by dissatisfied citizens who do not have the right to speak, such as riots and revolutions. And, more than democratic, it has the opportunity to forcibly change its regime policy to the opposite. A totalitarian regime is usually characteristic of underdeveloped countries, since it is more a relic of the past than an adequate form of relationship between people and government. The exception is, for example, Japan, as an example of the Asian type of government, which is a highly developed culture and, it seems, should be a fully democratic society with all the signs of free political participation of citizens. However, centuries-old traditions have played their role and most of the citizens of this country live quietly under a totalitarian regime that has become so familiar that it seems practically democratic and does not cause significant complaints from the population itself.

In principle, democracy is rightfully a sign of a progressive society and, in its essence, is more stable than totalitarianism in terms of the stability of one-time power. Pent up discontent is always dangerous, and a friend is always easier to control than an enemy. Therefore, in a democratic society, the government tries to maintain the image of a friendly entity, providing citizens with preferably evenly distributed means of subsistence, opportunities for self-realization and self-development, freedom of expression in any field of activity and expressing concern for health and attention to problems. This ensures maximum consideration of the interests of citizens, helps overcome distrust in government and ensures the political participation of a large number of citizens in the life of society. Which, in turn, expands the intellectual potential for decision-making, which helps optimize the work of the structure, increases its efficiency and the stability of the political system. Citizen participation in politics also ensures effective control over officials and prevents abuse of power.

The most effective factor in stimulating citizens for political participation is socio-economic status, primarily determined by the level of education, profession and income. Of course, a high level of material comfort is decisive in terms of a favorable attitude towards the political system. Accordingly, the lower the social position, the more likely a negative attitude towards the system becomes.

At the same time, factors such as gender and age also have an influence. For example, it is well known that citizen activity increases towards the middle of life, and then declines again. Women are less inclined to political participation, which, however, is due to the structure of the traditional order. As is known, in principle, the patriarchal system is more developed in the world and there are certain stereotypes and ideas about the social role of women, sometimes not taking into account changes associated with the progress of society, despite a significant increase in the educational level. In addition, most often women, especially with low living standards, simply do not have time to participate in politics. The traditional definition of a man as a leader, and a woman as a wife and mother, forces women to devote most of their lives not to their own interests, but to the interests of their family and children, practically depriving them of developing their personal potential.

This, however, is a bit of a departure. In addition to all of the above, the citizen’s motivation to participate in the country’s activities also plays an important role. The most common motives are:

The motive for the interest and attractiveness of politics as a field of activity;

The motive is cognitive, where the political system acts as a means for understanding the world around and, also, taking into account the complexity of this system for understanding, as an increase in one’s own status in the eyes of oneself and others;

The motive of power, the desire to control other people;

The motive is monetary, since political activity is a highly paid activity;

The motive is traditional, when the policy is adopted among family or friends;

The motive is ideological when the system of life values ​​coincides with the ideological values ​​of the political system;

The motives are false, but they form the desired reaction among the masses, the so-called propaganda.

Different motives prompt different types of political participation. In any political system, with the dominance of one, there are various signs of the opposite, regardless of the political system.

Typically, these options include two main types: autonomous and mobilization participation.

Autonomous participation is the free voluntary activity of an individual, caused by his desire to participate in the political life of the country, pursuing personal and group interests.

Mobilization participation, on the contrary, is coercive in nature. It is stimulated by factors such as fear, coercion, and tradition. As a rule, this type of participation is an initiative of the ruling group and is aimed at supporting its political system, demonstrating its noble goals and positive attitude towards the people. Naturally, this type of participation in no way involves the expression of the personal opinion of an individual or group, but it often creates a false, but necessary for the authorities, idea of ​​the situation in the country.

It is also customary to distinguish between active and passive forms of citizen participation in politics, each of which can be classified as acceptable or unacceptable in terms of morality or law. In terms of active forms of participation, there are several divisions.

Participation in elected bodies, such as presidential elections;

Mass actions, such as rallies, demonstrations, strikes, in which the masses are coordinated, dissatisfied with any action of the government, such as the current strikes of Continental plant workers in Paris, who demand to reconsider the decision to close the plant located in the suburbs of the French capital ;

Single actions, but noticeable enough to have political weight. How, for example, an Iraqi journalist interestingly expressed his political participation by throwing his shoe at George Bush, expressing his extraordinary opinion about America’s policy towards his country;

Participation in political parties and organizations, participation in governing the country, in the adoption of laws;

Citizen participation in surveys that take into account the opinions of citizens and, in theory, considered in the context of any changes;

Appeals and complaints to higher structures of individuals or groups of citizens;

Lobbying activity is the political promotion of an object, be it a law or a deputy, using either personal or monetary interest, or when it is impossible to refuse the offer. In the context of this activity, both legal and illegal types of achieving goals, such as bribery, can be considered;

Network participation is no longer a very new type of political participation. Numerous blogs, electronic newspapers, and other Internet resources. In particular, from personal experience I observed a type of political participation on one of the sites, in the process of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, while at the government level the lower masses were prescribed negativity towards the “enemy”, on this resource people were discussing this topic with might and main, that with the one on the other side, and at the same time the loudest calls were for friendship between peoples and the independence of interethnic relations from government strife.

If we talk about passive forms of participation, then it is worth noting:

Social apathy as a factor of citizens’ distrust of the government and, accordingly, all non-participation in elections;

Ignoring social events, such as cleanup days, rallies and demonstrations, when invited or strongly recommended to attend them;

Not doing something due to dissatisfaction with some government actions. For example, a small payment provided to an individual, which he considers offensive to himself and does not go to receive it, saying, thank you, no need.

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The lives of its citizens largely depend on what policies the state pursues, so they are interested in participating in it and expressing their opinions. The right to participate in political life is a sign of a developed society, which ensures that all its members can freely realize their interests. Let's figure out what it includes and how it manifests itself.

Forms of citizen participation in political life

The Constitution of the Russian Federation enshrines the right of all citizens of our country to participate in political life. They can do this either independently or through their representatives. Let's consider these situations.

• elections and referendums

These are forms of participation when each person can directly take part in government affairs and contribute to solving issues that are important for the whole country.

All adult, legally capable citizens (that is, over 18 years of age) can participate in elections and referendums. Discrimination is not permitted regarding:

• race;
• nationality;
• gender;
• age;
• position in society;
• education.

Suffrage is not only universal, but also equal and secret, that is, one voter can cast only one vote, and do it secretly from other people.

• civil service

People holding positions in central and local government can directly exercise power, thereby influencing the life and functioning of society.

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• appeals

Citizens who want to draw the attention of the authorities to problems that concern them can personally or collectively contact the authorities with applications, which they are obliged to consider within a certain time frame.

• political parties

Freedom of speech allows citizens to create parties, develop their own programs for solving certain issues and the structure of society in general. If such parties find the support of society, that is, those groups of the population (for example, pensioners, students, etc.), then they can stand as candidates for elections.

• rallies

Freedom of assembly and rallies allows people to organize mass protests that express public protest or a call for something. But there are also limitations. For example, extremist speeches of an extremely apoliticized nature (against the authorities) that could disrupt public order are prohibited.

What have we learned?

The participation of citizens in political life is necessary so that everyone can express their opinion, draw the attention of the state to the most pressing problems, and influence the process of making government decisions. It can be implemented in different forms. For example, citizens can participate in elections, referendums, rallies, and contact authorities. They can also influence the authorities through their representatives, that is, political parties.

Political participation in the general sense is group or private actions aimed at influencing the government, whatever its level. At the present stage, this phenomenon is considered complex and multidimensional. It includes a large number of techniques that help influence the authorities. The participation of citizens in the degree of activity depends on factors of social, psychological, cultural-historical, economic and other nature. An individual realizes it when he enters into formal, orderly relationships with different groups or with other people.

There are three types of political participation:

• unconscious (unfree), that is, one that is based on coercion, custom or spontaneous action;
• conscious, but also not free, when a person is forced to meaningfully follow some regulations and norms;
• conscious and at the same time free, that is, the individual is able to make a choice independently, thereby expanding the limits of his own capabilities in the world of politics.

Sidney Verba and created their theoretical model of participation of the first type they call parochial, that is, one that is limited to elementary interests; the second type is submissive, and the third is participatory. These scientists also identified transitional forms of activity that combine the features of two bordering types.

Political participation and its forms are constantly evolving. Its old types are improved and new ones arise in the course of any socio-historical process that has significance. This is especially true of transitional moments, for example, to a republic from a monarchy, to a multi-party system from the absence of such organizations, to independence from the status of a colony, to democracy from authoritarianism, etc. In the 18-19 centuries, against the backdrop of general modernization, there was an expansion of political participation by various groups and categories of the population.

Since human activity is determined by many factors, there is no single classification of its forms. One of them proposes to consider political participation according to the following indicators:

• legitimate (elections, petitions, demonstrations and rallies coordinated with the authorities) and illegitimate (terrorism, coup, uprising or other forms of citizen disobedience);
• institutionalized (participation in party work, voting) and non-institutionalized (groups that have political goals and are not recognized by law, mass unrest);
• having a local and national character.

Typology may have other options. But in any case, it must meet the following criteria:

Political participation must manifest itself in the form of a concrete act, and not simply at the emotional level;

It must be voluntary (with the exception of military service, paying taxes or a holiday demonstration under totalitarianism);

It must also end with a real choice, that is, it must not be fictitious, but real.

Some scholars, including Lipset and Huntington, believe that the type of participation is directly influenced by the type of political regime. For example, in a democratic system it occurs voluntarily and autonomously. And with participation it is mobilized, forced, when the masses are attracted only symbolically, to simulate support for the authorities. Some forms of activism can even distort the psychology of groups and individuals. Fascism and varieties of totalitarianism provide clear evidence of this.