Issue 2012 no3 contents:

The article deals with the problem of state regulation as a reason of costs for the recipients of legal norms – both for state actors and commercial ones. Orientation to the strategy of "smart regulation" was proclaimed against the background of overcoming the financial and economic crisis in the countries-members of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEС). According to the memorandum of the European Commission (October 2010) the "smart regulation" consists of three components: a complex ERI system (the evaluation of the regulatory impact) at all stages of the public management cycle - from acts designing and decision making to the retrospective clearance and simplification of the current legislation; 2) cooperation institutes of the legislative, executive and controlling bodies of power in the member-countries of the EU; 3) participation systems of interest groups and citizens.  The research hypothesis is in the supposition that there is the fourth component of the system. It is the transition from the ministerial organizational model of the assessment of the regulatory impact to the model of tips on optimizing regulation in the central bodies of power.

The institutional design in the countries, which the article analyzes, is identical in having established independent bodies to control the norm-setting; they are meant to supervise the quality of regulation. One of the inseparable characteristics of the "smart regulation" is delegating some powers in the field of ERI to the higher level of public management: this is necessary to take into account when making institutional designs for countries with transitional economy. Successful practice of such independent expert councils of high level has become the ground for preparing the concept of the National Council for improving the legal regulation of entrepreneurial and investment activities in the RF.       

Globally performance management in the public sector appears to have gone out of fashion. Major performance management initiatives, introduced with fanfare, have come under fierce criticism. At the same time, the Russian government comes up enthusiastic with performance measures and indicators. New initiatives appear on a regular basis. What drives this enthusiasm?

Performance management may be used as a means of achieving 2 different ends: enhanced accountability and increased productivity (effectiveness). Benefits of performance management reforms may be of two different kinds: managerial or political. Which purpose dominates in the Russian practice? Which type of benefits is behind the federal urge to develop performance management initiatives?

The article explores these questions using qualitative data from interviews with civil servants of a regional government. The results show that performance indicators have been predominantly used as tools of bureaucratic control with little managerial value. Perceived managerial benefits are marginal if any. The following themes are explored: reliability of performance data, inability of public bodies to influence their indicators, lack of interagency cooperation.

An effective solution of the tasks in Federal target programs (FTP) is relevant at the present stage of public administration development in the Russian Federation. As there arise some difficulties in implementing FTPs, the fate of this instrument for solving complex tasks of the state is questionable so far. However, the absence of similar or better means in Russia’s practice is the ground for its further development. The analysis revealed that one of the main reasons of FTP low efficiency is an insufficient coordination of work among executive power bodies in the course of the preparation and realization of programs.

In conclusion, the article substantiates the importance of addressing the problem of coordination of state customers in the process of implementing complex Federal targeted programs.  It is proved that no difficulties in planning and implementing such programs affect their relatively poor performance, but the complexity of interactions between public customers and public customers-coordinators. One of the ways to solve the problem of coordination may be the abolition of public customers-coordinators. Perhaps more efficient will be the introduction of a compulsory plan of cooperation among public customers, which will be an integral part of the Federal target program submitted by the Government for consideration.

An organization theory (OT) and a theory of organizational behavior (TOB) along with the general management are very important for training managers. These subjects are compulsory and lectures are delivered at all management faculties, but little attention is paid to them for teaching specialists in public administration. The article raises and discusses the following issues:

– are fundamental sciences really necessary for training administrators, as public administration departments have an obvious practical orientation?

– are principles and technologies used for businesses good for public service bodies that have their own peculiarities diff erent from those of business organizations?

The authors express their point of view on the problems: the importance of OT for both students of management faculties and students of public and municipal administration is connected with its main task to reveal the organizational essence, regularities of functioning and mechanisms of development of all organizations regardless of their type. It is not until then, that it is possible to identify specifi c problems of any type of organizations. TOB is also very important for students of these faculties, as the ability to analyze and predict behavior of an employee and groups of employees in organizations is most significant for effective work of an administrative worker in any organization.

The article sets out some basic problems of the internationalization of business innovation. It analyses international experience of innovation programs support, deals with the trend in the activities on attracting foreign innovations of the largest European techno-park in France.

The analysis showed that financial support for innovative companies is carried out through European programs (Fp5, Fp6) and the French innovative agencies: DIACT, OSEO, ANVAR.  Apart from that, any company in the techno-park can count on some grants, such as, for example, regional planning (PAT) – 10 000 EUR, if the company creates from 10 to 20 jobs for 5 years; mobility grant – 12 200 EUR for a working place, if 20 jobs are translated from other parts of France for 3 years.

The region (Department of the Seashore Alps) provides assistance in the establishment or relocation of companies from other regions; development and innovation; export;  market research; equipment; obtaining loans on favorable terms; the department  provides  tax rebates in the amount of 50% for 5 years and also contributes  financially into the regional assistance on  establishment and development of  a company; the municipality is temporarily exempt from local taxes (50% for 5 years), if the firm has created 10 jobs and its total investment has amounted to more than 45 800 EUR; mixed subsidies are  5 818 EUR for creating one workplace (used to be 6 214 EUR before 1999) for newly arrived companies.

Evidence from sixty-five empirical studies of public service performance is critically reviewed. The statistical results are grouped on the basis of five theoretical perspectives: resources, regulation, markets, organization, and management. The analysis suggests that the most likely sources of service improvement are extra resources and better management. A research agenda for further work is identified, and recommendations are made to enhance the theoretical and methodological quality of studies of public service improvement.

The article provides the main results of the monitoring of performance management introduction into bodies of public administration and of local government, with opinions and experts’ appreciation taken into account. They were presented within the framework of the Round Table “Performance Management: results of the measures — the road map of introduction of the performance management mechanisms in 2010–2012”, held in June of 2012. General evaluation of the way of its execution was made; propositions to include some measures into the road map on elaborating instruments and mechanisms of performance management for the period of 2012–2015 were formulated.

This paper presents an analysis of the reform of the municipal services sector in the most important areas for the last 6 years:  reasons for the tariffs growth; municipal property management; impact of limit indexes on the public utilities sector; the financial condition of enterprises; wear of some objects of the community infrastructure; results of the private sector’s activities; attracting private investments. The current government’s measures on the reforming of the municipal services sector have been analyzed. The analysis of the PPP contracts in the utilities sector (above 60 contracts) has shown that they practically do not contain serious investment obligations of private operators. The explanation to this lies in the opaque and politicized tariff policy of the state, which makes investment risks unacceptably high. On the whole, the analysis has shown that though business does go into the utilities sector, investment projects are still very few: it especially concerns the water and heat supply sector. Moreover, if in the years of 1990 -2000 objects, built during the Soviet era, have not exhausted their resources and the government had time for experiments in the municipal services complex, now it is necessary to take measures that will definitely change the municipal services sector of the country, will attract private investments, management resources, will improve the quality of services. Otherwise, it is already in the near future, that we can predict the total collapse of the municipal services complex.  

The purpose of the article is to identify in a general interpretation of the right to information the proper subject regarding the right of access to official information and to determine its specific character. The article considers the access to information as: a) a global trend in the reform of social and state institutions on the basis of openness; b) a new public law institute which develops and secures the principle of transparency of public law in current conditions; c) an institute necessary for consolidation and progress of the national state.

Research results: the principle of public interest prevailing is not always reflected in national laws on access to information: the authorities have broad powers to take many information categories away from the scope of the Act and from the public view.         

Main conclusions: statutory and strictly secured in practice access to official information is an institutional guaranty of the basic principles of a national state (a democratic republic): democracy, public accountability of officials, providing citizens with access to official information, is a sacred constitutional duty of every officer in the state. Failure to perform this duty by officials is tantamount to attacking the foundations of the state and should result in punishment commensurate with the harm that such an offence has not only to the person whose  right to access to information is violated,but also to the  entire nation – its civil public structure.

This article considers the problem of an anthropogenic impact on the environment. The state has a significant purchasing capacity, so it can play an important part in improving the eco logical situation through federal and municipal purchases as well.

Research revealed and substantiated the necessity of introducing the concept about ecologically secure state purchases into the Federal contract system of Russia.

After studying the purchase experience of the European Union, its legislation base, after analyzing articles and practical instructions of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and of the European Commission, it was established that putting ecological requirements into trade documents both improves the quality of the goods purchased at an insignifi cant price increase, and improves the life quality of citizens.

The article deals with methodological aspects of diagnosing the demographic situation in municipalities of the region by the indicators, characterizing the sustainability of the population reproduction.
Results: Theoretically, the indexes showing the ratio of intensive processes of mortality of the population compared (municipalities of Murmansk region) and the population standard (the whole region) are based on the fact, that distinctions between general  mortality rates of the population of each municipality and the region as a whole are due to differences in sex-age mortality rates. The accepted indicator for diagnosing sustainability of the population reproduction – "the life expectancy at birth" is a generalizing index of sex-age and infant mortality rates. It is on the basis of these indexes that ratings of municipalities in the region are made by the indicator "the life expectancy at birth".
Conclusions: study of the dynamics of the population reproduction; the various levels in municipalities;   comparison between municipalities and the region as a whole by the indicators of sustainability of the population reproduction, allows to assess social effectiveness of the implementation of the state, regional and municipal demographic policies and take necessary managerial decisions to achieve the demographic indicators stated in the program documents. The demographic policy carried out at the municipal level is a key factor for a sustainable demographic development of both a region and the country as a whole.
Proposals: standardized conditional rates of depopulation to build municipalities ranking in the region through the process of the population reproduction; indexes of mortality intensity as a tool to assess the life expectancy of the population in municipalities.

The material is a review of the current textbook "Program Budget", prepared by a group of authors under the editorship of Doctor of Economics, prof. M.P. Afanasyev issued in 2012. The reviewer notes that the textbook is distinguished by harmonious logic of the statement of rather difficult material about one of the most perspective directions of modernization of public finances.