The goal of this paper is to identify and analyze the major trends in the sphere of state and municipal control and supervision in the Russian Federation in 2011–2014. The analysis draws on the authors’ calculations based on the data uploaded in the information system «Monitoring activities of regulatory agencies» by the control and supervisory authorities as well as the results of a survey of medium size and small businesses commissioned by the Ombudsman for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights under the President of the Russian Federation.

According to the analysis, the vast majority of inspections are performed by the federal control authorities; however their share has gradually reduced. Control activities are performed by 7–8 largest federal control authorities and by 12 – o 13 regions of Russia. The number of inspections is not a factor that significantly affects the administrative burden on organizations, since as the inspections scope, the number of inspections and their duration are not significant. Despite a significant reduction in the number of employees in the control bodies and increased funding, the financial support for the control authorities remains insufficient. Government control is not focused on the detection of the risk of harm or evidence of harm that can be caused by the violation of the mandatory requirements, and in many ways fines are beginning to play a fiscal function of the budgets replenishment.

Based on these findings, the authors conclude that in order to ensure an adequate level of protection of the public by the instruments of state control, it is necessary to change the approach to control and supervision activities from the total control to the risk-based control.

The results of this work can be used to develop proposals for improving the regulation of control and supervision activity in the Russian Federation.