TY  - JOUR
TI  - DESIGN AND PRACTICES OF STATE RELIGIOUS EXPERTISE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
T2  - Public Administration Issues
IS  - Public Administration Issues
KW  - state religious expertise
KW  - expert committees
KW  - registration of religious organizations
KW  - religious policy
KW  - expert knowledge
AB  - The paper discusses the practice of  ‘state religious expertise’, i.e. a  special form of applying expert knowledge in Russia, primarily for the purpose of registering religious organizations. Authors reveal the real place and functions of this institute, by analyz-ing data on the activities of special expert committees for the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and its regional offices over the period 2009-2018, as well as on the interviews with religious studies specialists. Two main problems were found out: the low demand of this knowledge by the Ministry of Justice officials and the existence of expert committees with an obvious conflict of interest. The general number of expert examinations is small, and its significant part is unnecessary, being only a confirmation of  the conclusions for which officials have enough of  their own competence. Besides, the rules of  ‘state religious expertise’ are flexible, and practices vary from one region to another, which puts local religious communities in unequal conditions. In summary, the work of expert committees often may be characterized as formal or fictitious, but it may be used, if necessary, as a barrier against unwelcome religious associations, thereby ensure state intervention in the sphere of religious freedom.
AU  - Yuliya Krasheninnikova
AU  - Nikita Kochergin
UR  - https://vgmu.hse.ru/en/2020--3/403252662.html
PY  - 2020
SP  - 187-209
VL  -