Form, concept and structure of the state. The social structure of the state

Based on what principles does the state operate? What is the evolution of the forms of political organization of society? What are the main principles for the exercise of power by public authorities in modern countries and, in particular, in Russia?

What is the state?

Before we study what the structure and functions of the state are, we will define ourselves with what we mean by that. There are many theoretical concepts on this score. Among the most common are the following definition. The state is a complex system of interaction of people that are united on the basis of national or territorial identity, created to guarantee the basic principles of the quality of life, security and freedom for every citizen.

People, consciously preferring to live in appropriate conditions, conclude a "social contract" with the state power, "delegating" government to the government (parliament) or exercising self-government on the principles of justice and reflection of public interests. In the early forms of statehood, when it was a question of the associations of people in relatively small areas, more or less homogeneous ethnically and culturally, there was no need to "delegate". It was enough for the citizens to choose, relatively speaking, an experienced "leader" or a group of those with the aim of streamlining the principles of self-government.

With the increase in the territories of states, the "leaders" ceased to suffice at all. Or, contradictions began to appear between them, requiring the improvement of self-government models. First, the functions of the "leader" began to be concentrated in the hands of an ever-smaller number of leaders - ultimately, the only king. Later, elected bodies of power began to appear . Thus, for example, the structure of the Old Russian state included the institution of the People's Veche. Parliamentary structures began to be formed in European countries. In a more or less modern form, the political management systems of sovereign countries were formed in the late 17th - early 18th centuries. There were theories reflecting the principles of separation of powers. In some states, they began to be implemented in practice. Now, according to them, the political systems of most countries function.

Having defined the key subject of our small research, we can begin to study what the structure and functions of the state are. Let's start with the first term.

Definition of the structure

What is the "structure of the state"? According to the definition, widely used among Russian political scientists, this is a system of political institutions and institutions that perform the functions necessary for the exercise of power by the relevant subjects of government. The structure of the state in the modern form is most often expressed in the spectrum of various government bodies, divided into three functional levels: legislative, executive, and judicial. Which, in turn, break up into a large number of structural units responsible for a specific direction in the implementation of the country's management policy - ministries, agencies, committees, etc.

Some experts singled out the armed forces as a separate element in the structure of the state, as well as the bodies formed in the event of emergency emergencies - for example, the Provisional Government during the 1917 revolution, which was not originally envisaged by the current laws of the country. The competence and range of powers with which the relevant power structures are vested are determined by the goals and objectives of the subjects of political management.

There are terms that are somewhat consonant with what is being considered, but which are other scientific categories. To such, for example, refers to such a concept as "the social structure of the state." It implies the classification of the country's population by certain groups based on the socio-political status of citizens. As an option - their belonging to the classes. That is, for example, the social structure of a state in the Middle Ages could be represented by groups such as peasants, the bourgeoisie, landlords, nobles, etc. To the political elements and power institutions, this term thus has a fairly mediocre attitude.

There is the concept of "state structure". In some contexts, it can be synonymous with the subject. But, as a rule, it means a certain political unit, an enterprise or an organization that has something to do with the state. That is, for example, the government is certainly a state structure. As well as, for example, the federal budgetary institution "Information and Technology Center." Or JSC Gazprom. All these are state structures. To use the main term studied in our small study in those contexts where it is a question of appropriate institutions or organizations, it is necessary to be cautious to avoid semantic errors.

Political functions

The notion of "state structure" often intersects with another notion - "political functions". By and large, both are phenomena of the same order. They reflect the principles and mechanisms on the basis of which state power realizes its obligations under the social contract. However, if the structure of the state is a set of institutions, that is, more of a "toolbox" of power, then political functions are, according to a popular view, the key goals and tasks for which relevant government bodies are created. We can say that "functions" predetermine the "structure" to some extent. Under the actual tasks related to the management of political processes, specific institutions are being created, the power structure of state bodies is being formed.

In modern political science, it is customary to classify political functions into internal and external ones. The first include law-making, law enforcement, economic, social, cultural, as well as environmental functions. The second one is defensive and diplomatic (some experts also emphasize "cooperative" in its framework, the essence of which is to build friendly and partner relations on the international arena).

The principle of separation of powers

We noted above that the principle of separation of powers is being realized in the political structure of modern states. What it is? How is the structure of the mechanism of the state structured within it? It is assumed that the power is divided into three main functional branches - legislative, executive and judicial. Each of them acts independently from the point of view of solving the tasks entrusted to the constitution or other legal acts, but at the same time it works within the framework of a certain community of key goals.

In this connection, there was a need for a separation of powers? According to the widespread theoretical conception, such a structure of the mechanism of the state is the result of the development of democratic processes and the gradual formation in the public-political consciousness of the criterion: power should not be concentrated in any particular institution or in the hands of an individual. Thus, the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government are called upon to mutually restrict powers in order to minimize the likelihood of usurpation of key political competencies.

Parliament

The political structure of the state today, as a rule, implies the existence of parliamentary authorities. Which are the highest institutions of legislative power. The Parliament performs the following main functions: drafting laws, representing the interests of various social groups in politics, as well as control over the activities of the executive branch.

Government

The mechanism of the state realized in most modern countries, its concept and structure, conceptualized in political theory, imply the presence in the system of governing the country not only parliamentary but also government institutions. Which are the highest bodies of executive power. The functions of government institutions - ministries, agencies, services (if we agree that the mechanism of the state adopted in Russia is described - the concept and structure of it in the domestic political science as a whole do not cause discussion) - are reduced to the correct implementation of the legal acts adopted at the parliamentary level, as well as by-laws - decrees, decrees, etc.

Courts

In turn, the judiciary resolves issues related to law enforcement practices in the aspect of existing laws. Or, as it happens in some countries, it publishes sources of law in the form of precedents, supplementing the functions of legislative and executive bodies that form the mechanism of the state. The concept and structure of case law differs significantly from the so-called "Roman" system of functioning of laws, when the courts do not directly participate in the adoption of legal acts.

Which of the two models is more effective is the subject of active discussions. One way or another, the "Roman" system is more common in the world, including in Russia. Case law is most developed in the United States and Great Britain.

State and Law

Above we noted that the need to create a state appeared when people wished to provide themselves with a guarantee of living in security, freedom, with the appropriate quality of life. Over time, this "wish" was transformed into a right or a combination of those. Their observance has become an obligatory criterion today. Therefore, it is not enough that only a balanced structure of the state functions within a given political system. And the rights of citizens must also be realized unconditionally.

The criteria by which the political system of a country is defined as capable of providing key human and citizen rights varies greatly. In many ways, their essence is determined by the prevailing social traditions, the culture of the people. In some countries, for example, the right to express political interests is not considered a priority. In others, it is accepted that the country has all the necessary resources to realize the needs of citizens in order to publicly speak about their own position in matters of government. The structure of the state and law there - both in terms of theoretical notions of an ideal political system in scientific circles and in the key of practical activity of the subjects of government - includes the mandatory presence of relevant institutions.

Components of power

Some experts consider it legitimate to single out the basic components of political power that are characteristic of all types of state institutions. These include powers, rights, incentives, and responsibility. Indeed, they are all present in political systems, regardless of how the structure and forms of the state are actually represented. Even if we consider examples of the organization of power institutions in historical periods, when there was no separation of powers, these components of political management were always present. However, each of them, as modern political scientists believe, should be balanced from the point of view of realizability on the part of a specific subject of exercising power functions. That is, over time and a natural process of political development, concepts and principles were developed that would allow the management systems of states to conform to this criterion. The theory of separation of powers, according to political scientists, has become one of the results of improving key approaches of theorists and public administration practitioners to finding a balance between these four main components of political governance.

Modern elements of the state machinery

It is obvious that the structure, forms of the state evolve over time. We noted this at the very beginning of the article: first there were "leaders", then kings, later the parliament and the separation of powers appeared. How is the modern states "structured"? Political scientists identify the relevant elements of the political mechanism. Depending on the country, the criteria for their determination may vary. In Russia, according to a common point of view, this kind of elements are classified as:

- authorities (federal, regional and municipal level);

- state organizations (security agencies, control, surveillance, etc.);

- state institutions (schools, hospitals, libraries, etc.);

- state-owned enterprises.

In some countries, some of the above elements, therefore, may be predominantly private. In Russia, they are public (as some analysts believe, mainly because of historical traditions and principles of state governance that developed during the Soviet era).

What is an "authority"

Let us dwell in more detail on the element of the first type, that is, on the authorities. What are its key distinguishing features? Modern scientific concepts that determine how the form of the state, the concept and its structure should look, include the following set of criteria. So, the authority:

- is formed, proceeding from the will of subjects of political management;

- carries out types of activities that are determined by sources of law;

- has an organizational structure, the signs of which are clearly defined legally;

- has certain competencies, rights, duties;

- works on a specific territory (across the country as a whole, in a separate region, city).

Among the additional features that characterize the authorities - the availability of material resources (individual buildings, means of communication, etc.), systems for distributing the functional powers of employees (ranks, positions), accountability to higher authorities.

State and municipalities

How does the concept and structure of the state correlate with the principles of the implementation of municipal authority? The main delineation criterion here is the relevance of tasks at the appropriate level of implementation of power. The municipality is a localized administrative and territorial unit - a city, a district, a district. The circle of tasks, the decision of which is entrusted to the subjects of local self-government, as a rule, differs from that of the federal structures of power. The modern form of the state, the concept and structure of it, which are accepted as basic theoretical concepts in scientific schools, imply a significant degree of autonomy for municipalities - simply because, acting locally, the authorities will most likely be able to solve actual problems more effectively than The highest structures of political management.

How are things with the practice of delineating the respective powers in Russia? The terms "state" and "municipal" power in the laws of the Russian Federation are differentiated. However, the key principles of political management of the systems implemented by subjects of political management of both types, as many political scientists believe and as evidenced by the wording in a large number of laws, are very similar, sometimes almost identical. In many aspects of the activity, "state" and "municipal" authorities in Russia differ only in name.

However, the structure of the theory of the state adopted in many political schools implies that good governance of the country is possible only if the autonomy of solving problems at the municipal level is substantial. Therefore, regardless of the external similarity of principles, power at the federal, regional and local levels should be implemented in Russia with a sufficiently tangible subject of its autonomy.