State Policy of Nation-Building in Russia: Content, Institutions and Mechanisms

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need to effectively support the process of nation-building which implies coping with social and political tasks that are fundamental for the Russian state and the population of the country. This is the completion of the formation of the Russian nation, ensuring civil, ethno-cultural, and territorial identities, taking into account their balanced and harmonious coexistence and development, preservation and strengthening of national identity in the adverse conditions of global, regional and internal trends and challenges. The purpose of the study is to conceptualize the state policy of nation-building in modern Russia and to identify its content, institutions and mechanisms of formation and implementation by means of interpreting expert assessments and the practice of the responsible bodies in the structure of the federal government. Materials and Methods. The study is based on the materials of an expert survey on the issues of nation-building, on the data from the official websites of the relevant committees of the State Duma and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, as well as from the System for ensuring legislative activity. The analysis of the activities of parliamentary committees was performed using institutional, comparative, and the formal legal methods. Results. The authors have proposed a variant of the conceptualization of the state policy of nation-building through creating a hierarchy of factors of nation-building, highlighting its key areas, methods and technologies, explaining the specifics of the normative consolidation, the structure and the implementation mechanisms. In terms of the inventory, codification and demonstration of the issue, the status-role characteristics of the parliamentary institutions involved in the nation-building process have been identified and emphasized. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of the study have theoretical and practical significance. The systemic idea of the essence and content of the state policy of nation-building has been formulated and substantiated. The main areas of concern, the established constants, and new vectors in the activities of the relevant committees and in the relations between the federal bodies of legislative and executive power have been revealed. The results of the study can be used to improve their work in various areas of the public policy focused on promoting nation-building, expanding and deepening the dialogue between the authorities and non-governmental institutions.