Democratic governance: conceptualization of foreign experience, analysis of the key theories and concepts

Abstract

The theoretical approaches of foreign scientists to the essence of the concept “governance” are highlighted in the article. The main theories of governance, which are applied in developed democratic countries, are identified and analysed. The methodology of the advanced foreign experience adaptation in the implementation of the state administration in the modern Ukrainian realities of public administration is conceptualized. The individual key concepts are defined. It is determined that the essence of the state administration is not the exercise of power, but rather the quality of the centre of activation of civil interaction for solving the widest range of social problems. The task of the governance process is not to provide, but to create conditions for the stimulation of interested parties. The stability and duration of the democratic political regime in the USA and developed European countries determined the traditional type of the state administration, which is characterized by high standards of administrative services provision, the growing influence of the private sector and adequate control by civil society. Effective state power gradually began to be associated not with a professional bureaucratic apparatus, although this factor is not excluded, but with adequate actions of the administration to implement the interests of citizens. Governance does not act as means of a need satisfaction, but rather as a process of implementing of understandable and expedient administrative decisions for the private sector, civil society and the state as a whole. The most important thing in the administrative process of governance is a decision-making stage in public format. The decision is a product of the active interaction of the administration (government and management bodies), the private sector and the developed instincts of civil society. A decision, which is made by collegially interested parties is simple and clear to implement and, as a result, is effective. Such a variety of the scope of application of governance principles in the developed countries of the world testifies not only to the theoretical understanding of the concept of “governance”, but also to its effective practical application as an administration principle.