The thesis offers a general overview of scientific and theoretical framework, identifies the basic theoretical foundations and presents the practical proposals on the state response to the threats to social and political stability.
It is identified that the theoretical framework of determining the nature of social and political stability is the result of relevant developments which are offered by a range of human sciences including Public Administration. Therefore, the main theoretical approaches to determining the essence of social and political stability have been outlined. Those are systematic, authoritative, governmental (authoritative and executive), subject-object, functional, organizational, institutional, legitimate, consensual, communicative, security, dualistic, democratic, based on the balance of power, pluralistic etc. Each of them is efficient in its own way in the context of studying the different aspects of social and political stability, and also the activities aimed at its achievement. The definition of social and political stability and the stages of its provision have been suggested.
The research takes a close look at the scientific explanation of the reasons of social and political destabilisation. It is considered to address the most applicable theoretical approaches such as the theory of political development of transition societies, the theory of non-linearity of democratic transformation, the theory of political transition, the theory of political modernisation, the theory of globalisation, the theory of political populism, the political ideas of nationalism, the political approaches of ecologists, the radical political views, and also the theory of «risk society».
The state management experience on the response to the threats to social and political stability has been summarized based on two approaches – directive (prescriptive) and self-sufficient. Thus, two main strategies for providing social and political stability are identified. Those are directive (police, monitoring and coercive) and self-sufficient (competitive, liberal and democratic). It is explained that in the social and political contexts of transition societies the combined strategies, involving both directive and self-sufficient ways to achieve the ultimate objective, are applied to provide stability.
The legal framework of social and political stability in Ukraine within the period from 1991 to 2019 has been examined – the Constitution (the basic law) of Ukraine of 1978-1996, the Constitutional Agreement of June 8, 1995 between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the President of Ukraine on the basic principles of state power and local authorities in Ukraine until adopting the new Constitution of Ukraine, the Constitution of Ukraine of 1996 (with further amendments), and also the legislative framework for the national security.
The national security threat dynamics in Ukraine has been examined within the context of social and political stability, based on studying the Law of Ukraine of June 19, 2003 «On Fundamentals of the National Security of Ukraine» (of no effect), the Strategies of the National Security of Ukraine of 2007, 2012 and 2015 (the latter is in effect), the Concept of the Development of Security and Defence Sector of Ukraine of March 14, 2016 (in effect), the Strategy of Cybersecurity of Ukraine of March 15, 2016 (in effect), the Law of Ukraine of June 21, 2018 «On the National Security of Ukraine» (in effect) and some other documents.
It is stressed that in recent years the catalyst of dramatic quantitative increase and qualitative intensification of the threats to social and political stability of Ukraine has been the policy of the Russian Federation, which has occupied a part of the Ukrainian territory, has triggered the military aggression in the eastern part of Ukraine and has been continuing to wage the hybrid war against Ukraine in order to exhaust it politically and economically, and then to subordinate it.
The research suggests the models of the state response to the threats to social and political stability, using a) military organisation of the country, b) the security and defence sector. The «organisational» model is based on the exclusive right of the head of the state to use the structures of military organisation within the state and outside its borders without agreeing with other authorities and society. In terms of ensuring social and political stability, it is a matter of using directive (police) approach to overcome the threats to social and political stability. The «sectoral» approach is based on flexible use of legitimate armed forces which are within the democratic civil control (presidential, parliamentary, governmental, of local authorities, public), on broad involvement of civil society structures into defence and security decision-making, on ensuring transparency of security, defence and law-enforcement activities as a whole. It would be feasible to identify this model as self-sufficient (democratic, liberal).
The research considers the approaches concerning the state response to the threats to social and political stability during the sustainable development. It is pointed out that the scaling of the threats to social and political stability is relevant to perform at the general, branch and spot levels. Consequently, the ways of state response at these levels are identified as strategic, operational and tactical ones.
The list of spheres of state response to the threats to social and political stability has been extended. The moral and value, demographic and immigration spheres, the spheres of public security, of ethnic and nationality relations, of interfaith relations, of intercultural relations, which require increased state attention in the current circumstances, have been added to the spheres, outlined in the legislation on the national security.
It is highlighted that the policy of sustainable development, which can prevent and eradicate threats to social and political stability, might be a tool of effective impact on the society by the state in order to respond to social and political threats. Along with that, the traditional methods of providing social and political stability, which involve using the security and defence sector, particularly the legitimate armed forces according to the decision of the highest governmental authorities, are also of importance.
The comprehensive mechanism of state response to the threats to social and political stability has been suggested, being a group of state bodies (institutions) and legislatively determined ways of their activities on counteraction to destabilising processes. This mechanism is a complex of several separate mechanisms, which are legal, organizational, institutional, financial resource, social and psychological. They are combined in a single system of counteraction to destabilizing factors. The evaluation of efficiency of the comprehensive mechanism of state response to the threats to social and political stability can be performed according to three-, five point or another scale depending on the stabilising objectives and the way to interpret the data obtained. The range of indicators (figures) is also taken into account.
The practical recommendations for improving the state response to the threats to social and political stability have been developed. It is suggested to create a precise algorithm of regulatory and legal provisions of government activities regarding the national security and defence, the development and adoption of the legislative act «On the Security and Defence Sector of Ukraine» by the state and civil society, the modernisation of the law of Ukraine «On the National Security of Ukraine», the implementation of the practice to compile the National Threat Register as a component of the National Security Strategy.
As the current proposal for improving the state system of response to the threats to social and political stability, it is offered to create a unified system of strategic planning and foresight in the field of national security and defence.
