Nazarenko D. L. Formation of the Advocacy System in Local Self-Government. – Qualifying scientific work, manuscript copyright.
The thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Management and Administration, speciality 281 «Public Management and Administration». – National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. – Kyiv, 2021.
Completion of decentralization processes is accompanied by certain risks. A significant block of factors is related to the lack of existing relationship between the governing and managed subsystems of territorial development, the inability of territorial communities to fully realize their right to local self-government. This incompleteness of opportunities for the implementation of the constitutional right is promoting those new values for a particular territory, which should stimulate their innovative development and implementation of functions of civil society institutions.
Advocacy in local self-government should act as a comprehensive mechanism. In this case, local self-government is understood as a right, the real ability of a territorial community and a way how it manages functions and powers aimed at its livelihood and development.
The English term «Advocacy» translates as a recommendation, support, argumentation, promotion of certain ideas and values. But recently, the concept of «advocacy» has taken particular meaning as a specific type of activity related to socio-humanitarian issues. In this sense, advocacy is the representation and protection of interests. The denoted phenomenon is based on values and beliefs that the active participation of citizens in public life, which ensures the representation and protection of interests, forms the basis of a successful democracy and market economy.
So the urgent task of the theory and practice of public management and administration is to develop a comprehensive approach to ensure the formation of an effective system of advocacy in the local self-government of Ukraine.
The purpose of the dissertation is to substantiate the theoretical foundations and to develop practical recommendations for the formation of the advocacy system in local self-government.
The object of the research is the realization of the right to local self-government. The subject of the research is the formation of the advocacy system in local self-government.
Theoretical and applied results that constitute the scientific novelty of the study are that:
for the first time:
- theoretical and methodological principles of using the advocacy potential are substantiated;
- the basic, fundamental elements are established which in the unity form the minimum system of advocacy: «Vulnerable Element of Social and Spatial Formation» (VESSF); «Active Element of Territorial Community» (AETC); «Neutral Element of Territorial Community» (NETC).
- the priority aspects of mutual integration of the advocacy system and the local self-government system, which is realized in the processes of achieving their goals, are revealed.
improved:
- conceptual and terminological apparatus;
- principles of determining the effectiveness of advocacy.
have been further developed:
- provisions on the promotion of advocacy in local self-government;
- interpretation of advocacy as a means of self-realization of the individual as well as society consolidation and self-development by promoting innovative values;
- classical advocacy algorithm;
- approaches to creating an Internet platform for advocacy, which should include several main functions: experience accumulation and dissemination; a platform for a professional polylogue on advocacy issues; a tool for finding qualified experts for specific issues; a means of activating and educating the public; the tool of elections to the highest level of professional experts in advocacy; technological means of placing distance learning courses at several levels, aimed at both the general public and advocacy professionals, etc.; a means of achieving the goals of current advocacy campaigns.
The practical significance of the obtained results is that the scientific provisions, conclusions and recommendations developed and substantiated in the dissertation can be used in the practical work of local self-government bodies in the processes of promoting advocacy, which is aimed at improving the local communities development; when initiating changes to the local self-government legislation of Ukraine, promoting civil society development; in the educational process of institutions of higher education and advanced training of the relevant persons; in the activities of specialists and scientists in the field of public administration and local self-government, who work on solving a set of territorial development problems.
Keywords: advocacy; local government; local self-government; public management and administration; local community; representation and protection of interests; values promotion; promotion of values.
