Abstract: Social networks are considered by the population as the leading way of communication, therefore public authorities use new technologies to inform and involve citizens in management. The purpose of the work is to evaluate the interaction of citizens and authorities using the official pages of local administrations on the VKontakte social network. The subject of the study is social networks as a tool of interaction between authorities and citizens. The article analyzes the official pages (state publications) of 7 large cities, which are the administrative centers of the subjects of the Central Federal District. Main research methods: analysis, comparison, generalization, methods of descriptive statistics. The author examines the work of Russian and foreign researchers on the problem of the use of social networks in the activities of public authorities. The indicators reflecting the effectiveness of official communities were studied: the activity of citizens on the pages, the level of involvement, the publication activity of the administration, content formats. The data was collected and processed manually and with the help of specialized services. There are few studies in which a comparative analysis of the interaction of local governments with citizens in social networks is carried out, so the article complements the current literature on digital communications in the public sector. An analysis of the indicators that characterize the activity and involvement on the official pages of local administrations shows that the practice of using social networks in the regions is different. All official pages are active, page owners (local administrations) and subscribers (citizens) are looking for ways to interact online. The results will help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the official pages and offer recommendations for improving the participation of citizens in the management process through social networks.

Abstract: Citizens’ content with the quality and availability of the rendered public services is the key criterion for the efficiency of the service state. Satisfaction assessment is conducted through monitoring services using sociological surveys and “Your Control” platform. For revealing the customer’s experience, the article offers to use opinions posted by the citizens on the independent websites for customer reviews. The subjective opinions of the customers about the conditions and nature of rendering services gives additional information on the problems faced by citizens in the process of receiving services in multifunctional centers would broaden the knowledge on the appropriate service from the perspective of customer expectations, as well as use the acquired information for quality control in the public sphere. Research methodology employs analytical and comparative methods, summary of customer reviews posted on the websites. This article is first to introduce the new type of source for assessing citizens’ content with the quality of rendered public services. The problematic areas in rendering public services in multifunctional centers are determined. The need is substantiated for further search of the methods to increase citizens’ satisfaction and efficiency of rendering public and municipal services. The acquired results of can be used in the activity of executive branches, local administrations, and multifunctional centers that provide public and municipal services.

Abstract: One of the criteria for assessing the efficiency of public administration is citizens’ content with the quality and accessibility of the rendered public services. Negative results of public assessment reduce ' confidence of the citizens in the government, and may affect the personnel decisions in public service. The customer-centric approach requires changes to the professional culture and competences of the employees. The goal of this research is to reveal the potential of application of emotional labor theory for improving efficiency of public service. It is suggested that the professional activity of government employees demands emotional labor, which implies emotional modulation in accordance with formal requirements for creating a positive impression among citizens in the context of interaction with the government authorities. The author used analytical and comparative methods to describe the specificity of emotional labor in the professional activities of government employees. The article reviews the characteristics of emotional labor given by A. Hochschild in relation to the professional group of government employees, which underline the need to manage emotions in interaction with citizens, as well as reveal positive and negative consequences of emotional labor. The conclusion is made that for increasing efficiency of professional activity the government employees, it is necessary to improve the principles of work of government bodies, as well as train personnel on new skills. The obtained results may be valuable in elaboration of the programs for training government employees, creation of competence models, and their appointment to certain positions. Application of the concept would allow taking into account the potential risks, conducting preventive and educational work among government employees in order to improve their performance.

Abstract: The relevance of this work is justified by the ubiquitous infiltration of the online social networks into social life. The goal of this research is to reveal the prospects of using the online social networks in work of the government officials with consideration of foreign experience. Social networks provide its users with the platform for establishing contacts and receiving services; network communities express a solidary opinion with regards to surrounding life, and develop consolidated position on the government policy. Government bodies are forced to adjust and respond to the centers of influence appearing in the digital space. Social networks become the objects and means of control, as well as used for solving the tasks of public administration. The article examines the practice of implementation of social networks in work of the executive branches, presents an overview of the official pages of the federal authorities in social networks, as well as gives characteristics to the “incident Management” software. The article indicated that the professional use of the technologies and instruments of digital interaction requires acquiring digital competencies and better experiences. The research results may be valuable in development of the government policy in social networks, recommendations on cooperation between the government officials and citizens within the digital space.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the urban communities. The goal is to determine the scope and sphere of activities of urban communities of a particular city, and reveal their resource potential in the socioeconomic development of the territory. In the process of municipal administration, the self-governing bodies influence the municipal formation, interact with various objects for improving the living standards using the available resources. The author assumes that the existence of multiple communities in a city testifies to the accumulation of social capital that can be used for solution of municipal issues. The materials covered in the research educe that social capital is a resource influencing the economic growth, quality of social services an institutions of public administration. Citizens’ involvement in the communities is viewed as an indicator of social capital. There is no systematized information on the unregistered urban communities that manifest themselves in the city of Ivanovo, which affects the effectiveness of administrative decision-making. The author conducted monitoring of social networks searching for information about the urban communities, analysis of secondary sociological information on the topic, materials of the open Internet sources and literature. As a result, the author was able to determine the scope of activities of urban communities, as well as confirm that the united by social ties city residents are ready for collective actions and participate information of social capital. This work with complement the research on the impact of social capital upon the effectiveness and quality of municipal administration and broaden perspective on possibility of participation of the communities in the development of the territory.  Further formulation of practical recommendations on increasing the efficiency of interaction between the self-governing voided, communities and city residents is required.

Abstract: The object of this research is the social councils under the municipal authorities, while the subject is the potential forms of participation of the social councils of municipal divisions in development and implementation of the national policy. Main attention is focused on the analysis of the tasks, goals, and functions of the social councils that are on record in the normative acts that regulate their activity. The article establishes the specificity of regulation of the activity of social councils in the area of harmonization of interethnic relations in the territory of municipal divisions of the region. Social councils are characterized from the perspective of presence of the representatives of ethnocultural and religious organizations. The information foundation for this study became the official websites of municipal divisions of Ivanovo Region, the compulsory sections of which contain the data on the social councils. The author reveals the formally enshrined role of social council under the municipal authorities in solving the issues that emerge within the interethnic sphere at the local level. Presence in the regulatory documents of special reference to the tasks of social council in the area of harmonization of interethnic relations demonstrates the priority of the problem for the specified territory. The distinct feature of the majority of councils lies in the existence of the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is explained by the maintained ethnic uniformity of the region. The system of social councils is currently in the process of establishment; therefore, it is essential to identify the directions for development of the public and local administration, in which the deliberative bodies with participation of public representatives will be most effective. The new institution creates the additional opportunities for the participation of population in realization of local self-governance, but the choice of the form of cooperation in solving the local issues, including the ethno-confessional relations, remains with the public organizations and citizens; efficiency of the process in general depends on the readiness and motivation of the participants.