Distrust of citizens to public servants in Ukraine: historical preconditions and ethical ways of overcoming ; Недовіра громадян до публічних службовців в Україні: історичні передумови та етичні шляхи усунення

Open Access

Abstract

Problem setting. Extremely low trust of Ukrainian citizens in state bodies (bureaucracy) testifies the crisis state of society, the unresolved contradictions in public life, which impede the socio-economic and political development of Ukraine and its national security. Researching ethical ways of providing trustful relations between public servants and citizens in the circumstances of rapid and contradictory socio-political changes is an actual scientific and practical task. The results of such research can contribute to the successful reform of public service in Ukraine, the growth of its prestige and authority among the population.Recent research and publications analysis. Modern Ukrainian researchers have intensified research about relations between public servants and citizens in Ukraine. First of all, the essence of the phenomenon of trust to the power and ways of improving the positive image of public servants through the modernization of the system of public administration is being conceived. Somewhat less attention is paid to the social and valuable principles of establishing constructive relations between public servants and civil society actors. It is important to study T. Vasylevska and M. Rudakevych, who comprehend personal and socio-group dimensions of moral relations between citizens and public servants, consider trust as the fundamental principle of cooperation between them as social partners.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. It is necessary to investigate the factors that led to the biased attitude of Ukrainian citizens to the representatives of power. It is also necessary to study the ethical tools for changing the quality of public service, which will ensure its effectiveness and enhance the authority of individuals, who serve in state and local government. The aim of the article is to analyze the genesis of distrust between citizens and public servants in Ukraine, to outline the ethical ways of eliminating ideological and psychological obstacles to establishing an effective model of interaction between the actors of the management process.Paper main body. Low level of trust of Ukrainian citizens to public servants scatters the important social capital, weakens Ukraine as a national organism. The current unfriendly relationships between citizens and officials remains a reflection of the historical confrontation between these social actors in Ukraine. Serious moral-valuable and psychological differences were laid in the nineteenth century and were conditioned by the indifference of most officials to the interests and needs of citizens, serving the interests of foreign states, party or narrow-social groups, and personal needs. As a result, there is a non-initiative, impolite, insensitive bureaucracy, on the one hand, and passive, disappointed, susceptible population on the other. Thus, the axiological conflict between a social institution (state) and a social subject (people) was formed in the Ukrainian socio-historical consciousness, which impedes the accumulation of social capital of trust. To change the relationships between officials and citizens, legal and moral texts and the responsibility to change the world-view and axiological discourse, which will convince public servants to be honest, professionally responsible and decent in the performance of their duties, is necessary. This will be facilitated by the grouping of the principles of professional conduct of the official around the normative concepts "Legality" (legal component), "Efficiency" (praxeological component), "Decency" (ethical component). On the basis of them, specific rules and methods of cooperation of a public servant with citizens should be developed. Establishing trust can be achieved by reducing the negative experience of communication on each side when the format of "bureaucratic clashes" will be leveled up by the establishment of partnerships in the style of business communication in a moral atmosphere. Such a strategy of interaction will correspond to the principles of implementing administrative policy in a democratic world.Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. The acute crisis of trust on public service in Ukraine is caused by a complex of modern causes and contradictions of the past. The negative image of an official who has been formed in the minds of Ukrainian citizens can be gradually changed due to a new world-view and axiological discourse, which will promote the adoption of rules of law, efficiency and decency in relations between public servants and citizens. A prerequisite for increasing public trust in public service of Ukraine is its ethization. The authority of the state and local administrations will be able to raise morally-minded public servants who will combine "rational" and "sensory" management during communication with citizens. ; Оцінено довіру між громадянами і публічними службовцями як важливий соціальний капітал, який належно не функціонує в українському суспільстві. З'ясовано історично-психологічні причини формування в українській суспільній свідомості упередженого ставлення до представників влади. Акцентовано на важливості перебудови морально-ціннісних засад і стилю взаємин між чиновниками і громадянами. Етизацію публічної служби України розглянуто як шлях налагодження довірливих відносин між громадянами та публічними службовцями, що сприятиме консолідації українського суспільства.