NGOs participation in state social policy formation in the Russian Federation.

NGOs as interest groups are an important participant in the political process. The developed civil society is structurally considered as one of the indicators of development of democracy in the state. The effectiveness degree of forms and mechanisms of civil society structures participation in the making and implementation of state decisions indicates the openness level of the political-administrative process. The answer to the question about how civil society structures participate in the development and implementation of a political course, as well as about how the relations between civil society structures and authorities develop in various fields of politics, we will be able to assess to a certain extent the level of democracy of the political system in a state. The paper analyzes the Russian NGOs involvement level in the development and social policy implementation at the local and national level. It identifies key areas, tools, opportunities, and obstacles to the civil society structures participation in the political process. The article is aimed at researchers interested in the development of democracy, participation of civil society institutions in the political process, comparative analysis of the third sector organization under different political, social and cultural conditions. This research is important for identifying opportunities for the democratic institutions functioning and the use of civil society tools in the political process under conditions of different types of political systems and in situations of political and social instability and crisis. NGOs in Russia operate as social benefits providers and services to various groups of the population (primarily vulnerable social groups). Therefore, it is important to consider their activities as actors of social policy. In this process, NGOs perform three functions: 1) promotion of political and social interests of various social groups, 2) reforming the field of social support, development and implementation of new effective social technologies at the level of state structures, 3) initiation and lobbying of changes in legislation in the field of social policy. One of the most relevant questions is how the relations between the authorities and NGOs are built in the sphere of social policy formation under the conditions of modern regulatory and legal framework and existing political and social processes and contradictions. The paper considers various forms of interaction between the authorities and third sector organizations at the local and federal levels. An analysis of the factors that determine the success/failure and effectiveness/ineffectiveness of various forms of interaction in different regions and at the national level is conducted. The analysis allows us to draw certain conclusions about the use of democratic instruments to represent interests in the complex conditions of democratic retreat and the political system of Russia.