The Digital State: Features, Mechanisms and Prospects of Providing E-Government Services to Citizens of Modern Russia

Annotation

The dynamically transforming system of public administration under the influence of digital technologies makes it relevant to consider public electronic services as an important component of the digital state. On the one hand, services help to optimize the process of interaction between the state and the citizen, and on the other, they lose their level of trust due to the challenges of our time. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to identify the specifics of the involvement of residents in obtaining digital services. The focus group method was used as a method. In 2024, more than 100 respondents were surveyed in several regions of Russian Federation (Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk Region, Sverdlovsk Region, Primorsky Krai). The results of the study suggest that digital transformation has contributed to the creation of online services across the country. However, problems such as the technological gap in the regions, the security of personal data, the limited functionality of services, the activity of fraudsters, etc. create additional risks for the authorities. The “Gosuslugi” portal is perceived by residents as a tool for obtaining services, rather than as a platform for civic engagement. The development of initiatives will increase the involvement of the population in political decision-making, thereby improving the effectiveness of the policy.

Keywords

• government
• network state
• digital state
• digitalization
• public administration
• information technology
• information security
• public services
• digital services
• “Gosuslugi”
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Acknowledgments

the work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 22-78-10049 “The State and the Citizen in the New Digital Reality”.

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