TOPICAL ISSUES OF FORMING A POSITIVE IMAGE OF CIVIL SERVANT

Abstract

In the current situation of economic and social challenges, the state enhances the stability of social and economic system. A central aspect of state capacity is the allocation of public goods, and ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending. The status of all civil servants becomes more important. Civil servants have special functions to perform and must ensure fair and efficient redistribution of state resources. Thus, building and maintaining a positive image of a civil servant is an important challenge for public organisations. The positive image of workforce increases trust in the state. In this way, civil servants can contribute significantly to socially useful activities and efficiently perform their duties. The image of a civil servant is an effective tool to influence mass consciousness. It reflects the general characteristics inherent to a certain social group. It is important to note the similar and different features of the image of a civil servant and a politician. The main difference is that the civil servant is limited by his powers and acts according to a strictly defined algorithm without the possibility of moving away from it. On the contrary, a politician has a wider range of possibilities. A negative image of a civil servant in the post-Soviet era is the result of the established institutions, norms and rules that operate within them when the guidelines and values of particular state authority are more important than the needs of society. At present, the established practice, in which authority does not come with responsibility, ruins the positive image of public institutions. Our paper brings into academic discussion the situation of human capital in Russian state institutions where increased attention needs to be paid to creating a positive image of a civil servant.

Keywords

civil service; state; trust in authority; image; society; public administration; social group

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About the Author

Evgeny V. Kotov – PhD in Economics, Docent; Senior Researcher, Associate Professor, Department of Management Theory and Public Administration, Donetsk Academy of Management and Public Administration under the Head of Donetsk People’s Republic, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic. E-mail: kotovev@mail.ru. ORCID 0000-0002-0926-3072. SPIN РИНЦ 3723-1631

For citation:
Kotov E.V. Topical Issues of Forming a Positive Image of Civil Servant // BENEFICIUM. 2020. No. 4 (37). pp. 11-18. (In Russ.). DOI: http://doi.org/10.34680/BENEFICIUM.2020.4(37).11-18