The Expert Image of the Russian Civil Society

Civil society plays an increasingly important role in the economic and social development around the world. The article attempts to identify the conditions for the functioning of the civil society in Russia and forecast its development in the near future. The empirical framework of the research lies in the results of an expert survey held by the Russian Academy of Sciences in February-March, 2018. The research methods are based on two principles: first, the forecasting process is based on the procedure of expert evaluation of the current conditions, probability, and preference of possible changes in the civil society. Second, analysis is carried out as a result of integration of assessments of experts representing various socio-political spheres (government, business, third sector, science, the media). The research reveals that expert opinions on all aspects of functioning of the civil society are highly differentiated, which, on the one hand, can be explained by different ideological views of the expert community, on the other - indicates the current extremely uncertain and contradictory state of the sphere under study and its prospects. Based on the expert method the image of the Russian civil society taking into account the social context of its functioning and development prospects in the next five years has been formed. It is concluded that the current and probable situations, as well as the conditions for achieving the preferred situation in the civil sphere are largely determined by the high level of state influence. However, experts attribute the preferred changes in the state of the civil society in the country to the growing population's constructive self-organization. Therefore, the experts' ideas about the probable and desirable areas of development of the civil society do not coincide. It is proved that partnership development of the civil society characterized by a high level of civil participation and significant state support is the most promising for Russia. The results may be of interest to specialists conducting research on the problem of the civil society and the representatives of public administration and civil society.