Leading political scientists and sociologists from Moscow and St. Petersburg visited Makhachkala recently. They gave master classes to young professionals in the "Caspian" school of political science at the North Caucasus Political Science Forum.
The scholars have tried to develop a model of effective governance of polyethnic and multi-confessional regions. In particular, they discussed the need to create a bicameral parliament which would take into account the interests of all the residents of such a mosaic regions as Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Dagestan. The upper house would protect the interests of traditional society, such as ethnic and religious communities, and the lower chamber formed on the basis of profession would take into account the demands of modern urban society, public associations, political parties and trade unions. They were provisionally named the chambers of the future and the past.
One of the strategic objectives of multi-ethnic regions should be the transition from an ethnic and clan society to a civic nation. The processes of erasing the boundaries between ethnic groups, merging of traditional communities and forming trade unions could be controlled by a special coordination center of the executive branch.
Talking about ways of solving problems of multi-ethnic regions, political scientists have identified balancing of interests, ensuring representation, removing contradictions and incompatibility issues, monitoring and preventing possible conflicts. After reaching the strategic goal of creating a civic nation, an ethnic culture is preserved, but the ethnic groups are no longer united by organized public associations which have a negative impact on the government, contribute to the conservation of power, and prevent the rotation of elites and the implementation of reforms. If there are no criminalized associations on an ethnic and kinship basis, there is no problem.
Oleg Shabrov, head of the department of political science and political administration of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Service under the President of the Russian Federation, expressed his views on the need for feedback between the authorities and society, saying that the feedback channels work differently under different political regimes and have different effects on the efficiency of public administration: "In medieval states, the ruling minority makes decisions and achieves their implementation by means of violence. In modern democratic societies, an elected minority hired by the majority get to know it through various channels of feedback and follow the will of the majority. "
Yuri Krasin, head of the department of analysis of socio-political processes of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences presented his concept of monitoring democracy in Makhachkala. He used that expression for teaching society to use various methods of monitoring the activities of the bureaucratic apparatus at various levels in order to ensure the permanent control of society over the government.
Grigori Vodolazov, Ph.D., professor of the department of world politics and international relations of the Russian State Humanitarian University, spoke on Socrates, Plato and other phenomena of ancient philosophy. He spoke emotionally, puzzling the young political scientists with provocative questions.
Magomedsalam Magomedov , head of Dagestan, Academician Mikhail Gorshkov, director of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and State Duma deputies from Dagestan came to the North Caucasus Political Science Forum in order to listen to the experts. From now on, the forum and the school of political scientists in Dagestan will be traditional, because the authorities of Makhachkala believe that the development of sociology and political science will contribute to solving the problems of stabilization in the North Caucasus region.
