THE INFLUENCE OF INSTITUTIONS OF A CIVIL SOCIETY ON ETHNOPOLITICAL PROCESSES DURING THE SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATION OF RUSSIAN SOCIETIES (On the materials of Kabardino-Balkariya and Karachaevo-Circassia)

The author of the article considers the process of formation and development of civil society institutions in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia and their influence on ethno-political processes at various stages of modernization reforms in the post-Soviet Russia, analyzes the formation of regulatory and legal framework of non-commercial organization, the stages of development and the structure of civil society institutions in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. The article covers activity of public authorities, local government and social associations of the republics during the period of growth of centrifugal tendencies in the North Caucasus. The author analyzes attempts to realize various forms of self-determination, to conduct administrative and territorial transformations and considers the factors that negatively affect the ethno-political situation in the region. The author of the article presents the activity of republican institutions of civil society: public chambers, cultural and national centers and associations, youth and religious organizations, mass media, and studies the experience of public chambers in holding meetings where topical issues of socio-economic and public life of the republics were discussed, including those aimed at strengthening of ethno-political stability in the region. An effective form of taking into account the public opinion while developing management decisions is the participation of the Public Chamber in conducting public expertise of draft federal and regional laws. Special mention should be made of the activities of the Public Chamber for prevention of religious extremism. The work on generalization of the activities of religious associations for implementation of social programs and projects aimed at increasing the level of culture of interconfessional and interethnic tolerance among young people is to solve this problem. At the same time, there are some factors that impede the development of civil society institutions in the region. First of all, it is low social activity of citizens and the absence of principled civic position on a number of crucial issues. In conclusion, the author determines main perspective directions of the development of civil society institutions in the region.