Moscow University Public Administration Bulletin. 2021. 2.

The submitted article is focused on the potential use of history as an instrument of political governance. The author gives a review of the evolution of historical politics as a socio-political phenomenon and its theoretical understanding in modern political science. The key topic of the submitted paper is the ethnic aspects of historical politics. The author reveals the content of the main narratives of historical politics, which are often addressed by various ethnic groups in the process of nation-building. The speech is about the inquiry about the “golden age” of the history, the sacralization of the national suffering, the linking of the history with ancient civilizations, etc. Finally, it is put wise of the ways of raising the level of politicization of ethnicity caused by a variety of historical narratives.

Public administration reform issues have always been topical in Russia. Therefore, public administration reforms are constantly being carried out in Russia. However, the quality of “administrative reforms” and their results are unsatisfactory. This undoubtedly became a prerequisite for all kinds of updates in 2020, including when developing amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The article briefly analyzes the preconditions for public administration reforms in Russia. Conclusions are made about the current state of the public administration system. The following directions of reforming public authorities, undertaken in 2020, are analyzed: the emergence of federal territories as a special kind of political-territorial units and the practice of their establishment on the example of the federal territory “Sirius; changes in the legal status of the highest authorities (primarily in terms of the redistribution of powers between the branches of government); anti-corruption novelties in the constitutional text. Special attention is paid to the digitalization of public administration: it’s current state and plans for digital transformation for the coming years.

The article is devoted to the Wales’s devolution process. The author comments well-known statement that devolution is a “process, not event”. He traces its main stages — administrative and two legislative. The author based mainly on official documents — laws and related “command” documents. Attention is drawn to British tradition of independent commissions. The work of the Richard, Holtham and Silk’s commissions analyzed. Indicated that the rights of Wales are less than those in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Wales is more integrated with England, in legal terms it was a single space “England and Wales”. Therefore, devolution’s support was here initially low. In the 1997 referendum, it was supported by only 50,3% of those who voted, with a turnout of 51%. Consequently, the idea’s support was by only a quarter of the inhabitants. However, the support is gradually expanding. This is the basis of the gradual expansion of the region’s rights. The devolution’s consequences are contradictory. Does it strengthen the kingdom, as its initiators believed, or lead to its collapse?

The article is dedicated to the relations between the Holy See and the Italian government at the final stage of the process of Italian unification. The author considers the seizure of Rome on September 20, 1870, to be a significant milestone. After this event the sides faced a need to continue the dialogue in brand new circumstances. The article examines both steps taken by the Italian government in order to achieve a compromise with Pius IX and those aimed at the incorporation of Rome and provinces of the Papal States into the Italian Kingdom. Special attention is given to the reaction of the Holy See on the actions of the Italian side, as well as the Pontiff ’s efforts to maintain temporal power as a guarantee of respect for his rights of the Head of the Church.

The publication provides an overview of the section “Theories and Practices of Public Administration” of the annual scientific conference “Lomonosov Readings” held at the Lomonosov Moscow State University School of Public Administration. There is a list of the main reports with short theses and the main results of the work of subsections organized by the departments of the School of Public Administration. The conference was cross-disciplinary, the questions touched upon many urgent problems in public and municipal administration. An important trend in the development of the economy and other spheres of life is a pandemic, an increase in the cost of resources, restrictions imposed by foreign partners, and acceleration in the pace of digitalization. Trends determine the search for alternative opportunities for the effective development of our country. Within the framework of the section “Theories and practice of public administration” of the conference “Lomonosov Readings”, various points of view on the prospects for the development of public administration in Russia and abroad were presented. In the context of modern internal and external challenges, specific proposals were formed to improve the economic, political and legal aspects of management based on the results of the discussions. Presented recommendations of new opportunities of management relations associated with the rapid development of science and technology.

The article is an overview of the speeches of the interregional scientificpractical conference “The Conflict Field of Public Policy: Experience and Prospects of Russian Society” held as part of the implementation of scientific activities for the development of the interdisciplinary scientific school of Moscow State University in the direction of “Conflictology”, as well as timed to the anniversary of two professors of the oldest national political science department — political analysis of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, head of the department A.I. Soloviev and Professor G.V. Pushkareva. The paper presents abstracts of reports by authoritative domestic political scientists, both employees of the Department of Political Analysis and invited researchers - representatives of leading Moscow and regional political and administrative schools and departments.