Indicators of political system optimization
Editorial
Yerkir/Arm
1 July 05
One of the important indicators of successful statehood is the degree
of humanization of the social conditions.
Neither the political nor the economic systems can function properly
if the needs of the majority of the population are constantly at the
level of marginal dissatisfaction growing into daily struggle for
survival.
In such cases the government can only achieve mechanical stability
through physical governance. Meanwhile, content-oriented governance of
the nation is indispensable for political organization of statehood.
Content-oriented governance is possible only when the input window of
the political system is equally open for social groups having
different interests and problems. Moreover, in times of transition the
government has to treat more favorably those groups that are not
competitive and do not adapt easily to the environment of market
economy. Interpretation of the society’s interests, balancing those
interests and setting priorities are important elements of
professional political activities.
A political system can be considered as properly functioning if it
makes decisions and undertakes certain measures under the pressure of
society’s demands. These decisions and measures have to find a
resonance with the society and deal with issues of the nation’s
physical existence and state security.
Moreover, at the present stage of transition, one of the most
important challenges the political system and the government are
facing is `injecting’ ambitious material and spiritual demands into
the societal groups that otherwise deal only with the necessity of
survival. From the standpoint of establishment of statehood and
political system it is of utmost importance that the poor and middle
classes forming the majority of the society live according to such
standards of life and lifestyle that exceed the capacity of the state
system.
Progressive needs and demands are the engines of development and
improvement of any society and the guarantees of mobilization of the
entire political system. Of course, it is much easier to govern a
society that has minimal needs and demands. However, when the society
is divided into two extreme poles and the government’s budgets have no
social orientation the probability of eruption of social discontent
rises.
This happens especially because a large portion of demands to the
political system in economically devastated transition societies deal
with issues of survival and are thus natural and reasonable. These
demands mostly fit intothe scope of obligations of socially-oriented
states – minimal consumption basket, employment, justice, order of
law, etc.