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Vereshchak S.B., Vasilieva J.S.
Periodization of the civil service reform in the Russian Federation
Keywords: civil service, civil servant, civil service reform, digital transformation
Over the past three-plus decades – from 1991 to the present day – the civil service has undergone significant changes, ranging from the development of its conceptual framework and the identification of options for the future model of the Russian civil service to the introduction of digital technologies, changes in the requirements for its staff, and the development of a sub-sector of civil service law. A scientific analysis of the stages and periods of civil service reform enables us not only to understand the objectives, key priorities, successes and shortcomings of the reform at each stage, but also to grasp the overall logic behind its implementation, form a comprehensive overview of the development of the civil service as an institution, and identify trends and strategies for its future development. All this makes it necessary to conduct scientific research in this area. The purpose of the study is to theoretically substantiate and identify the stages and periods of reforming the civil service of the Russian Federation based on an analysis of institutional changes, priorities and dynamics of the development of the public administration system and the regulatory legal framework. Materials and methods. The methodological framework comprises general scientific, discipline-specific and legal methods of scientific inquiry: dialectical, historical, systems-based, logical and formal-legal approaches, as well as institutional approaches, analysis and synthesis and others. Regulatory legal acts, scientific literature on civil service issues and strategic planning documents were used to substantiate periodization and analysis of reform stages from 1991 to the present. Results. Taking into account the aims and objectives of the civil service reform, the following chronological framework has been proposed, identifying the periods and stages of the reform: 1) the period of establishing the modern model of the Russian civil service, comprising three preparatory stages of developing and formalising the concepts of the new civil service system; 2) the period of establishing the legal and organisational foundations of the civil service, comprising stages related to the adoption of key legislative acts on civil service matters and anti-corruption; 3) the period of institutional renewal of the civil service and the development of its system, during which legislative acts were adopted for different types of civil service, anti-corruption mechanisms and personnel policy were improved, and a system of public oversight in the sphere of public administration was established; 4) the period of improvement and digitalisation of the civil service, representing the current stage of digital transformation in the functioning of state bodies. Conclusions. The conducted research made it possible to identify the key stages and periods in the reform of the civil service of the Russian Federation, successful practices and problematic aspects of transformations. Systematizing knowledge helps to shed light on the logic and dynamics of the development of the civil service in Russia. Based on the proposed periodisation, civil service reform can be viewed as a sequential process in which each subsequent period is shaped by the unresolved issues of the previous one. In the context of the institutional uncertainty of the 1990s, it became necessary to form the legal foundation of the civil service in the 2000s. Due to the insufficient effectiveness of the anti-corruption mechanisms that operated from 2000 to 2008, a comprehensive anti-corruption infrastructure was created in 2009–2020, and the types of public service that form its system were clarified and legislatively regulated. Limited transparency in the activities of government agencies and a high proportion of routine operations led to the transition to the digital transformation stage, which began in 2021. Civil service digitalization is not only a technological upgrade, but above all a reaction to the institutional shortcomings of previous stages, as well as to the modern demands of society. Failing to take this logic into account could lead to a repeat of the mistakes of the 1990s, when there was no organisational framework in place to implement the reforms. The developed periodization is suitable for use in the practical activities of government authorities in order to diagnose problems: assigning the current problem to one of the identified stages serves as the basis for choosing adequate means to solve it.
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About authors
- Vereshchak Svetlana B.
- Candidate of Law Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law, Chuvash State University, Russia, Cheboksary (veres_k@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9335-2501)
- Vasilieva Jeanne S.
- Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Public Law, Chuvash State University, Russia, Cheboksary (kaf_advok@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1880-3309)
Article link
Vereshchak S.B., Vasilieva J.S. Periodization of the civil service reform in the Russian Federation [Electronic resource] // Oeconomia et Jus. – 2026. – №2. P. 84-96. – URL: https://oecomia-et-jus.ru/en/single/2026/2/9/. DOI: 10.47026/2499-9636-2026-2-84-96.
