“System” consequences and effects of network governance
The article reveals the reasons and factors that determine the internal split of the ruling minority into two unequal segments. One of these segments certifies the traditional political elite, recruited on the basis of representative mechanisms and bearing a certain responsibility to society, and the second - informal associations consisting of political investors who “occupy” official authorities and make key decisions on behalf of the state. These reference groups not only reduce the functionality of official institutions and the effectiveness of public competition in society but also create a special political quasi-system that redistributes public resources in favor of its affiliated beneficiaries and imposes its own principles of relations between the state and society. The activity of this quasi-system generates structural transformations in public administration and has a negative impact on the political activity of citizens and public opinion. Demonstrating the greatest effectiveness of their actions in authoritarian and transit States, these quasi-systems maintain stability and prospects for further evolution.