CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE STATE: FEATURES OF INTERACTION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the relationship between civil society and the state, particularly in the context of post-communist countries’ democratic transition at the end of the 20th century. The author illustrates the multivariate ways and outcomes of democratic transformations using the experience of Visegrad Group countries. The article highlights theoretical approaches to the classification of the nature of interaction between the state and civil society, as well as the key factors influencing the effectiveness of such interaction. The article pays special attention to the essence and nature of political conflicts involving civil society and the state, as well as the characteristics of the main methods of their settlement and resolution. The author considered scientific approaches to the definition of political conflicts, identified their main characteristic features and forms, considered the dependence of the forms of political conflict on the type of political regime, analyzed the process of managing political conflicts, which includes conflict forecasting, conflict prevention, conflict settlement, and conflict resolution. Using the example of the existence of such a phenomenon as "frozen conflicts" in political science, the importance of choosing the right conflict regulation mechanism, which must be compatible with the social reality to which it is applied, is emphasized. Taking into account the specifics of political conflicts with the participation of civil society and the state, the article considers alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation and facilitated dialogue. Conclusions have been made on the importance of using a wide range of methods for influencing the political conflict, as well as taking into account the existing balance of forces between its major parties.