The problem of political competence in public administration

Abstract

The problem of the government competence in matters of political governance is one of the most topical practical problems of politics. The government can be act effectively and successfully only when they have necessary and sufficient body of knowledge and skills that allow them not to disturb a social life by volitional means, and act in accordance with the laws of social processes. The question of the competence of higher authorities is very important for any country of the world, since the success of the country, its economic and political wellbeing depends on the quality of the political elite – on their abilities and skills, competence and professionalism, however, just as on their honesty and good will. But if honesty and good will are the phenomena that are difficult to undergo a theoretical analysis and socio-political reflection, the competence can and should be understood by theorists both in the perspective of idealized, sample forms, and in the context of the real problems that politician who strives to act competently faces. For Ukraine, the problem of political competence at this stage is particularly urgent. Of course, the politicians of any country, even the most developed one, can not consider their competence absolute, complete, unconditional, but in some civilized countries there are well-established mechanisms of political elite training that enable providing profound knowledge and practical skills. Ukraine within recent decades has experienced social upheavals that changed one political elite into another one, and led out into the political arena new representatives, full of energy and enthusiasm, but often not sufficiently competent. That is why, now more than ever, Ukraine needs new generation of managers, able to perform major tasks that modern society faces. Competence of higher rank political leaders is a special area. It is not limited to being aware of the order of hierarchical relations or staff communication style, political etiquette or the order of routines. This area is related to making important decisions that affect the lives of millions of people. These aspects determine the high relevance of the research topic for both political science and practical realities. First of all, these are the issues such as the investigation of the content of political competence, identifying its fundamental characteristics and components, as well as justification of the limits of politicians’ possible competence.