For citation:
Gorin E. O. Theoretical and legal understanding of volunteerism as an institution of civil society in the Russian Federation. Journal Izvestiya of Saratov University. Economics. Management. Law, 2026, vol. 26, iss. 2, pp. 223-230. DOI: 10.18500/1994-2540-2026-26-2-223-230, EDN: WSJDQS
Theoretical and legal understanding of volunteerism as an institution of civil society in the Russian Federation
Introduction. The article examines volunteerism as an institution of civil society. Currently, volunteering is mainly studied through the prism of various social sciences and the humanitie. However, there are no comprehensive studies related to the legal essence of volunteerism. The relevance of the theoretical and legal understanding of volunteerism as an institution of civil society is determined by the crucial applied value of this analysis for understanding the social nature of the institution under study and its current state. Theoretical analysis. As a result of the amendments made to the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 2020, volunteering was recognized as the foundation of civil society and social partnership. Current Russian legislation meticulously regulates the substantive characteristics of volunteerism. Based on the analysis of legislative approaches to defining volunteer activity, the substantive characteristics of this phenomenon were examined: voluntariness, gratuitousness, focus on the performance of work and/or the provision of services, taking into account the discussions available in the scientific literature. The importance of the purposefulness of volunteering, which is enshrined in a very multifaceted manner in the current legislation, was emphasized. Empirical analysis. Based on existing theoretical and legal approaches to defining the criteria for a civil society institution, the current state of volunteerism was analyzed. The study utilized formal legal, logical, and general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, and the dialectical method). The article pays attention to the practice of various types of volunteer activity, as well as its impact on the substantive characteristics of volunteerism as a civil society institution. Results. The author formulated the definition of volunteerism as a civil society institution with a distinctly social nature that is based on voluntary, gratuitous, and independent activity carried out to achieve socially beneficial goals. The independence of volunteer activity should be viewed through the prism of self-organization, self-governance, and self-responsibility. The crucial importance of this civil society institution for the implementation of the Russian Federation’s state policy on implementing the principles of the state and social system was emphasized.
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