Abstract:

The article examines the patterns and specifics of the development of social processes and managerial reality, typical for most European countries at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. Based on the methodology of public administration, the main trends in modern society and governance development are identified, analyzed and generalized: changes in public administration priorities under the influence of ambiguous socio-political processes at the turn of the century are substantiated. The controllability of administrative structures is characterized as a basis of sustainability of the society and governance. The problems of social interaction, responsibility and democracy in modern management practices are defined. It is suggesed that the influence of information technology and the revitalization of the civil society have led to such changes in social reality, the assessments of which are ambiguous and controversial, both in countries of democratic transformation and in mature  European democracies. They have influenced the formation of certain trends, which sometimes show opposite and not always constructive directions. It is argued that improving the efficiency of public administration by involving public in the development and implementation of policies, improving the timing and quality of qualified management decisions determine an important positive trend in the development of public administration the and society as a whole. At the same time, the change of generations of managerial elites in post-totalitarian countries has led to problems against the background of attempts to simplify the essence and algorithms of management and spontaneous changes in the institutional structure of society and government. Gaining experience, mastering modern communication technologies and professional training, obviously, have a chance to balance these trends in favor of improving the quality of both management and society i life n general.