LAW AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY AND THE STATE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: FROM BALANCE TO SYNERGY

Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from the fact that, in the context of social turbulence, digitalization, and the increasing complexity of social relations, the traditional “balance of interests” model, while remaining relevant, requires expansion and development. This necessitates the search for new paradigms that would more fully reflect not only the state of equilibrium but also the dynamics of the joint development of society and the state. The purpose of this study is to supplement the concept of balance of interests with the paradigm of synergy as a deeper level of interaction between society and the state, and to identify the functional capabilities of law as a tool for ensuring such synergistic interaction. The scientific novelty of this study is determined by the fact that synergy is viewed as a qualitative development and deepening of the concept of the balance of interests of legal entities, enabling a new level of interaction. Law is seen not only as a means of delineating and harmonizing interests but also as a communicative environment that facilitates their mutual development. It is argued that synergistic interaction requires not only institutional changes but also a transformation of legal consciousness as an adaptive mechanism. The study is based on an analysis of scientific publications in the fields of interest coordination, legal awareness, legal conflictology, and civil society. Dialectical, systemic-structural, synergetic, and formal-legal methods were used. The study’s findings demonstrate that a balance of interests is a necessary form of interaction between society and the state. Synergy presupposes not simply a balance of opposing forces, but their mutual complementarity, leading to a self-organizing effect of joint development. It is demonstrated that law fulfills a synergistic function through the institutionalization of interaction between civil society and the state, the delegation of authority, the formation of a commonality of values and legal principles, and the development of legal awareness.