Afonasova A.V.

The article analyzes the prospects for the domestic political science of two approaches to the study of the "idea" of the modern state. The first one was formed historically within the framework of philosophical science and was at a certain stage of development perceived by political science. According to this approach, the "idea of the state" is an expression of some higher and eternal essence of power and social order. The second approach reflects the sustained interest of citizens and elites in the essential meaning of state institutions, which can be defined by the concept of "functionality". The author of the article criticizes the identification of the "functionality" of the state with its "efficiency" by the experts of the national political science, and the scientific evaluation of this "efficiency" with the way the citizens and elites evaluate the role of the state in politics in specific political situations. The author proves the importance of taking into account in the analysis of the state activity (especially in crisis conditions), the fact that the mass consciousness tends to interpret the "functionality" of the state as its "universality". It refers to the willingness to maximize their competence in dealing with political and non-political problems, as well as the area of their legal and moral responsibility for these decisions. The author believes that this understanding of the "idea of the state", its role as a factor in the political process, gives political science new opportunities in the scientific examination of those projects that were created over the past years, as well as in the current and strategic design of the functionality of the Russian state.