ABSTRACT
The difficult path of social reform in Russia does not end with the adoption of legislative acts. Implementation of new legislative provisions depends largely on the institutions responsible for social protection, poverty and unemployment reduction programs, and realization of youth and family policies. A new social policy, which is more targeted, will set higher requirements for the effectiveness and efficiency of these organizations. Without a new type of public administration to replace the traditional nomenklatura and bureaucracy, state institutions will be incapable of fostering social capital and citizens’ trust in the state, and thus of building greater social cohesion.
