Anti-Manipulator: How to Build a Society Free from Officials' Manipulations

State structures are tens and hundreds of thousands of officials in localities who possess not only power but also information that is not accessible to most citizens. As a result of this informational asymmetry, we only know about the authorities what they allow us to know. We often hear triumphant statements about the completion of set tasks, supported by impressive figures in reports from ministries, agencies, and high-ranking officials. But all our daily experiences—whether we go to a clinic or a pharmacy, sit behind the wheel of our own car or use public transport, try to enroll a child in kindergarten or receive the benefits we are entitled to—simply scream at us: nothing changes! Why does this happen? Through practical examples, the author of the book reveals how unscrupulous officials create the illusion of achieving results, virtuously juggling words and numbers, and tells how to resist these manipulations. Based on personal experience in organizing public oversight, the author calls for the creation of a clear and accessible (and not fictitious, as it is now) form of an open state system and defends civic activity as an important means in the struggle for effective governance.