Government Relations Management: A Specific Form of Interaction Between Business and State in the Republic of Moldova

The progress of any society is largely determined by how its economic activity is organized as a result of the efficient functioning of its political institutions in ensuring a competitive business environment. Thus, the efficiency of cooperation between the public and private sectors is one of the most significant markers of any modern state development. Management of business-state relations (GR-management) is a special type of management activity located at the intersection of three sectors of society: government, business, and non-profit organizations, including business associations. In the process of evolution, the relations between business and state have changed, currently developing on three levels—corporate GR, GR-consulting, and GR through business associations. This article aims to identify which of these forms of GR-management is the most effective in an emerging country based on the experience of the Republic of Moldova. In this paper, we analyze how GR-management works in the Republic of Moldova through its component—business associations, by conducting a survey and analyzing the data obtained. The survey helped us to deduce that business in the Republic of Moldova needs to represent its interests before the state through associations, and the most important elements of the state/business environment relationship refer to the promotion of partnership development, extension of foreign economic and international relations, promoting the image of the business in the media and training activities.