The main approaches and methods of analyzing the evolution of institutional, functional and organizational structures of public administration in Russia are disclosed. The problems of public administration in Russia are considered in the context of the development of society and its relationship with the system of state power at various stages of its evolution. It is possible to understand the logic of the development of the institutional structure and the technology of public administration in Russia only in the context of its sociocultural tradition, which determined the forms and methods of governing influence of the authorities and set mechanisms for adapting management institutions and their functions to the needs of Russian society.