The pandemic and the "renaissance" of statism as a threat to sustainable socio-economic development

The article is devoted to proving that in the conditions of a pandemic, as well as the increasing influence of noneconomic factors on economic development and the associated actualization of state functions, the importance of individual spontaneous activity as an ontological source of new knowledge is steadily increasing. It is shown that the strengthening the role of the state can lead to an increase in the general instability of socio-economic development, if the individual and, consequently, civil society are «dissolved» in the «new» state. The research methodology is based on the content analysis of qualitative assessments of the increasing role of the state in modern conditions. Along with this, the principle of duality is used, especially in the context of the analysis of the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the heuristic potential of the dialectic of the individual and the general. The scientific novelty lies, firstly, in the substantiation of the position that in the conditions of the activation of the role of non-economic factors of economic dynamics, including the coronavirus pandemic, the «renaissance» of statism, designed to ensure the progressive development of society and the economy, should not be an alternative to individualism, but a function of its new quality. In this regard, secondly, it is proved that the key task of the state should be to ensure the stability of the individualistic concept as a whole and specific individual as an ontological source of implicit knowledge and, consequently, large-scale and radical innovations. In this case, thirdly, the «despotic» (within extractive institutions) or «constrained» (within inclusive institutions) state is transformed into an entrepreneurial state responsible to the individual and civil society. The scientific and practical significance of the article lies in the possibility of using its provisions and conclusions in solving the systemic problem of qualitative renewal of the functions of the state in the field of ensuring sustainable socio-economic development of the individual, society and economy.