Social entrepreneurship as a form of activism in the context of social policy reform in Russia

The article discusses the peculiarities of non-profit sector institutionalization in modern Russian society. Legislative regulations governing the activities of non-profit organizations as well as changes in the concept / strategy of state social policy have a decisive influen ce. In novations in the legis lation are connected with the legislative regulation of the organizational and legal form of socially-oriented non-profit organization. Guaran tees of state support in the form of subsidies are provided for such organizations. As a result, n ew institutional conditions for the development of th e non-profit sector are created. Th e a rticle reveals the ten dencies of development of non-profit sector: there is a significant increase in the n umber of organizations of social or ientation while the sh are of organ izations of social orientation decreases and the share of or ganizations aimed at solving the pr oblems of local community (ter ritorial self-government organizations) incr eases; there are institutional limitations related to the lack of procedures for certification and licensing of socially oriented organizations; the main mechanisms for the distribution of social transfers are the mechanisms of competitive selection and social financing; while the strategic directions of financing (state support) of social projects of NGOs are only beginning to be determin ed on the basis of publi c conven tions. The article discusses the key institutional changes in the social sph ere in the period from 2004 to 2017 affecting NGOs: autonomy of social institution s; formation of social standards, admin istrati ve regulations of services; inclusion of NGOs in the provision of social services and others. The need to attract non -gover nmental sources of financing creates new prospects for th e development of the social market of social services through the developmen t of social entrepreneurship. Social entr epren eurship is consi dered from the standpoint of the theories of the public good and the economy of the public sector as well as the theory of rational management. New aspects in the under standing of social entr epren eurship are connected with the distin ction between the economic an d entr epreneurial aspects of the or ganizations activities; the idea of determining the impact of targeted strategies an d project forms of activity; the iden tificat ion of signs of th e organization of entrepreneurial type.