Socio-economic aspects of social public protection in governmental policy formation of Russian Federation

Government creates a federal system of social public protection in order to implement certain kind of state activity - social policy in social support sphere, social public services, issues aimed at strengthening the family as an institute, protecting children’ interests and rights, as well as the implementation of demographic policy concept in Russian Federation. That is why social public protection is one of the main areas of social policy implementation.

Nowadays we can talk about several positive factors that affect the formation of the social public protection system and emphasize its importance undoubtedly. Firstly, the social public protection gets the rank of one of the main priorities of Russian state policy. Secondly, the role of the social protection system in maintaining social stability in the current conditions of Russian population has increased. Third, social security problems affect the fate of millions of people. Social protection is a complex phenomenon; its formation depends on the socioeconomic and political development of the country. Market economy development prospects go along with the problems emergency in social sphere in contemporary Russia. That is why the government seeks to minimize the negative effects after the transition to a market economy; and one of the most important directions here is social protection of citizens who need the state assistance.

Social policy and social protection of population are interrelated and interdependent. On the one hand, social protection is a mechanism for the implementation of social policy, which includes: social services, social support, social assistance, and so on, on the other hand, social policy is revealed in social protection, i.e. social policy is the same as social protection. But at the same time social protection affects social policy in determining of its orientation, forms and methods of implementation. Consequently, social policy can be considered as the basis of social public protection, thus being its basis. Thus, for example E.A. Burdyghina came to the conclusion generalizing the concept of "social policy" that historically social policy evolved as a policy of redistribution of income in favor of the poorest groups and strata of society.

At the legislative level in contemporary Russia, social protection includes: management of social public protection of the republics within the Russian Federation, social public protection controls of autonomous regions, territories, areas, cities.

In December 1995, the Federal Law "About the basis of social public services in Russian Federation" has been signed, according to this Law, social services refers to a social activity for social support services, provision of social, socio-medical, psychological, pedagogical, social and legal services and financial assistance, implementation of social adaptation and rehabilitation of citizens who are in difficult situations. Besides the principles of social services were identified: targeting; availability; voluntary; humanity; prioritize the provision of social services to juveniles in difficult situations; confidentiality; preventive orientation.

Social protection as a system, is widely represented in the Federal Law of July 17, 1999 №178-FZ "On state social aid", which establishes the legal and organizational framework for the provision of state social assistance to poor families, low-income citizens living alone and other categories of citizens

The present Federal Law defines the following basic concepts:

• 1)    -providing state social assistance to poor families, low-income citizens living alone, as well as other categories of persons referred to in this Federal Law, social benefits, social additional payments to the pension,

subsidies, social services and essential goods;

• 2)    social welfare - the donation of the citizens of a certain sum of money at the expense of the respective budgets of the budgetary system of the Russian Federation;

• 3)    grant - has the purpose of the full or partial payment provided social services to citizens;

• 4)    a set of social services - A list of social services provided to certain categories of citizens in accordance with this Federal Law;

• 5)    social surcharge to pension - providing citizen sum of money to a pension based on cash payments and individual social support provided in kind.

State social assistance is provided for the purpose of:

• -    Maintain the standard of living of low-income families and people living alone, whose average income is below the subsistence minimum;

• -    Enhance the targeting of social support of citizens in need;

• -    Reduce social inequalities and improve the incomes of the population, as well as creating the necessary conditions for ensuring accessibility to public and social services of acceptable quality.

Provision of state social assistance is carried out in the form of cash benefits for temporary disability and maternity leave, child care; kind assistance (food, clothes, shoes, medicines, etc.); assistance to families in the maintenance and education of children (free or on favorable terms nurseries, kindergartens, boarding schools, summer camps), etc.

In the early 90s, intensified study of the concept of "social protection" as well as its principles of foundation was initiated due to the striking crisis of social policy. For example, a doctor of economic sciences, GA Skachko agrees with those scientists, who distinguish five basic institutions of social protection of the population according to the analysis of international experience :

• 1)    state social assistance;

• 2)    public welfare;

• 3)    compulsory social security (by law);

• 4)    voluntary supplementary social insurance;

• 5)    voluntary private insurance.

In economics, the category of "social protection” is quite recent, it becomes widely used with the beginning of market reforms and the transition to a new system of social relations. According to the doctor of economic sciences, professor of the Russian State Social University, VG Pavlyuchenko, social protection is understood as a set of various measures implemented by the state, society, corporations, non-governmental organizations to protect citizens from various social risks (unemployment, poverty, disease and so on. D.). This definition covers all segments of the population and is versatile in terms of the practice of social work.

In 2014, LY Chikarina summarized the experience in implementation of the social policy of the state authorities in Krasnodar region. This study is characterized by a broad understanding of social protection, which relates to social protection of social policy as a whole.

State policy of social protection of the population is defined as a system of legal, social, economic and political nature, guaranteed and embodied by the state and as well as by local authorities. The purpose is to ensure the constitutional rights and rights of the people in general to good life, or their well-being at the level of socio-economic and cultural standards set forth in international legal instruments. Consequently, international legal acts largely determine the state policy of Russia in the construction of public social protection systems in the framework of international standards.

According to above-mentioned information we can talk not only about the concept of "social protection", but also about a multi-level system of social protection of the population that servesto create a special state of social services. The main directions of which - the creation of conditions for the able-bodied citizens to enhance the well-being; increased financial assistance and the provision of direct financial support to socially vulnerable layers of the population; provision of various forms of social services; guaranteed minimum adequate living conditions; maintaining the life support and the active human existence, and much more. At its core, the modern system of social protection of the population of multi-component. Consequently, the term "social protection" most accurately reflects the essence of the practice in the social sphere.

Therefore, the modern state policy of social protection should be based on the efficient use of economic and financial capacity of the country, the harmonization of commitments and the real possibilities of their execution. Its improvement is associated with the development of the legal framework, optimizing the functioning of mechanisms for the implementation of the state policy of social protection of the population.

This fact finds its confirmation in the DN Naklonova, where the author defines the legal expression of the social protection system, independent of the three groups of factors - political, economic and social shaping of living space:

• -    Political factors include ideology, legislation, institutional structure of the state and society;

• -    Economic factors determine the level of material well-being of the country and its population;

• -    Social factors (psychosocial, ethical, religious components of life) - the degree of harmonization of relations between the state, society and the individual.

The most fully the concept of "social protection" can be seen in the content of its functions defined by the pursued social policy of the state. On the one hand, we can say this, that the function of social protection is a reflection of the social policy of the state. However, the social security system has its own specific features, the basis of which the man and his vital needs.

There are different classifications of functions of social protection of the population, which explain in detail their characteristics. Universal, in our opinion, is the classification provided by the Director General for Research of the Institute of Labor and Social Security Ministry of Russia, doctor of economic sciences, professor VD Roic. According to him, the social protection functions are divided into four categories:

• 1.    Preventive-warning function. It consists in carrying out a set of measures aimed at prevention and protection of health, prevention of disability and other citizens;

• 2.    The economic function. Aimed at replacing the lost wages or income due to incapacity due to illness, accident, old age or by reason of loss of the breadwinner (for family members), to compensate for the additional costs in connection with treatment or disability;

• 3.    Socio-rehabilitation function. It lays in the formation of the complex of medical measures, occupational, social rehabilitation of the citizens in order to restore lost health and disability;

• 4.    The political function. Provides formation and maintenance of effective institutions and mechanisms of social protection in order to ensure guaranteed by the Constitution and the legal framework of social and legal norms to protect and maintain social stability.

Thus, these features do not reveal only the specifics of this concept, but also the basic components of the social welfare system as a whole. Because of this the concept of "social protection" is seen as a system of social protection of population of the state. Therefore, the efficiency and quality of social protection of the population of Russia is due to government policies. Its improvement should be based on effective use of social and economic opportunities of the country, the harmonization of commitments and the real possibilities of their execution, which implies a reduction of unnecessary budget expenditures.