Статьи журнала - Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast
Все статьи: 1587
Small business as the factor increasing the employment rate and incomes of the population
Статья научная
Small and medium business is the most important source of increasing employment and incomes of the population. The statistics show that at present the potential of this sphere is not used to the fullest extent in Russia. In order to overcome the existing difficulties, involve the population in business, it is necessary to implement a set of measures aimed at the improvement of the business climate and the disclosure of the population’s entrepreneurial potential. Furthermore, an important step is the development and adoption of the concept of the long-term development programme of small and middle business in the region.
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Small business development as a factor of increasing financial autonomy of municipal entities
Статья научная
The article examines the main results of the reform of local government. It shows that along with the positive results achieved during the transformation, a number of problems remain unresolved. The most significant among them is lack of financial autonomy of municipalities. Solutions to this problem are proposed. One of the promising directions of formation and expansion of own economic base of the municipality is the development of small businesses.
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Small business in Russia: everyday issues and development constraints
Статья научная
The article is based on the data of “Russian longitudinal monitoring survey of economic situation and public health NRU HSE” (RLMS-HSE) and considers current issues and specifics of social well-being of entrepreneurs engaged in small business - managers of micro-enterprises and individual entrepreneurs as one of the least protected professional groups who face great difficulties in organizing their business. The analysis confirms that numerous lingering problems impeding their work cause a reduction in the level of entrepreneurial activity, significantly worsen the social well-being of entrepreneurs and force many of them to change professional and life plans. The study reveals that social well-being of entrepreneurs engaged in small business is complex and uncertain; it is a consequence of an inconsistency between conditions of life and work, and the heterogeneity of this category of employees. They feel happy more often than wage workers. However, possessing a relatively high level of job satisfaction and life satisfaction in general, and having higher self-assessment of professional skills, small-scale entrepreneurs are less concerned with the low prestige of their work and their lack of wide power and authority in comparison to other categories of employed persons; they are cautious in establishing relationships with other people and they have a comparatively low level of law-abidance...
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Small business is an important reserve for development of a one company town
Статья научная
The small business development acquires strategic importance for sustained social and economic development of regions, especially for one company towns located on their territories. The composition of problems occurred in one company towns, the factors that create difficult situations in their economic and social and cultural life are considered in the article. The possibilities of using small business for sustainable growth of a one company towns and improving the quality of life of their people in times of crisis and during the post-crisis development are substantiated.
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Статья научная
The article examines the issues of state support of small and mid-sized businesses in the region. The conclusion is made that it is necessary to search for new mechanisms of stimulation of small business activity.
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Small forestry business development peculiarities in Komi Republic
Статья научная
The article considers problems of small business in the forestry sector of Komi Republic in the structural and social aspects. Problems bounding effectiveness increase of small forestry business are shown up.
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Small towns in the spatial structure of regional population distribution
Статья научная
The article discusses the role of small towns in the spatial structure of the regional population. The purpose for the study is to assess the irregularity of spatial distribution of urban population in the Sverdlovsk Oblast and substantiate the prospects for regional distribution system dynamics by using the methods of mathematical modeling. The author analyzes various domestic and foreign theoretical and methodological approaches to analyzing spatial disparities in deployment of economic potential and human capital throughout regions and countries. The author's approach is to apply the methodological tools of Zipf's law, which proved its effectiveness during the study of urban population dynamics in the works of both foreign and domestic scholars, to study trends and prospects for demographic development in the Sverdlovsk Oblast. The research has helped reveal actual and ideal Zipf's distribution for towns of the Sverdlovsk Oblast during 1989-2015. Based on the methodology the author calculates the values of optimal population in the towns of the Sverdlovsk Oblast in each period and concludes that over the past 25 years the deviation of actual distribution from Zipf's distribution has decreased...
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Статья научная
One of the problematic issues of strengthening the positions of the small-scale and medium-scale entrepreneurship with the purpose of the regional socio-economic systems’ development is the issue of their support and stimulation. The work evaluates the contribution of the small-scale and medium-scale business into the socio-economic processes in the region under the realization of the state support measures. One of the variants for the problem’s solution is the legislation improvement in the fields of taxation and infrastructure support to entrepreneurship. The information base is taken from the Federal statistic service’s statistical data. Statistical and economic analysis’ methods are used for the results’ substantiation.
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Smart competencies as a tool for the development of the information culture of society
Статья научная
The article considers the process of formation of smart competencies, which have a synergistic nature, as a tool for creating samples of the information society culture. The purpose of the study is to assess the effectiveness of smart competencies formation in a managed (institutionalized) and unmanaged (non-institutionalized) environment. The paper presents a conceptual understanding of smart competencies as the integration of modern basic and flexible skills in the educational profile of a student. We provide the results of a modeling experiment conducted in 2020-2021. The experiment consisted of the identifying, forming, and resulting stage. Seventy-six schoolchildren from Vologda and Staraya Russa participated in each stage. The participants were divided into a control group and experimental groups. In the framework of the experiment, in accordance with the principles proposed in the study, two measurements of smart competencies (initial and control level) were carried out. In the interval between the measurements, a stable level of smart competencies was maintained in the participants. The results of the experiment have revealed considerable opportunities for the formation of smart competencies in a controlled environment in conventional educational conditions. It was in this case that the strategic level of competence development was preserved during the experiment (which was not observed in other groups). In conclusion, we determine which types of information culture are created by smart education. The novelty of the project consists in the proposed original model for the study of smart competencies, which defines the structure and features of this phenomenon. Within the framework of the study, we propose a methodological approach to organizing the process of development of modern competencies in the smart environment, which can be used by educational organizations in Russian regions.
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Social and cultural portrait of the region in the context of changes during 2008 - 2010
Статья научная
The article considers the social and cultural transformation of the region, which appeared in the crisis period of 2008 - 2010. The study based on data of empirical analysis shows the changes in social well-being and social structure, value motivations of the region inhabitants. It identifies positive and negative aspects of social and cultural shifts in the regional development during the global financial crisis.
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Social and economic damage due to population's mortality from suicides
Статья научная
The paper presents an analysis of the social and economic burden of suicide death rate in Russia, conducted by research team of ISEDT RAS in research “Social health of the population” in cooperation with the Federal State University “The Moscow Scientific Research Institute of Psychiatry” of the Health Ministry in Russian Federation. The place of suicide in the structure of mortality is defined. It is shown that Russia is a country with the highest suicide rate in Europe. Social and economic costs of suicide in different age and gender groups at the regional and state levels are counted. Its highest level is among men aged 20 to 29 years. The regions with the highest number of lost years of productive life due to suicide are concentrated in the south of Russia (the Volga, Urals and Siberian federal districts). A comparative assessment of suicides burden in the rankings with the common mortality causes from natural and external causes is given. By the level of socio-economic loss suicides far exceed the other causes of the class, “Accidents, injuries and poisoning” and are comparable to the losses caused by coronary heart disease.
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Статья научная
The relevance of studying the social and labor sphere from the position of its tendencies and risks for the formation of the quality of working life is due to the search of determinants causing its low estimates. It is important to address the issues concerning the quality of working life because the quality of life in general becomes today the main criterion of social progress, indicating the turn of the economy toward human needs and its humanization. The article analyzes trends in the social and labor sphere (employment, unemployment, working conditions). It shows changes taking place inside the sociodemographic groups of the employed population (growth of educational level, growth of highly educated population in the composition of the unemployed, etc.). We highlight the causes of economic losses related to the unsatisfactory condition of workplaces, the maintenance of a high share of workers in industries with harmful and hazardous working conditions, and workplace injuries. We provide index assessments of the quality of working life of the employed population and assess workers’ low satisfaction with working conditions. The information base is represented by the data of a sociological survey of employable population of the region, conducted by RAS Vologda Research Center in 2018 and 2020. The article uses the method of subjective evaluation of quality of working life by the indicators that characterize people’s assessment of wages, working conditions, organizational and economic characteristics, and socio-psychological conditions. Scientific novelty of the research consists in substantiating the influence of social and labor sphere on the formation of the quality of working life of the working population. Practical significance lies in the development of proposals to improve the quality of working life, which helps to obtain positive results in terms of improving the efficiency of working activity. Various social innovations (organizational, environmental, aesthetic, etc.) in the workplace that influence employees’ work efficiency (for example, the introduction of health saving programs at enterprises and organizations, which will reduce losses from disability) can be such tools. They can also include surveys of employees about their satisfaction with the quality of working life in a special assessment of working conditions.
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Статья научная
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 60-80 million couples worldwide struggle with infertility - inability to conceive a child without medical assistance. Infertility is a relevant medical, social, socio-psychological, and demographic problem that negatively affects the demographic situation across the world. In this regard, assisted reproductive technologies help. Infertility diagnosis and treatment is a lengthy and burdensome process, and patients need socio-psychological support while going through it. The purpose of the study is to analyze the situation with the treatment of infertile couples using assisted reproductive technologies in the Republic of Poland and the Russian Federation in the context of the perception of socio-psychological support provided to couples (case study of the Polish research). We used sociological methods: in particular, the author’s own questionnaire and R. Schwarzer and U. Schulz’s test psychological methodology for assessing a respondent’s subjective perception of socio-psychological support. The study involved 39 couples treated for infertility. The majority of respondents (27 couples; 69%) were married. Most female (32 women; 82%) and male (31 men; 79%) respondents did not have children. The results showed that women need more support than men: women received more statistically significant points on the “support-seeking” scale. According to the study, support of a family and a partner were assessed highly. It was revealed that social and psychological support during infertility leads to a positive effect that provides acceptance of the disease (infertility) and reduces stress and a feeling of a loss. Moreover, social and psychological support has a significant impact on the prevention of mental disorders among people treated for infertility. We conclude that socio-psychological support is important for patients diagnosed with this problem.
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Social aspects of modernization in Russia's regions
Статья научная
Modernization is a long process that is going on unevenly in the world and in every country, and especially in Russia taking into account its vast territory and national diversity. Moreover, very acute issues that our country has to face include its lagging behind developed countries by 2-4 times in terms of the standard of living, and profound interregional differences. Each subject of the Russian Federation has its own degree of socio-economic development and, consequently, its own level of modernization. This article aims to outline some important social aspects of territories' development on the background of modernization change. The authors try to show the specifics of change in the trends in health, education, and financial situation on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of statistical and sociological data. The authors conclude that modernization in Russia's regions should be considered not only as an achievement of the highest international standard in economic and technological fields, but also as an updating of the society in thesocio-cultural and spiritual perspective.
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Social assessment of specially protected natural areas
Статья научная
Approaches to the consideration of functions of specially protected natural areas (SPNA) in the development of society seek to determine the size of the territory withdrawn from agricultural use for the purposes of nature conservation; these approaches also aim to evaluate money revenue gained from these territories. However, the influence of SPNA on public life is not reduced to the “monetization” of the territory. People who live near conservation areas and experience the advantages (disadvantages) of such neighbourhood should be the focus of the study of the social role of protected areas. The social role of SPNA in the life of local communities in the Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Karelia Republic was identified with the help of public opinion survey. In total 575 people participated in the survey. The research was carried out in the settlements located within the boundaries of Kenozersky and Vodlozersky national parks, and near Shilovsky Nature Reserve. When measuring the impact of conservation areas on the society of the neighbouring settlements, the authors define the axiological, emotional-and-psychological, activity-and-regulatory, economic, forecasting and integrated components...
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Social capital in a region: revisiting the measurement and building of an indicator model
Статья научная
The concept of social capital is gaining certain stability in the social studies. The heuristic potential of the concept is confirmed by numerous studies which prove the positive impact of levels and types of social capital on a wide range of social phenomena. Approaches to theoretical justification of social capital empirical appraisal are being formed, which is particularly relevant amid of general economic and structural crisis. However, science still lacks a generally accepted definition of social capital and the agreement on the ways to measure it. The article aims to theoretically justify the building of an indicator model for empirical measurement of social capital, which implies a set of indicators generated for a particular conceptual framework and helping obtain organized information about the phenomenon under study in order to identify the correlation between its components. The article is intended to foreground the need for social capital empirical measurement and comparison...
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Social capital of the Russian region: state and dynamics
Статья научная
Social capital is the basic characteristic of the system of social relations arising in a territorial community. In the context of ongoing global transformations, manifested both on a national scale and at the regional level, there is a need to analyze the changing social reality. We consider the concept of social capital as a promising explanatory model in the analysis of ongoing social changes. Based on this theoretical approach, the goal was set to analyze the state and dynamics of the social capital of the territorial community. The object of the study is the territorial community of the Vologda Oblast, the subject is the state and dynamics of social capital. The novelty of the work consists in obtaining analytical data by conducting a unique long-term observation, which has become, in fact, monitoring. The study used the author’s methodology for determining the level of accumulated social capital based on its integral index calculated for each respondent, which allows us to identify groups of its carriers characterized by different amounts of social resources that can serve as a factor of noneconomic development. The empirical basis of the study is the results of public opinion polls conducted in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021 among the population of the Vologda Oblast on a multi-stage, quota-based settlement and demographic characteristics, a random sample at the stage of selecting respondents. In the course of the study, fairly stable groups were identified that maintain their boundaries throughout the observation period. The changes in the social capital index recorded during the observation period serve as an indicator of its dynamism. The influence of environmental factors, for example, the pandemic, which affected the loss of social capital, was revealed. The analysis showed that various local communities differed both in the volume of losses and in the ability to restore social ties. The least losses and faster recovery were observed in rural areas. The results of the study can be used in the activities of federal, regional public authorities, local governments, scientific and educational organizations in the analysis of social processes in regional territorial communities, as well as serve as a basis for further research on the subject under consideration.
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Social capital of the urban community: trust, solidarity, responsibility
Статья научная
Social capital formation of the urban community contributes to the compactness of living, involvement in a variety of activities, the diversity of emerging problems and the possibility of their joint solutions. The purpose for the study is to study the social capital of urban communities of two major cities of the Vologda oblast - Vologda and Cherepovets - and identify their common and distinctive features. The theoretical framework of analysis lies in the concept of social capital, which demonstrated the role and importance of social relations for growth and development. Further expansion of the concept’s problems caused interest in specific environments of its formation, including the city. The empirical framework of the study includes the results of a public opinion survey in the mentioned cities conducted by the experts of the Russian Academy of Sciences in June, 2017. The hypothesis of the study is that cultural, economic, and social differences affect the state of structural characteristics of social capital, particularly trust, which in turn affects the relations of solidarity and the level of responsibility for the state of affairs in the city...
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Social capital: problem field and empirical research
Статья научная
The article analyzes the concept of social capital as a successful metaphor that covers a whole range of relations that can affect the success or failure of activities of an individual, small groups, organizations, enterprises, society, and finally, interstate associations and unions. We show that the study of social capital is accompanied by relentless disputes about the essence of the concept; there are supporters and opponents of its legitimacy and rationality of use in scientific analysis. Despite the controversy, both proponents and critics of social capital note the productivity of the use of this concept, which is a complex social phenomenon that requires in-depth study. Social capital is considered in relation to the scale of those objects whose part it is and in relation to which it operates at the micro-, meso-, macro- and meta-levels. Social capital gives benefits on any of these levels and is fixed in economic, political, and cultural advantage. A component of social capital, as shown by the Polish sociologist P. Sztompka, is a moral capital that helps build relationships based on trust, loyalty, reciprocity, solidarity, respect, and justice. Embedding moral capital in the culture of society creates a solid foundation for the relations that contribute to the development in one or another area and to the progress of the whole society. Acting according to moral rules can mitigate the existing injustice in the distribution of social capital. A good example of the use of the concept of social capital is provided by a study carried out at Vologda Research Center on the basis of an indicator model. The connection of social capital with the socio-cultural and economic development of the territories is shown, the actual problems of the spread of social capital beyond the small, near circles of interaction are revealed. Addressing these problems is an urgent political and social task; it will help increase solidarity in society, overcome the alienation of the population from power, and create and strengthen mutual trust between them.
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