Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast @volnc-esc-en
Статьи журнала - Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast
Все статьи: 1659
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of specially protected natural areas (SPNA) in the development of society seek to determine the size of the territory withdrawn from agricultural use for the purposes of nature conservation; these approaches also aim to evaluate money revenue gained from these territories.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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Social challenges of modern world (case study of the international research workshop)
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Social contract: historical and contemporary realities in Soviet/Russian society
Статья научная
The article provides an analysis of the currently little used concept - the social contract. For this purpose, a brief historical digression was carried out: an assessment was made of the contribution of thinkers of the Enlightenment, who were the first to substantiate the proposal to consider the relationship between the state and the people through the prism of reaching agreement on the arrangement of public and private life, calling it a social contract. After a break, interest in this phenomenon revived in the 20th century, which is given more detailed information on the example of the consideration of the essence and content of the social contract by foreign and Russian researchers. On this basis, it is concluded that the social contract is an independent scientific and social phenomenon that embodies various forms of social consent between the people and the state, given that they are not only open, but also latent, reflecting the underlying processes taking place in public consciousness. The article defines the criteria inherent in the social contract - goals, means of achieving them, ideological support, the effectiveness of feedback and participation of the people in managing the affairs of society and the state. A comparative analysis of the process of its functioning in the Soviet and modern Russian society is given, estimates and conclusions are made about the problems of its implementation at various stages of historical development. It is especially noted that the social contract has both explicit and latent characteristics, which, through the analysis of the state, trends and problems of social development, allows us to speak about the degree of its effectiveness and efficiency in preserving and strengthening the state.
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Social demand of Russians for innovation (according to a sample survey)
Статья научная
This article was supported by the Russian Foundation for the Humanities under the grant “Innovations in modern Russia: development trends and impact on the standard of living of the population” (project 16-02-00561).The population’s choice of values in the use of digital technologies depends on a whole range of factors, including economic, political, social, cultural, and psychological ones. Is the attitude of the respondents to the innovation-driven changes in their lives the same? If it is so, then what factors determine the choice of a particular behavioral pattern in terms of using innovative products and services? This article provides the data of a survey designed to analyze the social characteristics of respondents depending on their attitude to innovative products. The results of a sample survey carried out by the authors in the spring of 2017 in Moscow and the Moscow Oblast were used as an information basis. The surveyed sample comprised 1,115 individuals aged 15 to 86 years, including 55.5% of women and 44.5% of men, which generally corresponds to the age and gender structure of the population in the regions surveyed...
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Social development of rural areas as agriculture stability factor
Статья научная
The essence and factors of agrarian sector stability are considered in the article. The analysis of social sphere of the Vologda rural territories is carried out as well. The basic directions of quality improvement of rural life are defined. The experience of realization of the pilot project «Development of social potential of rural settlements» is reflected.
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Social forecasting in the strategic management of the development of higher education in Russia
Статья научная
Social forecasting is directly related to the management of changes in the economy and social sphere, including higher education. The relevance of the study is associated with the analysis of the problem of forecasting indicators of higher education through the prism of the targets of national projects implemented in the context of a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The global epidemic aggravates the socio-economic situation in the world community, makes it highly instable and uncertain, thereby increasing the demand for social development forecasts. The purpose of our research is to study the potential of social forecasting in the state strategic management of the development of higher education in Russia. A special task revealing its scientific novelty is to diagnose the problem of measurement and profiling the methodology of reproduction of the “strategic intelligentsia” (elite) as a “transformative” subjectivity. In the study, we rely on the theory of the socio-cultural management model put forward by Professor A.V. Tikhonov, as well as on the authors socioprognostic approach to management, which acts as a special methodological means of scientific search, integrating ideas and theoretical constructs in the field of social sciences and humanities, while substantiating the solutions to promising problems with the use of modern project-based technologies. With the help of these tools, we profile the multivariate levels of scientific foresight and strategic management, analyze the forecasting and regulatory actions of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation as a macroregulator of the functioning and development of higher education, and identify key components in reformatting and optimizing social forecasting in the state strategic management of higher education development. The work is based on the perspective practice of research of manageability of regional development and social group formation, which is in demand by the academic community, acquired by scientists of the Center for Sociology of Management and Social Technologies of the Institute Sociology - Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2015-2020, including that achieved in the study of higher education as a resource for managing the socio-cultural modernization of regions. The materials of the article have theoretical and practical significance; they are intended for specialists in the field of state, regional and municipal management, as well as experts in social forecasting and strategic management of the development of higher education in Russia.
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Social impact assessment as a tool for sustainable development of the Russian Arctic
Статья научная
In the context of dynamic economic development of the Arctic, one of the strategic tasks is to ensure environmental safety and preserve the conditions and quality of life of the local population. It is possible to solve this problem by conducting environmental impact assessment (EIA) at the stage of economic activity planning, which is mandatory in all Arctic countries. During the EIA process, companies assess possible environmental and related social and economic impact of the planned investment project. For this purpose, appropriate techniques are used, and their number is sufficient to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the impact on the natural environment. At the same time, assessing social impact of economic initiatives is quite a challenge for companies due to the fact that Russia lacks the documents and methodological recommendations that regulate the implementation of such an assessment. This fact is confirmed by the practice of EIA and by scientific research, according to which the assessment of social impact of economic activity is one of the most difficult and least studied issues in modern science. It becomes particularly important to find a solution to this problem for the Russian Arctic, where the indigenous population lives, whose conditions and quality of life largely depend on the state of the environment and preservation of traditional economic activities. In this regard, we set a goal to find an approach to the development of a methodology for forecasting social changes for the Arctic region of Russia. To achieve the goal, we do the following 1) we analyze the existing methodological approaches to assessing the social impact of the planned economic activity in the context of Russian and foreign research, as well as the practice of EIA; 2) we describe a system of indicators of the social environment of the Russian Arctic; 3) we build a matrix of social impact of the planned economic activity. The findings of our study can become the basis for the development of specific techniques, including sectoral methods, to assess social impact of the planned economic activity; these techniques can be used for a comprehensive environmental assessment of the planned economic activity by public and private companies.
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Social innovation as an effective response to modern challenges in education
Статья научная
The system of education is an engine of progress in the modern world. On the one hand, it shapes human capital thus contributing to social development and improving the competitiveness of economies; on the other hand, it is a kind of mechanism that helps adapt to changes in the global labor market. At the same time, educational systems all over the world are continuously faced with certain challenges and problems associated with the development of globalization, informatization, integration, knowledge economy, etc. Social innovations are one of the effective tools to address these challenges. The article brings to the fore the issues associated with the development of social innovation in the system of education. The goal of the work is to highlight specific characteristics of social innovation in education, to analyze the current state of social innovation in Russia on the example of the system of education, to highlight drivers of and barriers to the development of social innovation in Russian education under the research project “Social Innovation: Driving Force of Social Change” (SI-DRIVE) of the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union, one of the participants of which was Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences...
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Social innovation in Spain, China and Russia: key aspects of development
Статья научная
As traditional methods of governance are unable to promptly respond to the conglomerate of issues brought about by system-wide changes and modernity, social innovation is seen as a promising alternative. Its uptake, however, is facilitated and hindered by a variety of factors. Using Spain, China, and Russia as country cases, this article explicates the findings of a systems-based comparative analysis on the drivers and barriers to the development of social innovations as effective tools in addressing social problems. In depth research projects carried out at national or regional levels provides the background knowledge to analyze the scope, size, trajectory, goals and target groups of the initiatives, as well as the geographical, historical and socio-economic frameworks and environments of the social innovations studied. It was found that there is a need to further clarify the concept of social innovation and to stimulate awareness and public support for social entrepreneurship across all three cases. Specific fiscal, legislative, and social measures are also identified for social innovation initiatives to flourish in each of the three countries analyzed. These findings provide a valuable contribution to public policy by illuminating practical ways to move forward in making social innovation an effective and sustainable strategy for addressing pertinent societal issues.
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Social investment as a tool for modernization of the demographic development in the Far East
Статья научная
The experience of domestic and foreign studies demonstrates a growth of interest in the problem of rational distribution of public financial resources as social investments in human capital development, which is described in our paper with the help of demographic development parameters; this corresponds to the modern tradition of considering the relationship of economic and social dynamics in extreme regions through the prism of demographic changes. In this context, the perspective estimates of public spending on the social sphere in relation to the Far East, a region that was proclaimed a strategic priority of Russia in the 21st century, are of particular value. The goal of our study is to develop and test the tools that allow us to quantify the scale and structure of public spending on education, healthcare and social policy, and that promote the achievement of the target values set out in the concept of demographic policy of the Far East for the period up to 2025. Using the model constructions built on the basis of dynamic data for 2000-2017, we obtain the estimates of the impact of social investment on demographic development parameters on the example of Khabarovsk Krai...
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Статья научная
Social movement is a battlefield of meanings; a movement campaign contains a cluster of diverse meanings given by those participating in the campaign. Stimulated by such theoretical concepts as “network of meanings”, scholars have attempted to seize the collective meaning attribution process and resultant meaning clusters, as well as central/dominant and peripheral meanings in social movement campaigns. However, such a meaning cluster in the actual movement campaign has never been captured to date. This paper is an attempt to draw what we call “mental map,” mapping a cluster of meanings the movement campaign accommodates. Employing network analysis technique, we draw a network graph showing a cluster of meanings present in the movement campaign. We used the 2012 anti-nuclear movement campaign in Japan as a research site where we collected empirical data. The analysis of the 2012 network graph clearly showed central meanings considered to dominate the signification process of the 2012 campaign and a cluster of meanings that constituted a subset in the entire web of meanings. To ensure the capability of our research technique to differentiate meaning clusters from one movement campaign to another, we compared the 2012 campaign against the 1954 campaign. The differences were stark: the 2012 campaign was strongly driven by motherhood mentality to protect children and a concern over local environments, while the 1954 campaign dominantly drew its signification from collective memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and risk on food safety. The mental map approach can help us understand “why” of the movement campaign from yet another perspective; it can also assist us in understanding the change in the mentality and meaning attribution processes of social movements, as, given the data exist, it can be applied to the past campaigns.
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Social policy in a multi-regional agent-based model
Статья научная
In the modern scientific and technological development, the role of the welfare state and the importance of solving the problem of inequality as a manifestation of social injustice is increasing. The purpose of the work is to develop a spatial agent-based model (ABM) in the direction of a detailed representation of social transfers block and the study of the economic agents’ behavior in response to the changes of the state’s social policy parameters. The isoelastic function of social welfare (FSW), which is based on the households’ utility functions with correction factors reflecting the degree of social insecurity, is used to include ethical considerations in the economic analysis and formalize the goals for social justice. The novelty of the work is associated with the study of the dependence on different variants of the benefits structure, taking into account the agents’ heterogeneity. The proposed ABM takes into account five main types of monetary transfers: pensions, unemployment benefits, child benefits, poverty benefits, and other social transfers. In addition, the experimental calculations consider two additional social benefits: the proportional transfer and basic income. The experimental calculations results show that social benefits are quite successfully integrated into the original ABM, and the main effects of these benefits are fully manifested in it. The relative characteristics of individual benefits differ significantly from the point of view of certain concepts of social justice and the corresponding changes in the FSW. By the example of the ratio of child benefit to the poverty benefit, it is shown that the effect in terms of the FSW at high levels of inequality rejection is achieved only through the complex use of transfers.
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Social policy of active aging in Russia and European welfare states: comparative analysis
Статья научная
Population aging is a global process that characterizes both European countries and Russia. One proportionate response to the challenges of global aging is to create conditions that maximize autonomy and activity, as well as social support for older people and the opportunity to be active. The purpose of the work is to analyze the features of social policy in the field of active aging in the European welfare countries and the Russian Federation. The study highlights key trends and differences between Russian and European social policies, and identifies the main features of understanding active aging in Europe and Russia. The analysis is based on the experience of European countries, which occupy the leading positions in the world quality of life ranking for the elderly, where special attention is paid to elderly citizens and the features of their aging and activity. These countries have been implementing a variety of mechanisms in the field of active aging for many years. The article reveals the features of implementation of such a policy and provides a critical review of the strengths and weaknesses of active aging policies in European welfare states and Russia.
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Статья научная
The present-day Russia is characterized by the decline in population size and its health impairment. The author considers that it is possible to overcome this negative trend and lowering human capital when the poverty being decreasing and the population inequality in income and pay being overcoming.
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Статья научная
The way of life of the indigenous and incoming population of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation requires a detailed study, since it is in these areas that the exploration and extraction of minerals for the purpose of territorial industrial development has been actively carried out in recent decades. The article reveals the social portrait of residents of Russia's Arctic regions, who are immediate participants in the changes taking place in the territories of their residence and associated with the implementation of large-scale mining projects. We conducted the empirical part of the study in 2017-2020 in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), where placer gold and diamonds are currently explored and mined, and in the Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets Municipal District of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The object of the study was the economic behavior of local residents of the Arctic regions; the subject was their attitude toward the activities of mining companies. As a result of a sociological survey in the form of questionnaires (cluster sample, 859 people, age selection from 18 years and older), informal conversations with local residents, we gave their socio-demographic characteristics, presented their attitude toward traditional trades and crafts and toward the industrial development of Russia's Arctic regions. The practical significance of the study consists in analyzing modern characteristics of an Arctic resident; this analysis can be of use to various stakeholders involved in the implementation of state programs for the development of Russia's Arctic territories. The study of the problems and needs of indigenous peoples of the Arctic zone of Russia allows avoiding resource conflicts between state structures, industrial companies and the local population.
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