DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.24107

Abstract: Based on the results of sociological monitoring, this article examines the problem of trust in public institutions in the modern Russian society. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the structure and dynamics of trust within the context of ongoing events and processes. The relevance of the study is substantiated by the fact that institutional trust is in a constant dynamic, affected by the heterogeneous and multidirectional processes, which is especially common to the transitional societies with simultaneous presence of sustainable and situational, objective and subjective, external and internal factors. Theoretical and methodological basis consists in a set of provisions that regard trust as a complex social phenomenon. It is concluded that the structure of institutional trust reflects the inherent to the Russian political culture specific features, while its dynamics indicates the changes that take place in the society. The interaction of sociocultural, economic, and political factors justify the constant “flow” of trust from one institution or group of institutions to other, simultaneously ensuring the sustainability and adaptivity of the institutional system to the changing circumstances.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.21932

Abstract: The subject of this research is the public values as one of the key elements of public administration, which allows developing manageability and competitiveness of the public institutions of a modern state. Public values are viewed as an important factor of intensification of legitimacy and support of the acting political power, as well as increasing of the efficiency of administrative apparatus and strengthening of social unity. The examines in the article theoretical models of public administration allow tracing the evolution of approaches towards the study of public values in foreign literature: from basic models – “strategic triangle” of M. Moore, environmental model of T. Jorgensen and B. Bozeman – to synthetic model of E. Weizman that integrates public values into the decision-making process in public sphere, contributing into improvement of the effectiveness of public administration. Methodology of the research includes a group of scientific methods: modelling, formalization, and comparison. The scientific novelty consists in comparative analysis of the models of public administration in foreign literature: 1) M. Moore’s model of strategic triangle, manifesting as a tool for evaluating the efficiency and productivity of the work of administrative apparatus of a state; 2) environmental model of T. Jorgensen and B. Bozeman that considers public values in the more extensive context of functionality of the political, administrative, public, and individual actors of public sphere; 3) dynamic model of E. Weizman that unites the administrative and environmental factors of formation of the public values.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.22322

Abstract: The article presents the role of the Indian National Congress Party in development of India's foreign and domestic policy. The subject of the study is the principles of establishment of the party, examined within the framework of two periods of development and peculiarities of establishment of the political organization. The first period (1877-1946) lasts from origination of the party and activation of the national liberation movement of India until the declaration of independence; the second period (1947-2014) isa period of party’s dominance in the political life of India. The author conducted a comparative analysis of activity of the most influential party leaders: Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Narasimh Rao, Kesri Singh, S. Gandhi, M. Singh, and Rajiv Gandhi. The scientific novelty consists in determination of the factors that contributed to consolidation of the leading positions of the party, as well as its subsequent shift to opposition. Special attention is given to examination of the results of elections, since the first elections in 1951, when the Indian National Congress started gaining its reputation in the parliament, all the way until 2014, when the party lost in the elections, yielding its position to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.23418

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the question of searching for a “common denominator” of the various interpretations and types of conservatism. The author examines the main manifestations of “conservative spirit” (fundamental conservatism, liberal conservatism, social conservatism, revolutionary conservatism), and determines the grounds for criticizing the liberal-progressive thinking in the context of each of the four types of conservatism. Special attention is given to the aspect of correlation between conservatism and two other basic ideologies of modernity – liberalism and socialism. The article demonstrates the insufficiency of traditional answers to the question about the integral characteristic of conservatism (anti-universalism, anti-progressivism, anti-utopianism). Methodological foundation lies in the developed by Karl Mannheim interpretation of conservatism as a style of reasoning and means of worldview. The author proposes a new interpretation of the essence of conservatism, according to which the defining and constitutive for the conservative style of thinking is not presented by one or another worldview principle, but rather the attitude towards the limits of human existence (ontological, anthropological, and sociocultural). Conservatism is determined as the protection of boundaries and apology of limitedness. Such formula can be considered as a response for the question about the positive content of various types of conservative thinking.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.22618

Abstract: The subject of this research is the social partnership of the government and local community. The conditions of limited socioeconomic resources of the municipal formations require the search for the new opportunities for their development. Special attention is given to analysis of the potential partners interested in the socioeconomic development of territories, such as the local self-governance and representatives of local community (social organizations and associations). The goal of the article consists in comprehension of the historical experience that grasps the cooperation of government authorities with public under the conditions of transformation of the socioeconomic relations, territorial reorganization of the system of municipal administration, and modern state of development of the local self-governance. Leaning on the application of general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization), the article determines the merits and limitations of implementation of the local (county) self-governance reform throughout the XIX – beginning of the XX centuries. The scientific novelty lies in actualization of the historical experience of the organization of local authorities in the context of development of the territorial public self-governance and establishment of the civil society. On the basis of retrospective analysis of experience of the public self-governance, the author defines the priority directions in reforming the local government at the present stage. This constructive interaction between the authorities and the local community will contribute into the development of social partnership and establishment of self-organization at the local level.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.22134

Abstract: The subject of this article is the examination of risk factors of the social exclusion of elderly population of the Russian Federation based on the integral estimation of the index components of social exclusion. The authors suggest the model for assessing the factors of social exclusion of the elderly people considering the economic-structural and sociocultural aspects. The article offers and tests the specific indicators of evaluation of the social exclusion of elderly people leaning on the assessment of socio-economic (financial) deprivation, deprivation of social rights (access to social institutions and services), deprivation of security, deprivation of social engagement, cultural (normative) disintegration and social autism. The authors highlight a number of micro-level risk factors of exclusion, a part of which is nonadjustable, while another part is adjustable. The nonadjustable (independent) risk factors of social exclusion contain: gender; age (for females above 55, for males above 60); single living; status (working/non-working retiree); size of pension; marital status; religion; independent living skills; type of settlement (city/village). The adjustable (dependent) risk factors contain: physical activity; health condition; absence owned property; low level of education; coping-strategies; evaluation of financial status; unadapted after retirement.  The estimation of exclusion of the elderly population in three regions of the Russian Federation was conducted based on the results of sociological survey, which took place in Altai Krai, Zabaykalsky Krai, and Kemerovo Oblast in 2016, and involved 779 respondents in the above 55 (female) and 60 (male). Conclusion is made that the status of being socially excluded does not imply experiencing deprivation in all aspects of exclusion; the loss of physical abilities, health and mobility restrictions do increase the risk of social exclusion; practically each of the examines risk factors by increasing the contribution of some components of the overall social exclusion, inevitably reduces the contribution of other components of the exclusion.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.24101

Abstract: This article analyzes the role of textbooks on sociology in development of the professional sociological education. The author determines certain scientific and pedagogical peculiarities in creation of the textbooks on sociology, as well as demonstrates its impact upon the formation of necessary competencies of the future sociologists. The article establishes the conceptual approaches that affect not only the distinctness of the textbooks on sociology, but also the achievement of the key goals of sociological education. It is underlined that the textbooks of the late XX – beginning of the XXI centuries introduce their own concepts that reflect the dynamics of sociological science, distinct style of presentation of the material, as well answer the established by the federal standard of higher education purpose regarding the training of future sociologist. Accent is also made on the issues and certain didactical difficulties of using the textbooks on sociology in the educational process. The author demonstrates the role of textbooks on sociology in conceptualization of the modern sociological education; analyzes the key trends in development of sociology reflected in various textbooks on sociology; notes the complicated issues associated with the preparation of textbooks on sociology and their application within the educational process.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0684.2017.9.24207

Abstract: This article examines the most relevant interpretations of the phenomenon of mass society contained in the political-philosophical discourse of the XX-XXI centuries. The goal of the research lies in revealing the distinctness of each concept, as well as give assessment to the completeness of interpretation of the problem of mass society and relevance of the theoretical-methodological means applied by the authors of the compared concepts. Attention is centered around on the analysis of the problem of mass society within the conceptual field of Frankfurt School of Social Research (T. Adorno) on one hand, and the system of philosophical approaches towards the problem described in the book by José Ortega y Gasset “The Revolt Of The Masses” – on the other. The applied in the article historical and comparative approaches, in combination with the hermeneutic analysis, serve the purpose to demonstrate the dependence of the in-depth understanding of a subject from the level of consideration of the cultural-historical substantiation of the modern references to the problem of mass society; within its framework, takes place the discourse-analysis of the corresponding theoretical angles. The scientific novelty lies primarily in comparison of the various directions of disciplinary grasp of the topic at hand. Namely the results of such comparison manifest as the foundation for the system of the implemented in the work approaches and methods. The outcome of this research is the achievement of the historically profound and philosophically multifaceted comprehension of the phenomenon of modern mass society.