As Mark Twain wrote: “Everyone talks about the bad weather, but no one tries to change it.” One can speak in the same vein about social problems in Russia

N.P. Popov,Doctor of Historical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Journal “Monitoring Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes”,Moscow

As Mark Twain wrote: “Everyone talks about the bad weather, but no one tries to change it.” One can speak in the same vein about social problems in Russia: everyone says that in our society they exist and there are many of them, but most of them remain unresolved, and some are only getting worse. This is especially true for the last decade. Moreover, there is no consensus on which problems of society are the most acute today, requiring immediate solutions and financial expenditures by the state, and which can wait without being particularly dangerous.

Government bodies periodically speak out about the most important social problems, setting priorities for their solution, which, in particular, is reflected in the President’s regular messages to the Federal Assembly. Not only state leaders, but also leaders voice their position on this issue political parties. As a result, one can get an idea of ​​some kind of official “rating of the importance of social problems,” i.e. social tasks are sort of ranked according to the degree of urgency of their solution, where “importance” is understood as the urgency with which they must be solved.

In the 2000s, the main leitmotif of the statements of the top officials of the Russian state was the need to stabilize the internal situation in the country - preventing political and other crises and creating conditions for progressive economic growth, which was supposed to guarantee an improvement in the lives of the people. And such stability, which supposedly characterized the 2000s, seemed to be the main achievement of the last decade, as opposed to the instability of the turbulent 90s. True, this picture was somewhat spoiled by the economic crisis, which occurred contrary to the doctrine of “an island of stability in a world of crisis,” which was presented to Russia by the authorities back in the summer of 2008.

Next in importance on the “official list” of the country’s priorities for the near future is the task of moving our economy away from focusing on the extraction and sale of raw materials, primarily fuel, and the priority development of mechanical engineering and the processing industry, as well as the modernization of production and the transition to modern high-tech technologies. This has been discussed especially actively in the last two years due to the onset of the crisis and the fall in revenues from fuel sales. For several years now, the fact of extinction of the Russian population has been stated: high mortality and low birth rates. The need to fight corruption – to cleanse government bodies of bribery and kickbacks – is periodically mentioned. Over the past year, the catastrophic alcoholization of the population has again been cited as a dangerous social phenomenon. Representatives of the authorities regularly talk about the inviolability of the state’s social programs, even in conditions of an economic crisis: the fight against unemployment, increasing pensions, raising the living standards of the population.

In general, however, official speeches and announced programs bypass a number of the most critical social phenomena, being, rather, a declaration of intent than a productive plan for social settlement, expressed in quantitative terms, i.e. in specific volumes and terms.

The “release” of new social development programs often coincides with election campaigns and is aimed at stimulating a positive attitude among voters towards the current government. Middle management representatives determine decision priorities social tasks, guided by the guidelines of senior management, and they, in turn, based on considerations of the feasibility of a particular task within a foreseeable time frame and the ability to then take credit for success. What cannot be solved quickly does not make it onto the list of social tasks of paramount importance. This is greatly facilitated by the corrupt interests of various clans of the bureaucracy seeking to get their share of government funding for social programs.

The declarative, amorphous and selective presentation of information by the ruling class creates among the population false ideas about the main threats to society - personally to each resident and to the entire country as a single organism, and also gives rise to a lack of understanding of what each person, as a citizen and voter, can do to solve important problems. yourself social problems.

Public opinion in the country is formed mainly by the media. Limited personal experience often protects people from confronting many pressing social problems, and if they are not covered by the media, then many are not aware of their existence. As a result, the picture in the minds of the population is incomplete and distorted.

This is how, according to a survey by VTsIOM, which surveyed 1,600 people in 140 localities in 42 regions, territories and republics of Russia, the ratings of the importance of the main social problems of modern Russia look like (see table).

In this list of pressing issues, what worries people personally differs significantly from what they believe is important for the country as a whole (these ideas are based on statements by officials in the media). According to this criterion, the ratings presented in the 2nd and 3rd columns of the table differ. The rise in prices is seen as equally significant for itself and for the country; unemployment at the beginning of 2009 did not yet affect everyone, and government officials promised an even greater increase; For some reason, alcoholism and drug addiction are merged into one problem in surveys, and for themselves personally, people do not place the degree of importance of these problems as high as it is positioned by the country's top officials. The population itself evaluates its own standard of living more negatively than this indicator appears according to official estimates, at the same time, demographic problems - low birth rates and high mortality rates - are difficult for the people to take on individually: people do not rate these problems very highly in their personal ratings and refers to the problems of the whole society.

In general, the data from the sociological survey showed that public opinion is the result of the information and propaganda activities of the authorities: what the authorities consider a problem is seen by the people as a problem. Many problems simply do not come to the attention of the population - they are not on TV.

If we study the issue using statistical data, the picture turns out different. The list of real problems of society over the past ten years is presented as follows - although it is difficult to say which of them are the most acute and which are less so.

It is obvious that poverty is leading the way in one of the richest countries in the world. Probably one of the reasons for this is corruption. Further mention should be made of the alcoholization of the country, the spread of drugs, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the spread of tuberculosis, child homelessness and population extinction in general.

It cannot be said that information about real social problems is now unavailable, as in Soviet times, when, for example, data on the number of psychiatric or tuberculosis patients was classified.

Reports from the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Rosstat and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences are available on the Internet, but they are not distributed by the media, and the average person has little chance of learning about them.

Such data - medical, statistical and sociological - make it possible to identify the main social ills. It should be noted that ranking social problems - assessing the relative importance, severity - is a very complex process, since most problems are interdependent, stem from one another, some are short-term in nature, others are long-term or historically inherent in our nation. That's why social problems are discussed further without assessing their relative importance.

Poverty, poverty of the population

Poverty tops the list of problems identified by the population; in public opinion polls, people indicate it as the most acute. The growth in income of the entire population “on average” over the past ten years was ensured by the growth in the income of the richest fifth of the population and, above all, the very top of society, amounting to half a percent. Three quarters of the population during this time only became poorer; only 15–20% of the population can be classified as a slowly growing “middle class”. According to UN criteria, 20–30% of the population live in poverty, and three quarters of the Russian population live in poverty. Unlike Western countries, we did not have a “trickle down” of income from rich to poor, but rather “the poor got poorer, the rich got richer.” The gap between the richest strata - the top 10% of the population - and the poorest 10% is, according to various estimates, 15-20 times.

The main cause of poverty is obviously not the poverty of the country rich in mineral resources, but the economic policies of the ruling class. Over the past ten years, the main “impoverishing” parameters of economic policy have been mothballed. First of all, the official level minimum wage labor, the minimum wage, is set at a level ten times lower than in developed countries: in our country this minimum is 120 euros, in France - 1200 euros, in Ireland - 1300 euros. Benefits, benefits, fines, average salaries, and pensions are calculated from this modest base.

Accordingly, businesses are allowed to pay an average salary of $500 a month, which, again, is several times less than in Europe and America. Hence the miserable pensions - less than 25% of the average salary (as opposed to 44% in Europe). In addition, all minimum incomes supported by the state are calculated from the “subsistence basket” of 1991, which assumes only physical survival. All subsequent increases in the cost of living only somehow prevented the extinction of the poorest strata.

The main shameful feature of Russian poverty is working-age adults, employed or unemployed, whose wages and benefits are below the subsistence level; they make up 30% of all poor people. In addition, Russian poverty has a “childish face”: 61% of all poor families are families with children. With all the calls from the authorities for young families to have more children, in reality the birth of a child, and especially two, plunges a young family into a state of poverty or destitution.

Alcoholization of the population, drunkenness

Alcoholization of the population is a universally recognized national problem. According to the UN, per capita consumption of 8 liters of alcohol per year already leads to the degradation of the nation; in our country this consumption, according to official estimates, has reached 18 liters, and according to unofficial estimates - over 20 liters. The people are dying out largely due to general alcoholization. Over 80% drink alcoholic beverages, a third regularly drinks vodka, there are 3 million registered alcoholics in the country, 25–30 million are dependent on alcohol, 75 thousand die annually from alcohol poisoning, every fifth crime is committed due to drunkenness. These facts are already recognized by everyone, but the reasons and measures to combat them are called very different.

One of the factors in the growth of alcoholism is “left”, shady, vodka, produced without paying excise duty and other taxes, sold illegally and bringing producers 2-3 billion dollars a year. The production of counterfeit vodka is growing all the time, which gives rise to a “statistical paradox” - over the past twenty years, the official production of vodka has not increased or decreased, but sales, from unknown sources, have been increasing. But at least, as a rule, people are not poisoned with such vodka; people die from surrogates - solutions of household chemicals based on industrial alcohol, which are “tinted” with whatever is necessary.

Drug distribution, drug addiction

A problem no less acute than alcoholism is the spread of drugs. Everyone knows that there is such a problem, the top officials of the state call it a “drug war” declared on the country. Drug trafficking is driven by the interests of powerful criminal forces, whose income from the illegal sale of drugs amounts to over $15 billion a year. Over ten years, drug consumption in Russia has increased tenfold, while in the United States during this time it has decreased by half. The number of drug addicts registered in dispensaries is 550 thousand people, and it is estimated that 5 million people regularly use drugs, or, according to social research, over 7% of the population aged 11–40 years. This is eight times more than in the European Union. In addition, injection drug users are the main source of HIV infection: among this group, 18% are affected by HIV, 80% by hepatitis C and 27% by hepatitis B. In the structure of registered crime, drug trafficking ranks second not only in terms of volume and intensity, but also by the rate of their growth.

Experts cite underfunding as the main reasons for drug trafficking.

RUR 3.09 billion was allocated for the entire Federal Target Program “Comprehensive Measures to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking for 2005–2009,” while in the United States, $34 billion is spent annually on these purposes. Another reason is “gaps in the legislative regulatory framework” regulating the fight against drug trafficking and drug trafficking: there are not enough necessary laws and regulations. The most important reason is the presence in the structure of criminal drug trafficking of a key figure of “drug corruption” - a person in the authorities who provides reliable cover for drug business functionaries.

HIV/AIDS epidemic

An equally pressing social and medical problem, about which society is practically unaware, is the problem of the spread of HIV/AIDS infection in the country. The situation is characterized as an epidemic: in 2009, 500 thousand people with HIV infection were registered, an increase of 13% compared to last year. Among the population aged 15–49 years, 0.6% are infected with HIV, and some estimates put the number of people infected at more than 1%. Last year, more than 13 thousand HIV-infected citizens died, 14% more than in 2007. Due to the lack of information about the epidemic, primarily on television, the majority of the population believes that AIDS is the lot of drug addicts and homosexuals, hence the hostility towards HIV-infected people, their discrimination in education, medical care, and employment. Accordingly, infected people hide their illness and do not go for examination. At the same time, although the main source of infection (62%) is intravenous drug use, 34% become infected during heterosexual sexual intercourse, and the number of children infected from HIV-infected mothers is growing. As a result, by the mid-2000s, the infection in the country reached epidemic levels, but only in 2007 was an interdepartmental council on the problem created in the country.

Tuberculosis epidemic

Tuberculosis is considered by most people to be a disease of the past, eradicated by medicine like typhus or smallpox, while in fact tuberculosis is one of the socially determined diseases, and today in Russia the incidence has reached epidemic levels. Soviet healthcare took significant measures to combat tuberculosis, the results were very noticeable and recognized by experts all over the world. A wide network of detection and treatment of the disease was organized using a comprehensive system of medical examination of the population, a network of tuberculosis dispensaries, treatment centers and sanatoriums. Over the past two decades, much of this system has been destroyed.

According to official data, in 2008, 120 thousand cases of tuberculosis were registered in Russia.

The incidence rate was 84.45 cases per 100 thousand population, which is 2.5 times higher than the same indicator in 1989, three times higher than the epidemic level according to the standards of the World Health Organization, and more than two times higher than the average in Europe.

Today in our country 25 thousand people die from tuberculosis every year.

In 2008, only 67% of the adult population underwent preventive examinations for early detection of tuberculosis, and in a number of subjects of the Federation this figure does not exceed 50%, including in the Moscow region - 36%. As a result of omissions at the stage of early diagnosis of the disease, the number of severe and moderate forms of tuberculosis, which pose the greatest epidemiological danger to others, is growing. Nationwide, only 86% of patients with active tuberculosis were hospitalized in 2008. Due to poor organization of preventive examinations, 20–22 thousand previously undetected tuberculosis patients end up in prisons and colonies of the penitentiary system every year, and correctional institutions become one of the active centers of the spread of tuberculosis throughout the country.

Only 76% of registered territorial foci of tuberculosis infection were provided with the necessary quantities of means for routine disinfection. As a result, the report emphasizes, a significant part of household outbreaks of tuberculosis remains a source of infection for the population and, first of all, for people living with patients. There is a shortage of funds, medicines, tuberculosis hospital beds, and medical personnel everywhere.

The report's findings are disappointing. Although it is carefully noted that in last years there was a “restraint in the growth” of high rates of morbidity and mortality from tuberculosis, in “the coming years it is predicted height(emphasis added - author) indicators of morbidity and mortality from tuberculosis."

Population extinction

The demographic phenomenon, called the “Russian cross” in sociological terminology, was recorded in Russia in 1992, when the curve depicting mortality went up sharply and crossed the birth rate line. Since then, the mortality rate has exceeded the birth rate, at times by one and a half times: we have become a country with a European birth rate and an African death rate. According to official forecasts, by 2025 the population will decrease to 120 million people, and according to some estimates, to 85 million. Russia is the only developed country dying out in peacetime. The main causes of record mortality are diseases, including socially determined ones, murders and suicides, road deaths, and alcohol poisoning.

Obviously, not seeing an opportunity to actually reduce mortality, the authorities are focusing on increasing the birth rate. There has been some growth here - from a minimum of 8.3 cases per 1000 people in 1999 to 12.5 cases per 1000 people in 2009. Part of the increase is due to an increase in the number of potential mothers born in the relatively prosperous 80s. This growth will slow down further.

Social orphanhood

As the birth rate rises, other problems arise. Due to the growing alcoholism of fathers, the breakdown of families and poverty, many mothers abandon their children while still in the maternity hospital; in addition, alcoholic parents and criminals are deprived of parental rights. The so-called social orphanhood arose: orphans with living parents. There are now over 700 thousand such social orphans. Of the 800 thousand orphans, more than 80% are social orphans.

But many children living in families also have a sad fate. Conflicts in families and divorces, parental alcoholism, and poverty force many children to run away from home and wander around the country. There are about 1 million such street children - no one knows the exact number. Even more - up to 2 million - are street children, those who only spend the night at home, but are left without parental supervision during the day and are raised on the street. As a result, about 330 thousand crimes are committed by teenagers per year, and 2 thousand children commit suicide.

About half of orphanage graduates disappear from society: some become alcoholics, others become criminals. At the same time, the state does not solve the problems of adoption and guardianship. Bureaucracy and low material support for families who have adopted a child create insurmountable difficulties for them.

In such conditions, increasing the birth rate is of dubious value.

Migrants, resettlement of compatriots

The authorities chose an influx of population from abroad as one of the measures to solve the demographic problem. In principle, most experts agree that without an influx of people from outside we cannot solve the problem of depopulation of the country. The main solution is seen in attracting Russians who found themselves in the CIS countries due to the collapse of the USSR, as well as all others who wish to come to live in the Russian Federation, again, from the former republics of the Union. However, there was no clear discussion in society regarding policies in the field of population migration. There is no clear understanding of who our “compatriots” are. Are these those for whom their homeland is the USSR, or Russia, or the Russian Empire, or are they simply Russians who have a hard time living in a new “abroad”, for example in the Baltic states? In the end, a vague program for attracting “compatriots” was developed, enshrined federal law, in which the material incentives for moving were more than dubious. As a result, out of the 300 thousand migrants planned by the program, only about 10 thousand people actually resettled. People did not believe in this program, they were not seduced by the dubious benefits and the number of Russians did not increase.

Corruption

Corruption, in fact, is not a separate social problem. This systemic disease society, an inherent defect of the new political economic system, the basis of the relationship between government and business and within the government itself. Over the past decade, corruption has increased tenfold; however, it also increased in the 90s. It is on the corruption potential of the problem, the expected “rollback”, that its solution or non-solution depends: if this is the holding of some kind of world championship in Russia, then success is guaranteed, but if the problem is homelessness, then there is little chance of a solution.

According to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's Office A. Bastrykin, the amount of damage caused by corrupt officials, customs officers, prosecutors and police officers - this is only in investigated criminal cases - is close to 1 trillion rubles. At the same time, the largest number of corruption-related crimes were committed in the areas of law enforcement, control and audit activities and in local government bodies. According to K. Kabanov, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, the total amount of real corruption damage is 9–10 trillion rubles. in year . This is what concerns corruption in the upper echelons of power.

In general, the average bribe in 2009 compared to 2008 tripled and exceeded 27 thousand rubles. Over the past year, a third of the population paid bribes at least once. In the list of “non-corruption” Russia is in 146th place in the world, which it shares with Ukraine, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. The only countries worse in this regard are Afghanistan, Iraq, Chad and Somalia.

Damage from corruption represents the amounts illegally received by officials and the profits of businessmen as a result of the transaction. But practically, the overwhelming majority of funding for solving social problems comes from state budgets at various levels and, according to numerous estimates, as a result of competitions and tenders for the distribution of these funds, half of them go to “kickbacks” to corrupt businessmen and officials. It turns out that half of the social part of the state budget does not go to its intended purpose, i.e. is stolen.

It is not surprising that representatives of all socially oriented sectors of the economy, without exception, talk about “underfunding” of their areas of activity, it would be reasonable to add “and the theft of public funds.”

“Party in power” as a social problem

The list of social ills of society could be continued; unfortunately, physical restrictions on the volume of publication do not allow this. However, to complete the picture, one cannot lose sight of another extremely important problem of a socio-political nature, namely, the monopolization of power in the hands of one ruling party, which, in fact, is part of the reason for the failure to solve all other social problems.

The lack of political competition, which contradicts the very idea of ​​democracy, was interpreted by the ideologists of the party in power as a temporary measure for a quick, effective solution to the main problems of a society in the “transition period.” It would seem that even with the dubious democracy of this alignment of political life, it is easier and more effective to govern the country in this coordinate system: without unnecessary discussions and parliamentary demagoguery, start building roads, canals, investing money in agriculture, building cheap housing, developing industry, helping the poor, fighting with diseases. And all this decisively and quickly. The president sets a task, outlines a program, the government calculates everything, prepares a draft law, the Duma quickly adopts it, the executive branch takes it into account, money flows in, problems are solved. And it really happened that this cycle - especially before the Duma left for the summer holidays - was completed in one month (suffice it to recall the monetization of benefits for pensioners, the legislative implementation of which took only 3-4 months, not counting the summer vacation downtime).

With such a monopoly on power, managerial freedom, and an abundance of oil and gas money, what has the ruling party managed to do in ten years in solving the main, pressing problems of the country? The results are mostly negative.

If in the past it was customary to attribute problems to a difficult past or external factors– “the legacy of the tsarist regime”, “hostile environment”, “the arms race imposed on us”, “miscalculations of communist rule”, “the dominance of the oligarchs of the 90s”, it is now obvious that in the last decade the problems have not been solved and have only gotten worse. During this period, the authorities and the party in power were concerned only with social problems driven by them.

Actually, all powers of power - the State Duma and the Government - are monopolized and concentrated in the hands of one ruling party - “United Russia”. The absence of their public discussion (the famous “...The Duma is not a place for discussion”) was main reason failure to solve the main social problems of society. However, social problems, unlike, for example, military or foreign policy problems, require discussion and debate, since each of them contains medical, economic, environmental, psychological, pedagogical, moral and ethical problems, and completely different sections of society are interested in solving them having specific, sometimes conflicting, interests.

Literature

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Simonova T.M.

Social problems always remain relevant for society, but they become especially relevant during periods of social change and transformation, when social relations sharply worsen.<…>

The model for analyzing a social problem is based on the basic principles of the sociology of social problems, which provides not only a definition of a social problem, but also indicates the methodology for its research.<…>

The most popular definition of social problems was the definition given by E. Rubintgon and M. Weinberg. They believe that a social problem is a situation that is incompatible with the values ​​of a significant number of individuals who argue that action must be taken to change it

<…>Based on this definition of a social problem, one can turn to its structure and analyze its “objective basis and subjective definition”, relying on the basic methodological provisions of the “objectivist” and “subjectivist” traditions in the study of social problems.<…>

Objective component of a social problem, its basis is a situation or objective conditions that have a set of external signs that can be recorded and quantitatively described. It has its own tradition of research in objectivist sociology and involves considering it in the context of two rather opposite approaches from a methodological point of view. One of them is the traditional systems approach or systems theory for objectivism and its well-developed methodology. Another approach is based on an alternative theory of sociocultural field to systems theory. Each of the theories has its own discourse, its own advantages and disadvantages, and both of them are actively used to analyze the objective component of the social problem.

The classical systems paradigm in sociology is initially associated with the names of T. Parsons and R. Merton, and then with the name of N. Luhmann. According to social systems theory, problems are what disrupt the functioning of a system, and this occurs either within the system, to the system itself, or in the system's relationships with other systems.<…>

The application of systems theory to our analysis allows us to consider society, a group and an individual as a system, treating their problems as problems of open social systems.<…>

Social problems as problems of system functioning, or “system problems,” are viewed as dysfunctions of the system. Among them, three main types of dysfunctions are distinguished: functional loss, when systemic goals are not met (for example, social roles are not acquired); functional errors when the meaning of the social system is destroyed (for example, deviations destroy the integration of society); functional conflict that develops when parts of a system act against each other, do not cooperate, and block the system.<…>

To clarify the complexity of a social problem, the system model offers consideration of society at three levels: macro-, meso- and microlevel. Social problems arise at any of these levels, which determine its properties: scale, location, social consequences etc.<…>

Subjective definition of the problem in accordance with the subjectivist approach of the sociology of social problems, it makes it possible to identify differently motivated subjects of problematization, who define the analyzed situation as a “problem for themselves.” Here we can distinguish two main groups of subjects: involved to the problem and involved into the problem. Involved to the problem, in turn, are divided into “victims” of the problem, i.e. those who suffer from a situation that has developed independently of them and are aware of it, and “carriers” of the problem, who carry the problem within themselves and are themselves a problem for others, although they may not realize or admit it.

TO involved the problem includes those who are either forced to deal with the existing social problem due to professional responsibilities, or engages in it voluntarily, due to his interests. “Professionals” include, firstly, “administrators” who are required to make decisions regarding the emerging social problem (local or central government); secondly, representatives of “helping” professions<…>They, in turn, can act both as “independent experts” on the problem and as “interested agents” trying to influence the solution of the problem and relate it to the area of ​​their professional interests.<…>

AND involved to the problem, and involved are involved in the process problematization, i.e. in the life cycle of the problem. Problematization goes through several stages, starting with the stage of its awareness by the people involved in it, then the stage of public recognition or legitimation and, finally, the stage of institutionalization, i.e. definitions of social policy. All of these groups use different strategies in the process problematization, which can be identified and analyzed and without which an adequate assessment of the problem is impossible. Just as it is impossible outside the context of social justice, towards the achievement of which and, thereby, the restoration of the value consensus of society, the solution to the social problem should be aimed.

Thus, we obtain a theoretical model that allows us to analyze emerging social problems, evaluate them and look for solutions that are adequate to the identified features of the social problem.<…>Analysis of the problem allows us to identify the structure of the problem and, on its basis, determine adequate ways to solve the problem, but the implementation of the decisions made is based on its own theoretical approaches.

Model for solving a social problem . In modern sociology, it is generally accepted that the solution to social problems is associated with intervention, or intervention, in social life, the result of which is the disappearance of the problem from the context of social life. The problem of intervention has two sides: theoretical and technological, which are closely related. They draw on sociological theories that, first, view intervention as a directed social process; secondly, they conceptually substantiate the possibilities of intervention and use various intervention technologies; thirdly, they offer their own criteria for determining the degree to which social problems are solved.<…>

Another approach arose later, more closely associated with subjectivist traditions and European theories about the relationship between the actions of social agents and structure. Although in relation to the first approach it is rather alternative in nature, both approaches successfully coexist in social practice. At the same time, each of them has its own characteristics.

The first traditional approach is based on the sociological version of the theory of rational choice by J. Coleman, who believed that the criterion for evaluating works in the field of social theory should be their potential benefit for social policy.<…>According to his concept, structurally determined social problems must be identified at the individual level, resolved at the same level and expected that “combinations of micro-events” will cause a change in the macrosystem, and, accordingly, a solution to the social problem fixed at the macro level.<…>

According to this approach, the technology of intervention is based on the basic ideas of K. Popper about only partial or phased technologies of intervention permissible in social practice. It represents a process that has a beginning and an end, which involves the identification of successive stages and the mandatory achievement of a set goal, with which the achieved result is correlated. Thus, the criterion for solving a social problem is outside the solution process. And the ratio of the result to a given standard determines the degree to which a social problem is solved. The subject of intervention is the state represented by such social institutions as social policy and social work. Accordingly, solving social problems is a legitimate government activity. At the macro level of social life, social policy is involved in solving social problems, ensuring general level social protection and support for all citizens of the state, as well as structural social work that deals with solving social problems of individual and fairly large groups of the population. At the micro level of social life, social work deals with socially determined problems of individuals or small groups. Thus, specially trained professionals - social politicians and social workers - are engaged in solving social problems.

The second approach to intervention in social practice, conceptually alternative to the first, is based on actionist ideas of interaction between social structure and agents social action. <…>Its essence is that social problems here are solved not “from above” - through social policy, and not “from below” - at the level of social work through the solution of structurally determined individual problems. They are fixed and resolved at the meso-level of social life, in the “process” of social activity of acting subjects, the result of which is a “changing society.”

The technology of intervention is based on the method of “sociological intervention” developed in detail by A. Tourenne.<…>, which, in contrast to the traditional position of an “observer” for a sociologist, transfers him to the position of a “doer.” And Touraine developed in detail procedures for intervention in social practice, which later made it possible to widely use the intervention method not so much in sociology as in applied social sciences.

In particular, A. Touraine’s ideas turned out to be in demand in social work and laid the foundations for an approach that in social work was called the “social development” approach and was used to work with urban communities.<…>The place of the sociologist in this method was taken by a social worker who, relying on his professional training and “intervention” technology, helped urban communities in their self-organization and solving social problems.

In conclusion, I would like to note the advantages that the proposed model for analyzing and solving social problems seems to have. Firstly, it has a practical orientation and is focused on its use in the study of specific social problems. Secondly, it helps to clearly see the shortcomings that exist in domestic social practice and shows ways to overcome them. In the field of analysis of social problems, this relates, first of all, to the need for a detailed analysis of the subjective component of social work, which, as practice shows, is applied only partially at the level of identifying, at best, “victims of the problem.” And this kind of analysis is absolutely necessary to identify all the subjects of problematization and understand the corresponding strategies of their behavior. In addition, this analysis is important for an adequate understanding of the social problem among authorities at different levels, who still tend to see themselves as “subjects of management”, and in other participants in the social problem only “objects of management”, which causes a complete bureaucratization of relations between the population and the authorities structures. In the field of solving social problems, the actionist approach and the “intervention” method remain just as little known, the use of which could finally help organize the participation of citizens in local self-government, about which so much is said, but for which little is done in domestic social work.

Scheme 1

Model of the structure of a social problem

By the beginning of the 20th century, social assistance was mainly provided through churches, communities, and families. However, as a result of the ongoing processes of industrialization, urbanization and individualization of social life, these channels are beginning to collapse. In this regard, in the first half of the 20th century, a redistribution of roles occurred: one of the main guarantors social security the state becomes the person.

Historical reference

Social work as a professional activity was formed at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. The very concept of “social work” is derived from the term “social worker”, which was proposed by S. Patten in 1900; in its professional meaning it first began to be used in England, the USA, and then at different times in Western European countries.

The intensive development of capitalism, which characterizes this period, was accompanied by the inclusion of women and children in production, increased exploitation, mass impoverishment of wage workers and, as a consequence, the growth of revolutionary uprisings of workers.

Growing social inequality and the lack of state mechanisms for social protection contributed to the social explosions that shook the world in the first decades of the 20th century. Revolutionary movements in the West, three Russian revolutions, World War, the “Great Depression” in America forced the authorities of Western countries to look for adequate measures for social protection of the population and to introduce active social policies. In the 20th century, the development of European and American civilization is characterized by the fact that, along with repression, a mechanism for social maneuvering appears through the adoption of social legislation and the foundation social institutions aimed at creating a system of social support for hired workers and members of their families.

The search for theoretical solutions to growing social problems began in the 19th century. The first social theories and doctrines emerge, which still determine the social policy of some states. Views of representatives of positivism and liberalism at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. in the USA and Western Europe contributed to the formation of concepts about the responsibility and moral duty of the state to the individual, that the most rational way to solve emerging social problems is social reforms combined with an individual approach to each person in need of help. As a result of these theoretical studies, three approaches to solving social problems were formed.

First approach - revolutionary-transformative(Marxist direction). Its essence: social problems can only be solved in a revolutionary way, by transforming society itself. In practice, this approach was embodied in the former USSR, the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and some countries in Asia and Latin America in the 20th century.

The second approach is reformist. Its representatives also believed that the causes of social ills lay in society, but they saw the solution not in a revolutionary transformation of society, but in its gradual reform. This path of social transformation and development has been chosen by most countries with a capitalist economic system. The Scandinavian countries have been particularly successful in this process.

Third approach - anthropological, whose supporters proceed from the position that the causes of a person’s social ills lie within himself. The founder of this movement is Mary Richmond, the author of the classic theory of social work, described in the book “Social Diagnoses” (1917). Based on the American ideology of individualism, M. Richmond viewed poverty as a disease, the inability of an individual to independently organize his independent life. The person acted as a kind of patient, and the task of the social worker was reduced to “social healing” of an individual who was in an unsatisfactory condition and preparing the ward to be able to independently solve his problems.

Point of view

“In the UK, the debate about what constitutes social work has been going on for many years and is a subject of existential importance. Answers may vary...it is essentially a government-funded activity dealing with a number of "hard cases" for which rules, laws, policies must be applied on a day-to-day basis. Social work reinforces rights and responsibilities that have not been seen elsewhere , which the clientele of social workers have canceled. Therefore, social work is an institution oriented towards the state, not towards the client" (Harris R. Beyond rhetoric: A challenge for international social work // International Social Work. 1990. 33 (3). P. 204-205).

At the beginning of the 20th century, charitable public organizations began to be replenished with professional social workers, who were trained by many higher and secondary educational institutions. Thus, gradually providing assistance to vulnerable segments of the population loses the character of unorganized charity and philanthropy and acquires a professional quality and a corresponding undertaking called “social work.” At the same time, new forms of activity arise: for example, settlement movement(The settlement house movement) - organization of settlements for immigrants in the USA and England, Elberfeld poor relief system(Elberfeld system) in Germany, Finland, Sweden, with partial participation of civil servants, etc.

But the main player in the social field, of course, is the state. To an increasing extent, it is beginning to realize the need to intervene in the social sphere, and therefore to have professional social workers in the public service. In the first decades of the 20th century. Almost all developed countries are actively expanding into the social sphere: building a social policy, creating a legal framework, developing models and systems of social support for the population. At the same time, differences in models of social support for the population in different Western countries are also emerging.

Point of view

It is believed that in USA social work is overly focused on micro-practice with individuals and families, relying primarily on the clinical model in this area. In 1990, the American social work theorist G. Specht warned: “Based on the current state of affairs, it can be expected that the profession will be completely absorbed by psychotherapy in the next 20 years and the functions of social work in public social services will become insignificant ... Psychotherapy has diverted social work from her original dream, the dream of improving society, creating a “beautiful city”, “new society” and “new borders”” (Specht N. Social work and the popular psychotherapies // Social Service Review. 1990. 64 (3). P. 345).

In the process of the historical development of social work, three main areas of practice were formed.

In the first sphere social work appears as an instrument of the state welfare mechanism. Within it, the state effectively dictates the specific areas of practice on which the profession concentrates its energies. In addition, the majority of personnel are also directly hired by the state or public services that are founded by it and are therefore accountable to the state. This area of ​​practice includes the following specific areas of social work: providing the necessary support and monitoring of probationers, working with juvenile offenders and adult criminals in correctional institutions, family social services, child protection and guardianship, work in the social service system, family assistance for various areas of social support. The established mechanisms of social control and protection operate in this area.

Second sphere practice is associated with activities to enhance the social functioning of individuals and families that directly relate to work with clients. This field of practice has several branches, including clinical social work, family therapy, marriage counseling, medical social work, psychiatry, and psychotherapy. In this area of ​​social work practice, practitioners work with those who become their clients. Oma covers both private and public services.

Third sphere practice represents social work aimed at improving the well-being of people, caring for the promotion of health, cohesion and viability of society. The range of activities within this area is wide: from the development of the microsocial environment to the development of macrosocial policy. In general it can be defined as social development, since the main goals of activities here are aimed at improving the environment and society in which people develop and live. The main function of social work in this area is to serve society in all its contexts, including communities and social groups, ethnic groups, regions and nations. In addition, it reflects the creative mission of the profession - to contribute to building a better world at various levels. Most social workers in this area of ​​practice work in public organizations, the rest work in government agencies, including in the areas of social management, policy, planning and programming. Both are united by common goals.

The actual balance between the three areas of practice varies significantly from State to State.

Point of view

In countries Africa social work is subordinated to the state social security system and correctional approaches, and only little attention is paid to social development as an area of ​​social work: “The transition to social development as a field of social work practice was a consequence of the low effectiveness of correctional approaches, which mainly solve problems at the micro level of practice, and problems such as unemployment, AIDS, refugees, ecology, strengthening order remain beyond their influence” (Kaseke E. A response to social problems in developing countries // Social Policy and Administration. 1990. 24 (1). P. 19 ).

In European countries, there are many structures through which institutions of social assistance and support operate. They differ from each other, which reflects not only the characteristics of the functional positions that they occupy in society, but also different views on the role of the state in the social security of citizens, as well as on the responsibility of the family for the survival and well-being of its dependent members.

In the process of institutionalization of social work in modern societies, several types of work have emerged:

• ? state;
• ? public;
• ? mixed.

Each of them has its own advantages and problematic sides.

State status implies the possibility of centralized control over the identification of those members of society who need help and the resources allocated to provide support. The disadvantage of this type of social work is that help in this case ceases to be the direct ethical responsibility of members of society, and the social situation of those in need is beyond the control of the public.

Public organization, or self-organization, helping those in need seems to be a significant phenomenon from the point of view of the quality of sociocultural life. In this case, the stronger part of the members of society, without prompting from the state, takes responsibility for supporting the weaker part. It is not just financial and material aid, but the socialization of those in need in changing conditions is carried out, the search for ways to adapt, the organization of their social participation.

If the responsibility for helping those in need is assigned only to voluntary public organizations, their work will not be of a regular nature, since the primary social functions for people are those that they are constantly engaged in performing. In relation to marginal groups, the public itself will not provide either systematic assistance or constant control.

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Macroeconomics

Social problems of Russia and alternative ways to solve them

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF THE EMERGENCE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

1.2 Types of social problems and social policy of the state

CHAPTER 2. MAIN SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF RUSSIA AND ALTERNATIVE WAYS FOR THEIR SOLUTIONS

2.1 Rating of social problems

2.2 Poverty, misery of the population

2.2 Corruption

2.3 Demographic crisis

2.4 Alternative Paths solutions to social problems

CONCLUSION

LIST OF SOURCES USED

ANNEX 1

introduction

Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, our country finds itself at another historical fork in the road. Just like a hundred years ago, as a result of incomplete and largely unsuccessfully implemented reforms, an unstable situation has developed in society, within which many serious contradictions have not been properly resolved and continue to grow, including in an implicit form, inevitably bringing the moment of their conscious or spontaneous permissions. At the same time, the process of awareness and scientific understanding of these contradictions clearly lags behind their emergence and maturation, which increases the risk of losing control over the situation and its development according to a spontaneous destructive scenario. In the 1990s, unprecedented differences in comparison with the Soviet era arose in Russia both in the current income and consumption of the population, and in its provision of real estate and durable goods. As a result, social stratification has increased in the country, which is expressed not only in quantitative parameters. The new population groups that emerged (rich, middle classes, middle- and low-income) formed their own ways of life. At the same time, during the years of recovery, despite favorable average economic indicators, the differences between these structures continued to deepen.

The processes of social reform in Russia indicate the growing relevance and significance of social transformations. Further progress along the path of becoming a civilized market is practically impossible without solving the accumulated problems and contradictions in the social sphere, as well as without the necessary marketization of its industries. The desire to advance only in the financial and economic sector of reforms - liberalization of the rules of economic life without taking into account the entire complex of social realities - led to a “lag in the social rear.” It was mistakenly believed that economic transformations should be carried out first, and then, when the economy is firmly on its feet in market conditions, the turn will come to the person with all his small and large concerns. But the economy then stands on one leg; and instead of mobilizing the social energy of the people on a huge scale, the previously accumulated professional and intellectual, spiritual and physical potential is being wasted.

Thus, the relevance of identifying and finding ways to solve social problems in Russia lies in the fact that the social support system, which is based on universal social transfers, subsidies for goods and services, as well as categorical benefits, is fundamentally unable to solve the problem of redistributing resources in favor of the neediest groups population. In conditions of increased underfunding of social programs, this problem has become especially acute, including political. The social environment is not a “container of economic events”; on the contrary, the entire space represents a single and simultaneous socio-economic process.

The main goal of the study is to study social problems that are most significant for Russia and search for alternative ways to solve them

To achieve this goal, the following tasks are solved:

1. Consider the theoretical foundations of the concept of social problem, social policy of the state;

2. Identify social problems characteristic of Russian society;

3. Analyze the main social problems of Russia and propose alternative ways to solve social problems

The work consists of an introduction, two chapters, 5 tables and 6 figures, a conclusion, a list of sources used and 1 appendix.

Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects emergence of social problems

1.1 History of the emergence of the concept of “social problem”

Social problems of society are issues and situations that directly or indirectly affect a person and, from the point of view of all or a significant number of members of the community, are quite serious problems that require collective efforts to overcome them.

The idea that there are social problems in society seems as old as humanity itself. Actually this is not true. Although difficulties and suffering can be found in any society at any time in history, the idea that they are social problems about which something can and should be done is relatively recent. Researchers argue that awareness of social problems - the general tendency to see and condemn the conditions of misfortune that happen to strangers, non-close people, the determination to change these conditions - could not have appeared until the emergence in Western Europe of the late 18th century of a peculiar complex of four ideas: the old idea of ​​equality and new ideas natural perfection of man, changeability of social conditions and humanism.

The most significant role in recognizing the existence of social problems in Western society of the New Age (i.e., the modern era) was played by:

1) secular rationalism, the essence of which was the conceptual translation of problems and conditions from the ancient theological context of good and evil into the rationalist context of analytical understanding and control;

2) humanism as a gradual expansion and institutionalization of the feeling of compassion Sociology: textbook / Ed. S.A. Erofeeva, L.R. Nizamova. 2nd ed., revised. and additional Kazan: Kazan Publishing House. Univ., 2001. pp. 262-282..

The very phrase “social problem” originated in Western European societies of the early 19th century and was originally used to refer to one specific problem—the uneven distribution of wealth. The concept of a social problem as an undesirable situation that can and should be changed is used somewhat later in Western societies when trying to comprehend the social consequences of the industrial revolution: the growth of cities, and with it the growth of urban slums, the destruction of traditional ways of life, the erosion of social guidelines. In the United States, the concept of a social problem began to be used at the end Civil War 1861 - 1865, which caused a sharp deterioration in the living conditions of most of the population. In England, a significant role in realizing the existence of social problems was played by data from statistical surveys that appeared towards the end of the 19th century. Statistical descriptions of the poverty of certain sections of the British population, presented primarily by C. Booth and B.S. Rowntree, amazed the British public. According to C. Booth C. Life and Labor of the People in London, London, 1889-1891, published in 1889, one third of London residents lived in abject poverty. In London, according to Charles Booth, there were 387 thousand poor, 22 thousand malnourished and 300 thousand starving. Similar data were provided by B.S. Rowntree in relation to the working population English city York, a third of which were in a state of physical or absolute poverty.

“Every social problem,” write Fuller and Myers, “consists of an objective condition and a subjective definition... Social problems are what people consider to be social problems” Fuller R., Myers R. History of a social problem // Contexts of Modernity-2 : Reader. Kazan, 1998. P. 55. Fuller and Myers also proposed the concept of the stages of existence of a social problem, which lies in the fact that social problems do not immediately arise as something final, mature, enjoying public attention and causing an adequate policy for their solution. On the contrary, they reveal a temporal order of development in which different phases or stages can be distinguished, such as: 1) the awareness stage, 2) the policy-making stage, 3) the reform stage. A social problem is thus understood by them as something always in a dynamic state of “becoming.” Constructionism presupposes a fundamentally different set of questions compared to objectivism that a researcher of social problems must ask. For example, from the perspective of the traditional objectivist approach to homelessness, important questions are about the number of homeless people in a city, region or society, types of homelessness, why people become homeless, what is the role of alcohol consumption in the homeless subculture, etc.

The constructionist is interested in whether homelessness is a social problem, that is, whether it is a subject of concern and debate on the part of the public, whose claims-claims make homelessness a subject of public attention, how these claims typify homeless people, what is done to make these claims appear convincing, how the public and politicians react to these statements-demands, how these statements change over time, in other words, what is their fate, and therefore the fate of the social problem of homelessness Best J. Constructionist approach to the study of social problems // Contexts of modernity - 2: Reader. Kazan, 1998. P. 80. The study of the social problem of homelessness in Russia involves, in particular, an analysis of the activities of such organizations as Doctors Without Borders, the Nochlezhka Foundation. Website of the Nochlezhka Foundation/ http://www.nadne.ru and some others, by their actions directly or indirectly drawing attention to the situation of the homeless in Russian society and, thus, constructing this problem. One of the strengths of constructionism is also that this approach, refusing to understand social problems as static conditions, proposes to consider them as a sequence of certain events that constitute the activity of putting forward statements and demands. This interpretation is much more consistent with the procedural nature of social reality. As a result, the constructionist approach makes it possible to most closely fit social problems into the context of a transforming society. From this point of view, social problems in Russian society of the last decade arose as a result of certain transformational shifts, such as the opening of channels of interaction through which it is possible to put forward statements and demands regarding certain conditions - the liberalization of mass media, the emergence of constitutional guarantees of the right to free search, receipt, transmission, production and dissemination of information by any legal means, as well as freedom of activity of public associations and the right to peaceful meetings, rallies and demonstrations; development of public opinion research services, etc. Sociology: textbook / Ed. S.A. Erofeeva, L.R. Nizamova. 2nd ed., revised. and additional Kazan: Kazan Publishing House. Univ., 2001. pp. 262-282..

So, traditionally, social problems have been and are understood to be certain “objective” social conditions - undesirable, dangerous, threatening, contrary to the nature of a “socially healthy”, “normally” functioning society.

Social problems can be global in nature, affecting the interests of a significant part of humanity. Thus, demographic, environmental, technogenic, food, energy and other problems are currently becoming global in nature, and their resolution requires the participation of most states on our planet.

Social problems may concern the interests of individual or several social systems. For example, social crises spreading to individual countries, national-ethnic communities, associations, blocs or groupings. Problems can extend to certain areas of life of a group of people or individuals. These can be problems covering the socio-economic, socio-political, spiritual or social spheres of people’s lives.

One of the most important ways to solve a problem is to accurately define it. There is even an opinion that correctly posing a problem is half of its solution. Therefore, if the problem is correctly formulated, then, firstly, it allows you to choose the right way searching for missing information; secondly, it provides the necessary set of social impact tools.

1.2 Types of social problems and social policy of the state

social problem crisis poverty

Changes in the level and quality of life of the Russian population over the past 20 years have transformed into acute socio-economic problems that have had no less acute demographic consequences. Among them:

Catastrophic decline in income and material security of the main part of the population;

High proportion of poor people with extremely poor definition of poverty level;

Unprecedented polarization of living conditions;

Significant levels of unemployment and non-payment of wages;

Degradation of social security and actual destruction of the social sphere, including housing and communal services.

All this could not but affect the state of the population: its natural decline and depopulation began, the quality of the population decreased, and an ineffective model of external and internal migration emerged.

Currently, the most pressing social problems in Russia include the following:

Poverty, Social inequality, Standard of living

Unemployment

Child homelessness

Inflation

Corruption

Addiction

High mortality rate

Terrorism

The threat of man-made disasters

Crime, etc.

Let's take a closer look at some social problems characteristic of Russian society:

Poverty is a characteristic of the economic situation of an individual or social group, in which they cannot satisfy a certain range of minimum needs necessary for life, maintaining working capacity, and procreation. Poverty is a relative concept and depends on general standard standard of living in a given society. Poverty is a consequence of diverse and interrelated causes, which are grouped into the following groups:

Economic (unemployment, low wages, low labor productivity, uncompetitiveness of the industry),

Social and medical (disability, old age, high level morbidity),

Demographic (single-parent families, large number of dependents in the family),

Educational qualifications (low level of education, insufficient professional training),

Political (military conflicts, forced migration),

Regional-geographical (uneven development of regions).

Inflation (lat. Inflatio - inflation) - an increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. With inflation, the same amount of money will, over time, buy fewer goods and services than before. In this case, they say that over the past time the purchasing power of money has decreased, money has depreciated - it has lost part of its real value.

Corruption (from Lat. corrumpere - to corrupt, Lat. corruptio - bribery, damage) is a term that usually denotes the use by an official of his powers and the rights entrusted to him, as well as the authority, opportunities, connections associated with this official status for the purpose of personal gain, contrary to law and moral principles. Corruption is also called bribery of officials, their corruption.

Standard of living (well-being level) is a level of material well-being, characterized by the volume of real income per capita and the corresponding volume of consumption. In reality, the concept of the level of well-being is not identical to the concept of the standard of living. The standard of living is a broader concept and is characterized not only by the volume of real income per capita, but also by a number of non-monetary factors, such as:

The opportunity to do what you love;

Level of calm;

Health;

Habitat;

The amount of lost time;

The opportunity to spend time with loved ones, rest and relax.

In economics, (general) living standards are measured using indicators. Typically the indicators are economic and social indicators. Often such indicators are considered:

Average GDP per capita,

Gross National Income (formerly Gross National Product),

Per capita income and other similar indicators in the economy.

The UN evaluates living standards according to the HDI index, which it provides in its annual Human Development Report. At the end of 2012, Belarus is in 50th place, Russia is in 55th place, Ukraine is in 78th place, Kazakhstan is in 69th place, Latvia is in 44th place, Estonia is in 34th place (the highest figure in the post-Soviet space ). In 1st place in 2013 Norway. In 2nd place is Australia, in 3rd place is the USA.

Social problems in a democratic state are solved by the government through social policy. Social policy - policy in the field of social development and social security; a system of activities carried out by a business entity (usually the state) aimed at improving the quality and standard of living of certain social groups, as well as the scope of study of issues relating to such policies, including historical, economic, political, socio-legal and sociological aspects, as well as examination of cause-and-effect relationships in the field of social issues. However, it should be taken into account that there is no established opinion as to what should be understood by the expression “social policy”. Thus, this term is often used in the sense of social administration in relation to those institutionalized (that is, enshrined in legal and organizational terms) social services that are provided by the state. Some authors consider this use of the term to be erroneous.

The traditional areas of social policy are the following: education, health care, housing and social insurance (including pensions and individual social services).

The instruments for implementing the state's social policy are social guarantees, standards, consumer budgets, minimum wages and other threshold social restrictions. Social guarantees are provided on a legislative basis, fixing the duties and responsibilities of both the state to citizens and citizens to the state. Funds are allocated as a priority for implementation federal programs support for family and childhood, disabled and elderly people, health care, development of educational and cultural services. Significant monetary resources are concentrated in the following off-budget social funds: pension, employment, social insurance, health insurance.

Social standards are a means of ensuring the rights of citizens in the field of social guarantees provided for by the Constitution. They are also necessary to determine financial standards. State minimum social standards are developed on a unified legal basis and general methodological principles. For example, decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation establish the cost of living per capita based on the proposal of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of the Russian Federation and the State Committee of the Russian Federation on Statistics. This indicator is used to assess the standard of living of the population, in the development and implementation of social policy, federal social programs, to justify the minimum wage and the minimum old-age pension, as well as to determine the amount of scholarships, benefits and other social payments and the formation of budgets at all levels. The minimum consumer budget serves as the basis for planning support for low-income segments of the population during an economic crisis, and is also used to calculate the minimum wage and pensions. In the version of the increased standard, it ensures normal reproduction of the labor force, and in the version of the lower standard it is an indicator of the subsistence (physiological) minimum. The subsistence minimum is the minimum income, one of the most important instruments of social policy. With its help, the standard of living of the population is assessed, income is regulated, and it is taken into account in social payments. The subsistence minimum is a cost estimate of the minimum scientifically based set of food products, non-food products and services necessary to preserve health and maintain human life at a certain level of economic development. It includes expenses on food based on minimum consumption levels, expenses on non-food goods and services, as well as taxes and mandatory payments.

The state also determined the legislative scope of guaranteed social services provided on a free and preferential basis. Threshold values ​​for indicators in science, education, culture, and healthcare are being developed; they are taken as a basis when calculating the volume of financing for these industries. According to the Declaration of Rights and Freedoms of Man and Citizen, pensions, benefits and other types of social assistance must ensure a standard of living not lower than the minimum subsistence level established by law.

The basis of the state's social policy is the social doctrine of the development and formation of Russian society. Social doctrine is the most general methodological ideas about the fundamentals of politics in the transition period, revealing analytical and theoretical principles relating to the modern social situation, key problems and contradictions in the social sphere, criteria for action in the transition period, the concept of a social program, mechanisms and methods for solving the most important social tasks.

The doctrine is the foundation of the strategies formed by the state. It is impossible not to take into account the fact that transformation processes today have a certain specificity, namely that the population’s adaptation to changed socio-economic conditions occurs against the backdrop of an acute civilizational crisis, characterized by a massive change in fundamental mechanisms and instruments of social regulation. The usual norms of social relations are destroyed, a change in the value system occurs, when old stereotypes are gradually discarded, and new ones are formed much more slowly.

The peculiarities of the current state of society determine the seven main principles of the Russian social doctrine, which determines the social concept of the country's development, its social policy and corresponding action programs. Rimashevskaya N.M. “Reforming the social sphere of Russia: problems, searches for solutions.” 2012. //Information and analytical portal “Socpolitika”

The first principle is the optimal combination of liberalism and social guarantees.

The second principle is a radical increase in work motivation, aimed at all groups as a whole and each segment of the population separately.

The third principle is that the central place among social institutions today is occupied by the family, which has a decisive influence not only on demographic processes in society, but also on the state of social capital. It is organically interconnected with the family, through the formation of human health.

The fourth principle includes the activation of local government and civil society organizations (charitable structures and social initiatives). Along with reliance on the family, social policy is designed to support the restoration and renewal of specialized institutions based on the values ​​of freedom, human solidarity and mutual assistance. The need to mobilize people for the purposes of social policy requires that today part of the work on the implementation of social programs should be entrusted to self-organizing institutions. In the business environment, it is necessary to formulate norms of a stable image, inextricably linked with charity, with free participation in social programs and humanitarian actions.

The fifth principle concerns the interaction of federal and regional efforts, the cardinal problem of which is the determination of their mutual responsibilities. The severity of this problem is enhanced by the presence of a significant number of regions that benefit from federal subsidies.

The sixth principle relates to the technology of constructing a social program of action, as well as to the development of strategy and tactics within the framework of social policy. We are talking about the echeloning of activities in time. The economic component of the reform has clearly shown that a hasty solution to such large-scale and complex problems multiplies the negative consequences that, in fact, accompany any transformation. All the more seriously and carefully, with great preliminary study and testing, one should take the transformation of the social sphere, which concerns, without exception, every citizen of the country.

Seventh principle. Gender and national-ethnic aspects of the population's condition should be strictly taken into account. This refers to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, as well as ensuring equal opportunities for social activities and the socio-cultural development of ethnic groups. Social policy must include gender and national-ethnic components as its integral components. Specific steps and stages of transformation of the social sphere include correlation with gender asymmetry and the state of individual ethnic groups in the country.

Chapter 2. Main social problems of Russia and alternative ways to solve them

2.1 Rating of social problems

According to a VTsIOM survey conducted at the beginning of 2012, as a result of which 1,600 people were interviewed in 140 localities in 42 regions, territories and republics of Russia, this is what the ratings of the importance of the main social problems of modern Russia look like (see Table 2.1.).

Table 2.1.- Results of the VTsIOM survey Results of the VTsIOM survey economics. finance. sociology world of measurements3/2012

Which of the following problems do you consider the most important for yourself personally and for the country as a whole:
inflation, rising prices for goods and services
unemployment
alcoholism, drug addiction
corruption and bureaucracy
standards of living
crime
health situation
pension provision
situation in the housing and communal services sector
economic crisis
situation of youth
delays in salary payments
demographic situation (fertility, mortality)
the influence of oligarchs on the economic and political life of the country
Russia's position in the world
National security
situation in the education sector
democracy and human rights
terrorism
state of morality
situation in the army
ecology and environmental conditions
relations with CIS countries
interethnic and interfaith relations
implementation of national projects
extremism, fascism
energy security

In this list of pressing issues, what worries people personally differs significantly from what they believe is important for the country as a whole (these ideas are based on statements by officials in the media). According to this criterion, the ratings presented in the 2nd and 3rd columns of the table differ. The rise in prices is seen as equally significant for itself and for the country; unemployment at the beginning of 2009 did not yet affect everyone, and government officials promised an even greater increase; For some reason, alcoholism and drug addiction are merged into one problem in surveys, and for themselves personally, people do not place the degree of importance of these problems as high as it is positioned by the country's top officials. The population itself evaluates its own standard of living more negatively than this indicator appears according to official estimates, while at the same time, demographic problems - low birth rates and high mortality rates - are difficult for the people to take into account individually: people do not rate these problems very highly in their personal ratings and refers to the problems of the whole society.

In general, the data of the sociological survey showed that public opinion is the result of the information and propaganda activities of the authorities: what the authorities consider a problem is seen by the people as a problem. Many problems simply do not come to the attention of the population - they are not on TV.

If we study the issue using statistical data, the picture turns out different. The list of real problems of society over the past ten years is as follows - although it is difficult to say which of them are the most acute and which are less so.

Obviously, poverty is leading the way in one of the richest countries in the world. Probably one of the reasons for this is corruption. Further mention should be made of the alcoholization of the country, the spread of drugs, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the spread of tuberculosis, child homelessness and population extinction in general.

It cannot be said that information about real social problems is now unavailable, as in Soviet times, when, for example, data on the number of psychiatric or tuberculosis patients was classified. Reports from the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Rosstat and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences are available on the Internet, but they are not distributed by the media, and the average person has little chance of learning about them.

Such data - medical, statistical and sociological - make it possible to identify the main social diseases. It should be noted that ranking social problems - assessing relative importance and severity - is a very complex process, since most problems are interdependent, stem from one another, some are short-term in nature, others are long-term or historically inherent in our people. Therefore, social problems are considered further without assessing their relative importance.

2. 2 Poverty, poverty of the population

Poverty tops the list of problems identified by the population; in public opinion polls, people indicate it as the most acute. The growth in income of the entire population “on average” over the past ten years was ensured by the increase in the income of the richest fifth of the population and, above all, the very top of society, amounting to half a percent. Three quarters of the population during this time only became poorer; only 15-20% of the population can be considered a slowly growing “middle class”. According to UN criteria, 20-30% of the population live in poverty, three quarters of the Russian population live in poverty. Unlike Western countries, we did not have a “trickle down” of income from the rich to the poor, rather, “the poor got poorer, the rich got richer.” The gap between the richest strata - the top 10% of the population - and the poorest 10% is, according to various estimates, 15-20 times. The main cause of poverty is obviously not the poverty of the country rich in mineral resources, but the economic policies of the ruling class. Over the past ten years, the main “impoverishing” parameters of economic policy have been mothballed. First of all, the official level of the minimum wage, the minimum wage, is set at a level ten times lower than in developed countries: in our country this minimum is 120 euros, in France - 1200 euros, in Ireland - 1300 euros. Benefits, benefits, fines, average salaries, and pensions are calculated from this modest base. Accordingly, businesses are allowed to pay an average salary of $500 a month, which, again, is several times less than in Europe and America. Hence the miserable pensions - less than 25% of the average salary (as opposed to 44%, as in Europe). In addition, all minimum incomes supported by the state are calculated from the “subsistence basket” of 1991, which assumes only physical survival. All subsequent increases in the cost of living only somehow prevented the extinction of the poorest strata.

The main shameful feature of Russian poverty is working-age adults, employed or unemployed, whose wages and benefits are below the subsistence level; they make up 30% of all poor people. In addition, Russian poverty has a “childish face”: 61% of all poor families are families with children. With all the calls from the authorities for young families to have more children, in reality the birth of a child, and especially two, plunges a young family into a state of poverty or destitution.

Research by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2012 shows that 59% of the Russian population is poor. The middle class in the country, determined according to European methods, is only 6-8%. At the same time, the characteristics of the stratum of the Russian poor are such that only the social state can help them. This indicator is also striking: only 19% of Russians have a computer at home.

A large-scale study of Russian society was conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His main conclusions are presented in the book “Russian Society as It Is” “Russian Society as It Is”, published by New Chronograph, 2011. Sociologists have divided Russian society into 10 strata (Fig. 2.1.).

Figure 2.1 - Standard of living of the Russian population based on average monthly income per family member, 2012, in%

The criteria for determining the strata included the average monthly income per family member. To fall into the category of the poor, you had to have less than 5,801 rubles per person, low-income - 7,562 rubles, relatively prosperous - from 14,363 rubles per month.

The first 2 strata are people below the poverty line and at the poverty line. There are 16% of those in Russia. The third and fourth strata are Russians teetering on the brink of poverty and low-income people. They make up 43% of the population. Researchers emphasize that the fourth stratum (low-income) is characterized by the so-called. “modal”, or the most typical standard of living of a Russian. In total, these four strata, whose representatives can be combined with one word “poor”, make up 59% of the country’s population. Four more strata - from the fifth to the eighth - make up 33%: this is the so-called. "middle strata of Russian society." Finally, the 9th and 10th strata are the so-called. “prosperous Russians” (researchers’ term), there are 6-8% of them. By the standards of Western countries, they are more likely to belong to the middle and upper middle class. If we proceed from the “method by contradiction,” then, according to the terminology of these sociologists, 92-94% of Russians can be classified as “disadvantaged” strata.

At the same time, real disposable cash income (income minus mandatory payments, adjusted for the consumer price index), according to preliminary data, in 2012. compared to 2011 increased by 4.2% in December 2012. compared to the corresponding period of the previous year - by 4.9%. (Table 2.2)

Table 2.2 - Real disposable cash income and expenses of the population of Russia, 2011-2012 Electronic version of the publication "Russia" 2013. Statistical reference book"//http://www.gks.ru/

In December 2012 The monetary income of the population amounted to 4979.9 billion rubles and increased compared to December 2011. by 10.4%, cash expenses of the population - respectively 4695.6 billion rubles and by 11.2%. The excess of the population's cash income over expenses amounted to 284.3 billion rubles.

In the structure of cash income of the population at the end of 2012. compared to the corresponding period in 2011. the share of income from property and wages (including hidden wages) increased, while income from business activities and social benefits decreased.

However, the positive growth in cash income of the population had virtually no effect on the total volume of cash income of the population, which in 2011-2012. distributed as follows (Table 2.3)

Table 2.3 - Distribution of total cash income of the population, in % Electronic version of the publication "Russia" 2013. Statistical reference book"//http://www.gks.ru/

			Dynamics
Cash income
including for 20 percent groups of the population: first (lowest income)
fourth
fifth (with the highest incomes)

Thus, the total volume of monetary income increased in the population group with the highest incomes, while among the population with the lowest incomes and the low-income population, the increase in the total volume of monetary income had practically no effect. In 2012, according to preliminary data, the share of the 10% most affluent population accounted for 30.8% of total cash income (in 2011 - 30.7%), and the share of the 10% least affluent population accounted for 1.9% (1 .9%) (Table 2.4).

Table 2.4 - Distribution of the population by average per capita monetary income, as a percentage of the total population

		Reference 2011
Whole population
including with average per capita cash income per month, rubles
over 45000.0
1) Preliminary data.

Poverty in Russia at present largely depends on such characteristics as the type of settlement, age, household characteristics, etc. Socio-demographic characteristics determine the nature and scale of Russians’ spending and influence life chances in the sphere of consumption and in the labor market.

Number of economically active population in December 2012 amounted to 75.3 million people, or more than 53% of the total population of the country, of which 71.3 million people, or 94.7% of the economically active population, were employed in the economy and 4.0 million people (5, 3%) did not have an occupation, but were actively looking for one (in accordance with the methodology of the International Labor Organization, they are classified as unemployed). In state institutions of the employment service, 1.1 million people are registered as unemployed. Electronic version of the publication "Russia" 2013. Statistical reference book"//http://www.gks.ru/ (Figure 2.2).

Rice. 2.2- Share of unemployed in Russia, 2012, in%

The average age of the unemployed in 2012 was 35.1 years. Young people under 25 years old make up 28.3% of the unemployed, people aged 50 years and older - 17.9% (Figure 2.3)

Figure 2.3 - Structure of unemployed citizens of Russia. 2012, in%

The main factors influencing the standard of living in Russian conditions are the type of settlement in the place of current residence and during the period of primary socialization, the nature of the dependent load and the type of household as a whole, the state of health of the individual and his age (the latter, however, matters only when We are talking about pre-retirement and retirement age). In developed countries, the influence of these factors on the life chances and standard of living of the population is largely neutralized due to social policy measures: building an effective healthcare system and pension provision, demographic policy measures, etc. In Russia, some of the social inequalities that arise under the influence of socio-demographic factors are not even designated (for example, inequalities associated with the place of socialization), but those that are are designated (inequalities associated with health status, pension status, dependent burden of children, etc. .), are not regulated effectively. Although, under favorable economic conditions, the level of well-being of the Russian population as a whole has increased over the past six years, the situation of all socio-demographic groups at high risk of poverty and low income has relatively worsened, and some (single-parent families, pensioner households, etc.) ) fell sharply. This allows us to say that during the economic crisis, the situation with the standard of living of these groups of Russians will deteriorate at an accelerated pace, and it is they who will increasingly constitute the low-income and poor segments of the population.

2. 3 Corruption

The topic of corruption for Russians is a subject of special attention and attitude. Corruption, in fact, is not a separate social problem. This is a systemic disease of society, a congenital defect of the new political economic system, the basis of the relationship between government and business and within the government itself. Over the past decade, corruption has increased tenfold; however, it also increased in the 90s. It is on the corruption potential of the problem, the expected “rollback”, that its solution or non-solution depends: if this is the holding of some kind of world championship in Russia, then success is guaranteed, but if the problem is homelessness, then there is little chance of a solution.

According to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's Office A. Bastrykin, the amount of damage caused by corrupt officials, customs officers, prosecutors and police officers - this is only in investigated criminal cases - approached 1 trillion rubles "Statistics of corruption in Russia" Anti-Corruption Commission / 2013 / / http://kpbsk.ru/korruptsiya-v-rossii/statistika-korruptsii-v-rossii.html. At the same time, the largest number of corruption-related crimes were committed in the areas of law enforcement, control and audit activities and in local government bodies. According to K. Kabanov, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, the total amount of real corruption damage is 9-10 trillion rubles. in year. This is what concerns corruption in the upper echelons of power.

In general, the average bribe in 2012 compared to 2011 tripled and exceeded 27 thousand rubles. Over the past year, a third of the population paid bribes at least once. In the list of “non-corruption” Russia is in 146th place in the world, which it shares with Ukraine, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. The only countries worse in this regard are Afghanistan, Iraq, Chad and Somalia.

The number of corruption-related crimes increased by almost a quarter in 2012, according to the report of Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika on the state of law and order in 2012 received by the Federation Council. “The number of registered corruption crimes increased last year compared to the previous year by 22.5% and amounted to 49,513, while in 2011 - 40,407” “The number of corruption crimes has increased” Report of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika” “RAPSI” http:/ /korrossia.ru/,” the document says. More than 13.5 thousand persons were brought to criminal liability.

The structure of corruption crime continues to be dominated by fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement committed through the use of official position. At the same time, the number of crimes such as crimes against state power, the interests of civil services and service in local governments has decreased. Also, the report notes, the reduction in the number of registered cases of both giving and receiving bribes is “concerning.”

Corruption has long (several centuries) become an integral part of the national mentality; the desire not to act according to the law, but to “solve matters” is instilled with mother’s milk. Hence the interest in combating this phenomenon is understandable. The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) provided another portion of popular sentiment regarding the fight against corruption. I don’t know how seriously you can believe in these numbers, however, the results of the surveys as of April 2013 came out as follows: “Statistics of corruption in Russia” Anti-Corruption Commission / 2013 // http://kpbsk.ru/korruptsiya- v-rossii/statistika-korruptsii-v-rossii.html:

Have you seen any results in the fight against corruption recently?

Yes, the country is doing a lot to fight corruption - 7%

There are results, but they are not too significant - 38%

There are no real results, everything remains as it was - 41%

The situation is getting even worse, corruption is only getting worse - 11%

Difficult to answer - 3%

Damage from corruption represents the amounts illegally received by officials and the profits of businessmen as a result of the transaction. But practically, the overwhelming majority of funding for solving social problems comes from state budgets at various levels and, according to numerous estimates, as a result of competitions and tenders for the distribution of these funds, half of them go to “kickbacks” to corrupt businessmen and officials. It turns out that half of the social part of the state budget does not go to its intended purpose, i.e. is stolen. It is not surprising that representatives of all socially oriented sectors of the economy, without exception, talk about “underfunding” of their areas of activity, it would be reasonable to add “and the theft of public funds.”

2. 4 Demographic crisis

The demographic phenomenon, called the “Russian cross” in sociological terminology, was recorded in Russia in 1992, when the curve depicting mortality went up sharply and crossed the birth rate line. Since then, the mortality rate has exceeded the birth rate, at times by one and a half times: we have become a country with a European birth rate and an African death rate. According to official forecasts, by 2025 the population will decrease to 130 million people, and according to some estimates, to 85 million. Russia is the only developed country dying out in peacetime. The main causes of record mortality are diseases, including socially determined ones, murders and suicides, road deaths, alcohol poisoning Bagirov A.P. Conceptual approaches to the formation of reproductive policy in the Russian Federation / A.P. Bagirova, M.G. Abilova // National. interests: priorities and security. - 2013. - N 3. - P.2-6..

According to estimates, the permanent population of the Russian Federation as of December 1, 2012 amounted to 143.3 million people and since the beginning of the year increased by 276.2 thousand people, or by 0.19% (at the corresponding date of the previous year there was also an increase in the population by 156.6 thousand people, or 0.11%).

The increase in population in 2012 was due to natural and migration growth. At the same time, migration growth amounted to 98.3% of the total population growth. General characteristics of population reproduction in the Russian Federation in 2011-2012. presented in table. 2.5.

Table 2.5 - Vital indicators Federal State Statistics Service. Demography / 2013 //http://www.gks.ru/

	January-November	For information
		per 1000 population
			increase (+), decrease (-)			2012 VC 2011	people of the population for 2011 as a whole
Born
of which children under 1 year of age
Natural increase (+), decrease (-)
Divorces
1) Here and further in the section, monthly registration indicators are given in annual terms. In connection with the transition to expanded criteria for birth (order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia dated December 27, 2011 No. 1687n “On medical criteria for birth, the form of the birth document and the procedure for its issuance”) in the civil registry offices from April 2012. The birth and death of newborns with extremely low body weight (from 500 to 1000 grams) are subject to registration. 2) Per 1000 births.

In 2012 in Russia there was an increase in the number of births (in 79 constituent entities of the Russian Federation) and a decrease in the number of deaths (in 70 constituent entities).

In the whole country in January-November 2012. the number of births exceeded the number of deaths by 4,600 people. At the same time, in 43 subjects of the Russian Federation there is an excess of the number of deaths over the number of births, of which in 10 subjects of the Russian Federation it was 1.5-1.8 times.

Figure 2.5 - Number of births and deaths, 2011-2012, thousand people Federal State Statistics Service. Demography / 2013 //http://www.gks.ru/

Natural population growth in January-November 2012 recorded in 40 subjects of the Russian Federation (in January-November 2011 - in 28 subjects).

Changes in the mortality rate of the Russian population due to diseases and external causes in 2011-2012 are presented in Appendix 1. In Figure 2.6. The dynamics of mortality of Russians depending on external causes is presented.

Figure 2.6.- Dynamics of mortality due to external causes, 2011-2012, thousand people. Federal State Statistics Service. Demography / 2013 //http://www.gks.ru/

As can be seen from Fig. 2.6., the share of mortality from transport accidents has increased, there has been a decrease in mortality due to alcohol poisoning, suicide and murder, although the share of mortality for these reasons is large.

Obviously, not seeing an opportunity to actually reduce mortality, the authorities are focusing on increasing the birth rate. There has been some growth here - from 12.6 cases per 1000 people in 2011 to 14.1 cases per 1000 people in 2012. Further this growth will slow down A.G. Vishnevsky. Russia: demographic results of two decades // World of Russia: sociology, ethnology. - 2013. - N 3. - P.3-40.. Meanwhile, the fact that in a country forced to deal with enormous problems, natural demographic growth began in 2012 does not mean that the situation here is invariably positive. In the 1990s, there was a catastrophic decline in the birth rate, which accompanied the period of change in the political system. Therefore, when young people born between approximately 1993 and 2005 reach childbearing age, we should expect a marked decline in the total fertility rate.

In general, the announced statistics indicate an improvement in the quality of life: unemployment remains at a consistently low level of about 5.4%, and an improvement in housing conditions (mortgages broke records last year, the volume of loans issued increased more than 1.5 times and approached 1 trillion rubles), the effectiveness of government policy (availability maternity capital and the possibility of using it to improve living conditions). A decrease in mortality by 4-7% indicates an increase in the quality of medical care and the overall health of the nation. For the Russian economy, an increase in the birth rate means an increase in workers, which will increase the domestic market, consumption within the country and will stimulate economic development. The improvement is due to a sense of stability in the country - the economic and political situation has improved significantly. Also one of the reasons is the payment of maternity capital at the birth of a second child; in 2012 it amounted to 387,640 rubles, in 2013 it was already 408,960 rubles.” According to experts, this trend will continue in 2013 and can be considered sustainable.

2.5 Alternative ways to solve social problems

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Research work on the topic: "Main socially significant problems modern society"

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Introduction 3

1. Poverty, misery of the population 7

2.Labor market and unemployment: results of 2015 and forecasts for the future 9

3. Alcoholization of the population, drunkenness 12

4.Drug distribution, drug addiction 14

5.HIV/AIDS epidemic 17

6. Population extinction. Demographic problem 19

7. Social orphanhood 23

8.Corruption 28

Conclusion 30

List of used literature 33

Appendix 35

Introduction

“Everyone talks about the bad weather, but no one tries to change it.” One can speak in the same vein about social problems in Russia: everyone says that in our society they exist and there are many of them, but most of them remain unresolved, and some are only getting worse. This is especially true for the last decade. Moreover, there is no consensus on which problems of society are the most acute today, requiring immediate solutions and financial expenditures by the state, and which can wait without being particularly dangerous.

Mark Twain

The relevance of the chosen topics lies in the fact that currently the global social danger is the threat of impoverishment of the population, unemployment, economic and social instability, and unrealistic hopes.Drunkenness and alcoholism are not just a problem for one specific person caught in the web of addiction. It concerns both his immediate environment, the production environment, and family relations. Alcoholism as a social problem has a huge impact on society as a whole, destroying the very basis of its prosperous existence. Each person is an integral part of the entire society, the level of development of which directly depends on people’s health, their psychological maturity, responsibility and desire for excellence. Thus, a patient with alcoholism not only falls into the abyss, but also pulls the whole society with him.

Drug addiction is a serious social disease of our time, which takes a huge number of people, mainly young people, to their graves. That's whydrug addiction treatment - this is a public problem and it cannot be overestimated.

Orphanhood as a social phenomenon has existed as long as human society and is an integral element of civilization. At all times, wars, epidemics, natural disasters, and other causes led to the death of parents, as a result of which children became orphans. Apparently, with the emergence of class society, so-called social orphanhood also appears, when children are deprived of parental care due to the latter’s unwillingness or inability to fulfill parental responsibilities, due to which parents abandon the child or are removed from his upbringing.

Corruption remains one of the most pressing problems of modern Russia and poses a threat on a national scale. It is corruption and its unacceptably high level that has recently been increasingly spoken about at the highest level by representatives of the executive and legislative authorities and public organizations.

The role of new technologies, innovations, and the human factor (person) as the main productive force of society is rapidly increasing. It is the population, its living conditions, level of well-being and education, health and demographic characteristics that are the basis for the development and prosperity of any state.

For several years now, the fact of extinction of the Russian population has been stated: high mortality and low birth rates. Representatives of the authorities regularly talk about the inviolability of the state’s social programs, even in conditions of an economic crisis: the fight against unemployment, increasing pensions, raising the living standards of the population.

Public opinion in the country is formed mainly by the media. Limited personal experience often protects people from confronting many pressing social problems, and if they are not covered by the media, then many are not aware of their existence. As a result, the picture in the minds of the population is incomplete and distorted.

This is how, according to a survey by VTsIOM, which surveyed 1,600 people in 140 localities in 42 regions, territories and republics of Russia, the ratings of the importance of the main social problems of modern Russia look like. (see appendix 1)

In this list of pressing issues, what worries people personally differs significantly from what they believe is important for the country as a whole (these ideas are based on statements by officials in the media). According to this criterion, the ratings presented in the 2nd and 3rd columns of the table differ. The rise in prices is seen as equally significant for itself and for the country; alcoholism and drug addiction are merged into one problem in surveys. The population itself evaluates its own standard of living more negatively than this indicator appears according to official estimates, at the same time, demographic problems - low birth rates and high mortality rates - are difficult for the people to take on individually: people do not rate these problems very highly in their personal ratings and refers to the problems of the whole society.

If we study the issue using statistical data, the picture turns out different. The list of real problems of society over the past ten years is presented as follows - although it is difficult to say which of them are the most acute and which are less so. It should be noted that ranking social problems - assessing relative importance and severity - is a very complex process, since most problems are interdependent, stem from one another, some are short-term in nature, others are long-term or historically inherent in our people. In this regard, in my research work I could not dwell on any one problem, and considered the most significant ones.

Obviously, poverty is leading the way in one of the richest countries in the world. Probably one of the reasons for this is corruption. Further mention should be made of the alcoholization of the country, the spread of drugs, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, unemployment, child homelessness and population extinction in general. Let's look at the problems listed above in more detail.

1. Poverty, misery of the population

Poverty tops the list of problems identified by the population; in public opinion polls, people indicate it as the most acute. The growth in income of the entire population “on average” over the past ten years was ensured by the growth in the income of the richest fifth of the population and, above all, the very top of society, amounting to half a percent. Three quarters of the population during this time only became poorer; only 15–20% of the population can be classified as a slowly growing “middle class”. According to UN criteria, 20–30% of the population live in poverty, and three quarters of the Russian population live in poverty.

The main causes of poverty, which often intersect, reinforce and complement each other, are:

Economic (low labor productivity, low wages and their high differentiation, unemployment, uncompetitiveness of a number of industries, the existence of low-paid jobs, unskilled or low-skilled labor, the preservation of unprofitable enterprises);

Social and medical (disability, old age, poor health, high morbidity rates, as well as child neglect and homelessness, which can be attributed to manifestations of poverty);

Demographic (single-parent and large families, families with a high dependency load);

Socio-economic (low level of social guarantees and the ratio of minimum social payments to the subsistence level);

Educational and qualifications (low level of education, insufficient level of professional training, the situation of “lack of demand” for the offered education and qualifications in the regional labor market);

Political (severance of established interregional ties, military conflicts, forced migration);

Regional-geographical (uneven development of productive forces, large differences in the economic potential of regions, which led to the presence of depressed mono-economic territories, subsidized regions with low economic potential, northern regions dependent on centralized supplies of food and resources).

The cause of poverty is obviously not the poverty of the country rich in mineral resources, but the economic policies of the ruling class. Over the past ten years, the main “impoverishing” parameters of economic policy have been mothballed. First of all, the official level of the minimum wage, the minimum wage, is set at a level ten times lower than in developed countries: in our country this minimum is 70 euros, in France - 1200 euros, in Ireland - 1300 euros. Benefits, benefits, fines, average salaries, and pensions are calculated from this modest base.

The main shameful feature of Russian poverty is working-age adults, employed or unemployed, whose wages and benefits are below the subsistence level; they make up 30% of all poor people. In addition, Russian poverty has a “childish face”: 61% of all poor families are families with children. With all the calls from the authorities for young families to have more children, in reality the birth of a child, and especially two, plunges a young family into a state of poverty or destitution.

Sustained economic growth is a necessary precondition for reducing poverty and social inequality.

2.Labor market and unemployment: results of 2015 and forecasts for the future

The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) presents survey data on what the level of unemployment is in the respondents’ surroundings, how they assess their own employment opportunities upon dismissal, and whether they save money in case of job loss.

By the end of 2015, the relevance of the unemployment problem for Russians, in relation to the beginning of the year, increased significantly: if in January the index* demonstrating the importance of this issue was -44 points, then in December it was equal to -28 points (with a range from -100 to 100). In recent months, close to a third of respondents have been unemployed (33% said this, including 9% - four or more).More often than the sample average similar cases noted among 35-44 year olds (39%) and people with low incomes (43%).

The indicator reflecting assessments of one’s own employment opportunities** fluctuated throughout the year between 43-50 points, and in December it was 49 points (with a possible minimum of 10 and a maximum of 90). Thus, it can be noted that no significant increase in fears and tension regarding the situation in the labor market among working respondents was recorded.

According to the latest data, every fifth employee (22%) is convinced that if they are fired, they will find an equivalent position without any difficulties. One in four (25%) believe that, with a little effort, they can also get a similar job - the minimum figure for the year (from 35% in January). 32% of respondents suggest great difficulties, and 17% (the annual maximum) think that it will be almost impossible for them to find a job without losing their position or salary.

The share of those who make savings in case of job loss has remained virtually unchanged over the year – this is about a quarter of all respondents (24% in December).First of all, residents of metropolitan cities (39%) and people with high incomes (37%) resort to this measure. There are also no significantly more or fewer of those who declare their intention to start saving (14% in December).About a third of respondents (31%) do not make or intend to make such savings.

* Unemployment indexdemonstrates the relevance of the unemployment problem. The indicator is calculated as the difference between positive and negative answers to the question “How many people among your loved ones and acquaintances have lost their jobs over the past 2-3 months?” The index is measured in points and can range from -100 to 100. The higher the index value, the higher the relevance of the problem for respondents.

**Employment Indexdemonstrates respondents’ subjective assessment of the situation on the labor market. The index is based on the question: “If you lose your job, do you think it will be easy for you to find an equivalent job?” Answers are assigned coefficients from 0.1 to 0.9. The index is measured in points and can range from 10 to 90. The higher the index value, the more pessimistic the respondents’ forecasts.

An initiative all-Russian survey by VTsIOM was conducted on December 26-27, 2015. 1,600 people were surveyed in 130 localities in 46 regions, territories and republics of Russia. Statistical error does not exceed 3.5%. (see Appendix 2)

In November 2015, according to the results of a sample survey of the population on employment issues, 4.4 million people, or 5.8% of the economically active population, were classified as unemployed (in accordance with the methodology of the International Labor Organization). In state employment service institutions, 0.9 million people were registered as unemployed, including 0.8 million people receiving unemployment benefits.

Unemployment ratein November 2015 amounted to 5.8% (without excluding seasonal factors). (see Appendix 3)

Average age of unemployed in November 2015 was 35.6 years. Young people under 25 years old make up 24.3% of the unemployed, people aged 50 years and older make up 19.3%.

3. Alcoholism of the population, drunkenness

Alcoholization of the population is a universally recognized national problem. According to the UN, per capita consumption of 8 liters of alcohol per year already leads to the degradation of the nation; in our country this consumption, according to official estimates, has reached 18 liters, and according to unofficial estimates - over 20 liters. The people are dying out largely due to general alcoholization. Over 80% drink alcoholic beverages, a third regularly drinks vodka, there are 3 million registered alcoholics in the country, 25–30 million are dependent on alcohol, 75 thousand die annually from alcohol poisoning, every fifth crime is committed due to drunkenness. These facts are already recognized by everyone, but the reasons and measures to combat them are called very different. .

One of the factors in the growth of alcoholism is “left”, shady, vodka, produced without paying excise duty and other taxes, sold illegally and bringing producers 2-3 billion dollars a year. The production of counterfeit vodka is growing all the time, which gives rise to a “statistical paradox” - over the past twenty years, the official production of vodka has not increased or decreased, but sales, from unknown sources, have been increasing. But at least, as a rule, people are not poisoned with such vodka; people die from surrogates - solutions of household chemicals based on industrial alcohol, which are “tinted” with whatever is necessary.

4.Drug distribution, drug addiction

A problem no less acute than alcoholism is the spread of drugs. Everyone knows that there is such a problem, the top officials of the state call it a “drug war” declared on the country . Drug trafficking is driven by the interests of powerful criminal forces, whose income from the illegal sale of drugs amounts to over $15 billion a year. Over ten years, drug consumption in Russia has increased tenfold, while in the United States during this time it has decreased by half. The number of drug addicts registered in dispensaries is 550 thousand people, and it is estimated that 5 million people regularly use drugs, or, according to social research, over 7% of the population aged 11–40 years. This is eight times more than in the European Union. In addition, injection drug users are the main source of HIV infection: among this group, 18% are affected by HIV, 80% by hepatitis C, and 27% by hepatitis B. In the structure of registered crime, drug trafficking ranks second not only in terms of volume and intensity, but also in terms of its growth rate .

According to the results of monitoring conducted by the State Anti-Drug Committee, the drug situation in Russia is still assessed as severe, but as a result of the activities federal bodies executive power, with the coordinating role of the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia, there have been trends to reduce the negative impact of drug expansion on the socio-demographic situation in the country.

Illegal drug trafficking is a complex, multifactorial process, including the organization of supply channels for prohibited substances across the state border of the Russian Federation (or their production directly in Russia), the distribution of drugs throughout the country, the organization of distribution networks, and the development of schemes for the legalization of criminal proceeds. Such actions in aggregate can only be carried out by organized criminal groups.

The most important factor determining the vector of development of the modern drug situation in the Russian Federation continues to be the deadly traffic of opium drugs from Afghanistan.

Based on the results of 9 months of 2015, seizures of heroin by drug control authorities reached 1.2 tons. It should be noted that, against the background of a decrease in the total mass of seized heroin, there is a significant increase in the regions of the Southern Federal District, which indicates an increase in the intensity of heroin drug trafficking along the northern branch of the “Balkan route” » through the Caucasus region towards the central regions of Russia.

Along with the global trafficking of Afghan heroin, the flow of synthetic drugs, including their new varieties, that has overwhelmed Russia, poses a significant threat to society.

If in 2012 the share of synthetic drugs in the total mass of narcotic drugs seized by all law enforcement agencies of the country was slightly more than 3%, then in 2013 this figure exceeded 5%, in 2014 it reached 13%, and at the end of 9 months of 2015 it was 15 % .

Among crimes related to drug trafficking, 96.9% were facts of illegal production, sale, shipment, acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacturing, processing, as well as violation of the rules of drug trafficking or psychotropic substances. (see appendix 4)

In January-November 2015 of the registered crimes, the criminal cases of which were completed under investigation, 30.5 thousand crimes were committed while under the influence of drugs, which is 1.6% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year, their share in the total number of investigated crimes was 2, 7%. Number of crimes committed in the state alcohol intoxication, increased by 12.1% and amounted to 363.9 thousand (31.7%) 3 .

5.HIV/AIDS epidemic

An equally pressing social and medical problem, about which society is practically unaware, is the problem of the spread of HIV/AIDS infection in the country. The situation is characterized as an epidemic: The total number of Russians infected with HIV registered in the Russian Federation as of November 1, 2015 was 986,657 people. According to the Rospotrebnadzor monitoring form “Information on activities for the prevention of HIV infection, hepatitis B and C, identification and treatment of HIV patients” in the Russian Federation as of November 1, 2015, the number of deaths various reasons 205,538 HIV-infected, incl. 20,612 in 2015 (16.6% more than the same period in 2014).

Over the 10 months of 2015, territorial centers for the prevention and control of AIDS reported 73,777 new cases of HIV infection among citizens of the Russian Federation (according to preliminary data), excluding those identified anonymously and foreign citizens, which is 12% more than in the same period period 2014. The incidence rate in 2015 was 50.4 per 100 thousand 9 . population. In 2015, the leading morbidity rates in the Russian Federation were: Kemerovo region (registered 195.6 new cases of HIV infection per 100 thousand population), Sverdlovsk region (152.2), Novosibirsk region (124.8), Tomsk region (122.5 ) regions, Altai Territory (111.8), Chelyabinsk (109.2), Samara (94.8) regions, Perm Territory (89.0), Orenburg Region (85.4), Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (84. 4).

Cases of HIV infection have been registered in all regions of the Russian Federation. A high incidence of HIV infection (more than 0.5% of the entire population) in 2015 was registered in 26 regions, where 41.5% of the country’s population lived.

The prevalence of HIV infection as of November 1, 2015 was 534.0 per 100 thousand population of Russia. The most affected subjects of the Russian Federation (according to preliminary data) include: Sverdlovsk (registered 1511.0 living with HIV per 100 thousand population), Irkutsk (1503.7), Kemerovo (1448.2), Samara (1373.5), Orenburg (1128.2), Leningrad (1116.3) regions, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (1094.9), Tyumen (1093.9), Chelyabinsk (943.7) regions, St. Petersburg (941.3 ).

In the Russian Federation in 2015, men still predominated among HIV-infected people (63.0%), most of them became infected through drug use. By November 1, 2015, more than 364 thousand infected people were registered in Russia HIV women, who were predominantly infected through sexual contact with men.

Among HIV-positive people newly identified in 2015 with established risk factors for infection, 53.6% were infected through drug use with unsterile equipment, 42.8% through heterosexual contact, 1.5% through homosexual contact, 2.1% were children infected from mothers during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding .

Thus, in the country in 2015, the HIV epidemic situation continued to worsen. The incidence of HIV infection remained high, the total number of patients and the number of deaths of HIV-infected people increased, and the spread of the epidemic from vulnerable groups to the general population intensified.

6. Population extinction. Demographic problem

The demographic phenomenon, called the “Russian cross” in sociological terminology, was recorded in Russia in 1992, when the curve depicting mortality went up sharply and crossed the birth rate line. Since then, the mortality rate has exceeded the birth rate, at times by one and a half times: we have become a country with a European birth rate and an African death rate. According to official forecasts, by 2025 the population will decrease to 120 million people, and according to some estimates, to 85 million. Russia is the only developed country dying out in peacetime. The main causes of record mortality are diseases, including socially determined ones, murders and suicides, road deaths, alcohol poisoning .

Over the past two decades, there has been a decrease in the country’s demographic potential not only in quantitative terms (an absolute decrease in the number of women of reproductive age, the total fertility rate does not even ensure simple population reproduction), but also in qualitative terms - a decrease in the number healthy women in reproductive age and healthy men capable of producing offspring. In 2010, the total fertility rate (the number of births per woman) was 1.59 (this is the best indicator for the last almost 20 years), while to ensure simple population reproduction (simple replacement of generations) it must be at least 2 ,15. A sharp decline in the birth rate began at the turn of the 1990s. and continued throughout the next decade.

In the meantime, the UN’s medium- and long-term demographic forecasts for our country are far from optimistic: according to the average version of the medium-term forecast, its population in 2020 will be 135.4 million people, according to

there were 146.5 million people).

According to estimates, the resident population of the Russian Federationas of November 1, 2015 amounted to 146.5 million people. Since the beginning of the year, the number of Russian residents has increased by212.6 thousand people, or 0.15% (at the corresponding date of the previous year it was also observedincrease in population by 264.4 thousand people, or 0.18%).

Population increase in January-October 2015 formed due to natural and migration growth. At the same time, migration growth amounted to 90.1% of the total population growth 3. (see appendix 5)

In January-October 2015 in Russia there was a decrease in the number of births (in 61 constituent entities of the Russian Federation) and an increase in the number of deaths (in 43 constituent entities).

In the whole country in January-October 2015. the number of births exceeded the number of deaths

by 21.1 thousand people (in January-October 2014 - by 37.1 thousand people). At the same time, in 42 subjects of the Russian Federation there is an excess of the number of deaths over the number of births, of which in 9 subjects of the Russian Federation this excess was 1.5-1.7 times 3. (see appendix 6)

Low life expectancy, especially for men, and their high mortality rate in working age is also one of the most pressing problems of the modern demographic situation. According to the Ministry of Health and Social. development of Russia, of the men who are currently 20 years old, only 60% will live to be 60 years old (40% will die), and over the next 5 years, of the remaining 60-year-old men, another 20% will die.

A separate and increasingly acute problem is the decline in the reproductive capabilities of young people, especially men, due to bad habits (excessive alcohol consumption, smoking), unhealthy lifestyle (sedentary lifestyle, lack of sufficient physical activity), poor-quality nutrition and an increasingly deteriorating environment.

According to the Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, currently 18% of women of reproductive age (seven million) and four million men suffer from infertility.

These demographic barriers (changes) can lead to a slowdown in the country’s socio-economic development (reduction in employment and production, slowdown in economic growth, etc.), as well as the emergence of internal and external threats to the existence of the state.

What is the reaction of the Russian authorities to these demographic challenges?

The primary objectives of demographic policy were, as is known, formulated in the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on May 10, 2006: reducing mortality, effective migration policy, increasing the birth rate. They can rightfully be called a demographic platform for the development of Russia, which organically fits into the priority national projects “Education”, “Health”, “Affordable and comfortable housing”. In development of this platform, as already mentioned, the Concept of the demographic policy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2025 was developed.

(2007) and Implementation Action Plan 2008–2010. this Concept (2008). The practical implementation of the new demographic policy began with the introduction in 2006–2008. a number of new, previously unprecedented social guarantees (cash benefits) for large-scale state support for families with children, aimed at increasing the birth rate, especially the birth of second and subsequent children as the basis for overcoming the demographic crisis. This is a state certificate for maternity (family) capital; birth certificate; one-time benefit to the pregnant wife of a military serviceman undergoing military service on call; monthly allowance for the child of a soldier undergoing military service; a one-time benefit when placing a child in a family; monthly payments for the maintenance of the child in the guardian's family. The following types of child benefits have been significantly (manifold) increased: a monthly allowance at the birth of a child and a monthly allowance for the period of parental leave until the child reaches the age of one and a half years (both for the first child and for the second and subsequent children). A new type of remuneration has been introduced as remuneration for foster parents. Most of these guarantees are indexed annually.

In this context, positive motivation is very important, promoting in the Russian media the value of a large family and those parents who want and are able to give birth to a second, third and subsequent children, regardless of the types and forms of marital unions, and even more so have the opportunity to have them provide financially.

7. Social orphanhood

As the birth rate rises, other problems arise. Due to the growing alcoholism of fathers, the breakdown of families and poverty, many mothers abandon their children while still in the maternity hospital; in addition, alcoholic parents and criminals are deprived of parental rights. The so-called social orphanhood arose: orphans with living parents. There are now over 700 thousand such social orphans. Of the 800 thousand orphans, more than 80% are social orphans.

But many children living in families also have a sad fate. Conflicts in families and divorces, parental alcoholism, and poverty force many children to run away from home and wander around the country. There are about 1 million such street children - no one knows the exact number. Even more - up to 2 million - are street children, those who only spend the night at home, but are left without parental supervision during the day and are raised on the street. As a result, about 330 thousand crimes are committed by teenagers per year, 2 thousand children commit suicide .

About half of orphanage graduates disappear from society: some become alcoholics, others become criminals. At the same time, the state does not solve the problems of adoption and guardianship. Bureaucracy and low material support for families who have adopted a child create insurmountable difficulties for them.

In such conditions, increasing the birth rate is of dubious value. Radical transformations in all spheres of Russian society, which began at the end of the 20th century, entailed a number of significant changes in the social life of society, in particular, they led to an increase in crisis processes in the institution of the family, manifested in the weakening of parental functions, reducing the responsibility of parents for the maintenance and upbringing of children . In addition, society has become highly polarized due to social stratification. All this provokes social and psychological disadaptation of people and contributes to the deterioration of the public health of the nation. The lifestyle that many parents lead forces state and municipal authorities to limit or deprive them of parental rights, and for children to choose the appropriate form of arrangement. In 2012, the number of children taken away from parents deprived of parental rights amounted to 64.7 thousand people. Recently, Russia has acquired another paradoxical characteristic - it is turning into a country exporting its children. Many young Russians found themselves in a zone of social disadvantage. The number of children involved in vagrancy has increased. According to statistics, 16% of Russian citizens under the age of 16 live in families with incomes below the subsistence level. In them, children are deprived of a balanced diet and the opportunity to satisfy the simplest essential needs. In addition, more than 80% of children do not have parental care - although these are not orphans in the truest sense of the word. Unfortunately, the younger generation is losing quality characteristics that reflect the level of physical, mental and moral health. Various forms are common among teenagers deviant behavior: alcoholism, drug addiction, crime. The processes noted above take place in almost all regions of Russia.

Today, two concepts are widely used in theoretical research: “orphan” (“orphanhood”) and “social orphan” (“social orphanhood”).Social orphan- this is a child who has biological parents, but for some reason they do not raise the child and do not take care of him. In this case, society and the state take care of children.Social orphanhood- a social phenomenon caused by the presence in society of children left without parental care due to deprivation of their parental rights, recognition of parents as incompetent, missing, etc. A qualitatively new phenomenon has also emerged - “hidden” social orphanhood, which is spreading under the influence of deteriorating living conditions for a significant part of families and the decline in the moral foundations of the family.

The above facts confirm that the problem of social orphanhood of children in Russia is worsening, becoming the object of increased attention not only from society, but also from the President of the Russian Federation. According to the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation, Pavel Astakhov, “as of January 1, 2015, there were 106 thousand orphans and children left without parental care listed in the state data bank.” Despite the fact that every year this figure decreased by 7-8%, and in 2014 by 14%, almost half of the children in our country continue to be at social risk. Social orphanhood is a multifaceted concept, including several categories of children, which can be conditionally systematized according to the following indicators: by place of stay; boarding institutions; street (street children, runaway children); family (neglected children).

The sharp change in value orientations taking place in modern society, the psychological disadaptation of a significant part of the population, and the decline in moral standards negatively affect the process of socialization of children and adolescents. Today there is a dysfunctional family - a family in which the structure is disrupted, the main family functions are devalued or ignored, there are obvious or hidden defects in upbringing, as a result of which “difficult children” appear. Measures to prevent social orphanhood should include work with this category of families. Cruelty towards children in families leads to dire consequences. Children often end up in the walls government agencies who are not able to replace their family. IN modern realities There is a very wide range of causes of childhood problems. Among the significant factors, crisis phenomena in the family should be highlighted:

• violation of its structure and functions;
• an increase in the number of divorces and the number of single-parent families;
• antisocial lifestyle of a number of families;
• falling living standards;
• deterioration of living conditions for children;
• an increase in psycho-emotional overload in the adult population, which directly affects children;
• the spread of child abuse in families.

Guardianship and trusteeship authorities are involved in the prevention of social orphanhood and work with dysfunctional families. However, this system cannot be said to work effectively.

With the emergence of a class society, social orphanhood arises when children are deprived of parental care due to the reluctance or impossibility of parents to fulfill their responsibilities, abandonment of the child or removal from his upbringing. The most common reasons for abandoning a child are his serious illness (60%), as well as difficult financial and living conditions of the family (about 20%). Thus, most often the refusal of parents is caused by the need to place a seriously ill child in full state care.

I conducted a social survey in our city. The survey included 140 parents and 90 adolescents. They were asked the question “What is the cause of social orphanhood?” (3 answer options were chosen). (see appendix 7)

As we see from the survey, the main reason for social orphanhood is the crisis in the family (increasing divorces, single-parent families) 68.5%, followed by an equally important reason is the spread of alcoholism, drug addiction and crime 63.2%.

It is characteristic that, among other reasons, respondents name “a certain indifference on the part of the state,” “disunity of interests of the authorities and the people,” “weakening of Russia,” “promiscuity,” “no order in the country,” etc. These answers confirm the specifics of the social mood. The survey showed that a quarter of respondents associate the appearance of social orphans with insufficiently verified policies of the state and regions, 12% believe that the poor economic situation of individual regions is to blame, 9% say that the reason is the lack of a clear legislative framework, 54% of respondents justify the occurrence of social orphanhood by all of the above circumstances 12 .

8.Corruption

It is one of the country's serious problems. Although the level of corruption has decreased dramatically over the past decade, a significant part of the Russian economy is still in the black or gray zone. Because of this, many processes associated with significant government spending are seriously hampered: such as large construction projects or large-scale purchases. Corruption also harms the growth of certain business sectors. Ordinary citizens have encountered corruption less frequently in recent years: a driver who respects the rules or an honest representative of a small business can work for years without handing over any envelopes to anyone.

According to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's Office A. Bastrykin, the amount of damage caused by corrupt officials, customs officers, prosecutors and police officers - this is only in investigated criminal cases - is close to 1 trillion rubles. At the same time, the largest number of corruption-related crimes were committed in the areas of law enforcement, control and audit activities and in local government bodies. According to K. Kabanov, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, the total amount of real corruption damage is 9–10 trillion rubles. in year. This is what concerns corruption in the upper echelons of power 13 .

According to the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Vladimir Markin, the damage from corruption crimes in Russia is about 40 billion rubles per year, which is significantly less thanin the European Union . During the first half of 2015, about 11.5 thousand cases were initiated in Russia on charges of corruption, about 6.5 thousand were sent to court.

Damage from corruption represents the amounts illegally received by officials and the profits of businessmen as a result of the transaction. But practically, the overwhelming majority of funding for solving social problems comes from state budgets at various levels and, according to numerous estimates, as a result of competitions and tenders for the distribution of these funds, half of them go to “kickbacks” to corrupt businessmen and officials. It turns out that half of the social part of the state budget does not go to its intended purpose, i.e. is stolen.

It is not surprising that representatives of all socially oriented sectors of the economy, without exception, talk about “underfunding” of their areas of activity, it would be reasonable to add “and the theft of public funds.”

Conclusion

Socio-economic problems of modern society: do they exist at all?

The answer is obvious. Bad habits, alcohol, drugs, various kinds of diseases, population extinction, social orphanhood, crime, bribery, corruption, unemployment, etc. It seems that this list can be enumerated for a very long time and persistently.

There are a lot of questions, but there aren’t very many answers to why things are this way today. The most terrible issue is probably the issue of juvenile delinquency and homelessness. Cause? Unfavorable families, social environment, character inherent at the genetic level, the spread of alcoholism and drugs, etc. Often, the most cruel are abandoned children who are offended by the whole world for the reigning chaos in their lives. Accustomed to surviving in shelters and on the streets, they acquire knowledge not from educational programs, but from street laws that change their views and priorities. Family and friends cannot be blamed for crime and immorality alone. Here it is worth paying attention to politics, as well as monetary relations. Homelessness is a threat to future generations.

The main ways to overcome social orphanhood in society: stabilization of socio-economic and political processes in society; revival of the spiritual culture of the nation; economic, legislative, social support for family, motherhood and childhood; improving the system for placing orphans. Unfortunately, such work is not carried out everywhere. Thus, the problem of social orphanhood in Russia should be resolved in stages, with the involvement of various services and departments, including through the implementation of legislative initiatives.

Poverty is the most pressing problem of modern society. Able-bodied adults, employed or unemployed, have wages and benefits below the subsistence level; they make up 30% of all poor people. 61% of poor families with children.

With all the calls from the authorities for young families to have more children, in reality the birth of a child, and especially two, plunges a young family into a state of poverty or destitution. As research shows, to increase the birth rate and strengthen motivation to have a second and subsequent children, not only monetary (material) incentives are important. Non-monetary incentives and factors play an equally significant role, such as historical, sociocultural traditions and mentality towards creating a large family.

Employment. Perhaps the eternal problem of humanity. There are a lot of such people in our country. Often, problems with finding a job lead to very detrimental consequences.

The state should have an active policy in the labor market and support effective employment, namely:

Reducing low-paid employment and marginal jobs, implementing a set of measures to create new, high-paying and protected jobs that guarantee a salary not lower than the minimum monthly wage of the working population;

Strengthening the relationship between the labor market and vocational education, adaptation of vocational education to the needs of the labor market, versatility of educational programs, training and retraining of citizens in integrated professions (specialties);

Implementation of preventive measures against unemployment and social protection of youth from unemployment;

Development of small and medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurship and self-employment;

The development of the agro-industrial complex, and especially enterprises for processing agricultural products, ensuring employment in non-agricultural work is the main way to create new jobs, expand employment and, consequently, increase incomes and reduce poverty of the rural population;

Due to the fact that occupational diseases and injuries in the workplace increase the risk of the whole family falling into poverty, improving working conditions (protecting health and safety in the workplace, improving labor protection) is important.

Protection of incomes of the population - wages, pensions, benefits, scholarships:

Increasing the size of basic social guarantees established by Russian legislation, primarily aimed at supporting children, mothers, families, students, pensioners, and low-paid workers.

Modern problems of youth and the whole society as a whole are not a problem of today, but of tomorrow. After all, every day the situation will only get worse. Today it’s bad habits such as nicotine and alcohol, tomorrow it’s theft and murder, and after tomorrow it’s drugs and AIDS.

State policy should be aimed at giving people equal opportunities from a very early age and creating a motivational mechanism for leading a healthy lifestyle (proper nutrition, physical education and sports, etc.), helping to overcome bad habits (smoking, alcoholism, consumption drugs).

Early childhood development, quality education and nutrition at school, benefits large families, policies regarding homeless and neglected children, programs to combat marginalization (vagrancy, begging, drug addiction, crime) are important tools for the social protection of children, laying the foundations for the educational and labor potential of the younger generation.

Bibliography

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2. VTsIOM survey December 26-27, 2015 – access mode: htt://www.wciom.ru, free - Cap. from the screen.

3. Federal State Statistics Service. Socio-economic situation January-November 2015

4. Putin approved a plan to defeat drunkenness by 2020 [Information from the website Lenta.ru from 01/14/2010]. - Electron. Dan. – M.: Medical portal, 2010. – Access mode: http://medportal.ru/mednovosti/news/2010/01/14/prohibition, free. - Cap. from the screen.

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6. Chukhareva N. Boris Gryzlov: “A drug war has been declared against Russia.” - Electron. Dan. – M.: Information portal Russia, 2009. – Access mode: http://www.russianews.ru/second/21815, free. - Cap. from the screen.

7. On the results of monitoring the scale of distribution and illegal consumption of drugs on the territory of the Russian Federation in 2007: Information and analytical materials for the meeting of the scientific and technical council of the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia. - Electron. Dan. – M.: No – Drugs, 2008. – Access mode: http://www.narkotiki.ru/gnk_6643.html., free – Cap. from the screen.

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Application

Annex 1

VTsIOM survey results

Which of the following problems do you consider the most important for yourself personally and for the country as a whole:	For myself	For the country
Inflation, rising prices for goods and services
unemployment
Alcoholism, drug addiction
Corruption and bureaucracy
Standards of living
crime
Health situation
Pension provision
The situation in the housing and communal services sector
Economic crisis
The situation of youth
Delays in wage payments
Demographic situation (fertility, mortality)
The influence of oligarchs on the economic and political life of the country
Russia's position in the world
National security
Situation in the field of education
Democracy and human rights
terrorism
State of morality and ethics
The situation in the army
Ecology and state of the environment
Relations with CIS countries
Interethnic and interfaith relations
Implementation of national projects
Extremism, fascism
I find it difficult to answer

Note: A maximum of seven responses are allowed per closed-ended question.

Appendix 2

How many people among your loved ones and acquaintances have lost their jobs over the past 2-3 months? (open question, one answer, %)

ІІ

ІІІ

VII

VIII

XII

Many (4 people or more)

2-3 people

There are no such

I find it difficult to answer

Unemployment index*

End of application 2

Initiative all-Russian poll by VTsIOM

If you lose your job, do you think it will be easy for you to find an equivalent job? (closed question, one answer, % of working respondents)

ІІ

ІІІ

VII

VIII

XII

I can easily find an equivalent job

I think that with a little effort I can find an equivalent job

I think that I will be able to find an equivalent job with great difficulty

I think it's almost impossible