Abstract: The object of this research is the sociocultural phenomenon of Russian charity, while the subject is the social functions of charity activities. The authors consider charity as a special type of practice of social interaction supported by the system of social aid institutions and manifested in the forms of civic initiatives, aimed at development of the comfortable and harmonious social environment. Charity carries out a number of functions: socializing, axiological, socioeconomic, communicative-integrative, and compensatory. Structural-functional approach was applied for assessing the functions of charity as a sociocultural practice; the article also used the methodological principles of unity of the historical and logical. A conclusion is made that performing the important sociocultural functions, Russian charity conduces the preservation and strengthening of the subject-object relations. It contributes to the development of high moral ideals and spiritual values, allows retaining the existential link between Self and Other, as well as avoiding negative consequences of globalization that unifies the national identity and distinctness.

Keywords: civil society, I and Another, social culture, mercy, russian mentality, spirituality, functions of the charity, charity, compassion, social values

Abstract: The subject of this research is the intellectual portrait of I. A. Ilyin. Within the framework of this article, the authors analyze the main landmarks of the philosopher’s creative biography, which influenced his socio-philosophical interests and preferences. It is noted that the political interests of the thinkers leaned as its source used philosophical orientation towards the spiritual renewal of the world. Special accent is made on the philosophical understanding of such phenomenon as “fascism” by I. A. Ilyin. The authors point at the causes that affected the philosopher’s interest in this phenomenon, as well as analyze the transformation in perception of his persona in relation to the socio-political events in modern Russia. Using the method of genetic sociology, the authors reveal the facts of life and creative path of the philosopher. An objective assessment is given to Ilyin’s contribution to social sciences with emphasis on the relevance of his ideas for modern Russia. The conducted research allows restoring the philosopher’s assessment of the phenomenon of “fascism”, noting that it differs from the interpretation presented by our contemporaries. The research results can be valuable for better understanding of the portrait of Russian thinker.  

Keywords: legal philosophy, nationalism, genetic sociology, fascism, love of country, history of Russian philosophy, spiritual renewal, policy, social philosophy, crisis

Abstract: The analysis of social development trends demonstrated that along with the resource and environmental problems, the reproduction and growth of social injustice comes to the forefront among the main socioeconomic problems, attaining global scales. The urgency of the question of social polarization and inequality in Russia is high. Due to this fact, the subject of this research is the social injustice as the key problem of social development of modern Russia, its cities and regions. The goal of the work lies in determination of the basic slice of social injustice and the general trends of social development. The article presents the economic manifestation of social injustice. Methodological approach of the measurement of social inequality is based on the assessment of dynamics of decile ratios and Gini coefficient, as well as identification of poverty rate of the population. At the same time, the criteria for assessing the social justice is the indexes of the living standards of population. The author describes the leading factors of social contradictions within the system of social development; establishes the dynamics or shift of the main zone of emergence of conflict potential in modern Russian from the ethnic and religious towards the socioeconomic and social-labor zone. It is established that the major common trends of social development, which are simultaneously the factors of the formation of conflict potential in modern Russian and its regions, include: dissatisfaction with financial situation and level of social differentiation, based on the extremely unequal distribution of incomes of the population; ascending dynamics of the indexes of dissatisfactory state of employment relations coupled with the level of content with the environmental situation.

Keywords: social structure, standard of living, welfare, social problems, unemployment and poverty, income differentiation, social inequality, social and economic development, conflict potential, improvement of hired labor relations

Abstract: The subject of this research is the illegitimate fertility of population, which represents one of the urgent demographic problems for modern world and is relevant for urban and rural areas of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The goal of this article lied in determining the scale and rate of spreading of illegitimate fertility, portion of various age groups therein, describing the objective and subjective factors that lead women to giving birth out of wedlock. Accent is made on the analysis of incentives towards making a decision to give birth to a child out of wedlock. The information base contains the data of the current statistics of birthrate considering the place of residence and age of a mother, two latest Russian censuses, as well as materials of sociological surveys conducted by the authors among the population of the republic in 2008 and 2017 in form of the focus group interview. The authors determine the direction and scale of the changes in birthrate, including birth out of wedlock by urban and rural areas from 2001 to 2016. There has been a decrease in the portion of young mothers under 25 and an increase in fertility out of wedlock in the older birth cohorts. It is revealed that women feel more independent with age in realization of their reproductive plans, as well as less committed to adhering to social disapproval even in rural areas with predominant traditional model of matrimonial-family relation. A conclusion is made that social outlook on the phenomenon of illegitimate fertility is tolerant regardless of the place of residence of the respondents. At the same time, it is recognized that the socio-demographic consequences of this phenomenon are multifaceted and cause substantiated worry for the future of the institution of family and marriage.

Keywords: sociodemographic survey, single motherhood, reproductive plans, age cohort, childbearing age, marital status, incomplete family, illegitimate fertility, group focused interview, Yakutia

Abstract: This article examines the demographic situation in the southern regions of Russia – Astrakhan Oblast, Volgograd Oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia. The research leans on the analysis of statistical data, acquired as a result of the public opinion poll. The survey was carried out in 2017 at the premises of Civil Registration departments of the three districts. The survey involved 580 respondents, consisting of 262 males and 318 females; 147 respondents from Astrakhan Oblast, 171 – from Volgograd Oblast, and 262 – from the Republic of Kalmykia. According to the statistical data in two regions (Volgograd Oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia), the size of urban and rural population is decreasing. Astrakhan Oblast demonstrates the decrease in size of urban population and the increase in size of rural population. The research results testify to the fact that over half of the respondent believe that the population size in their region is decreasing. Less than 30% of the surveyed assume that the population size in the region is stable; while 16.4% assess the demographic situation in the region as “population growth”. The conducted analysis allows comparing the main demographic trends determined by the statistical data and population of the southern regions of Russia. The demographic development of the southern regions of Russia is characterized by the interregional differentiation. Population assessment of demographic situation reflects the actual situation in the region. Over half of the respondents from Volgograd Oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia indicate that the population size in their region is decreasing.

Keywords: questionnaire survey, statistical data, region of Russia, demographic trend, population size, population growth, population decline, rural population, urban population, demographic situation

Abstract: The subject of this research is the quality of life of indigenous minorities of Northern Siberia – the Enets, locally residing in the remote village of Potapovo of North of Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Municipal Disctrict of Krasnoyarsk Krai. The goal of this article lies in differentiation of the subjective perception of quality of life by the various population groups that reside in the remote villages of the Northern Arctic Zone of Krasnoyarsk Krai; as well as in application of the developed methodology of comparative analysis of quality of life of the residents of remote village districts of northern and central taiga zone of Siberia. Methodological base contains the set of theoretical scientific methods, analysis of empirical data as a result of survey, observation and interviewing the indigenous minorities in their place of residence. The scientific novelty consists in implementation of the effective method of assessment of quality of life of the communities that live in the severe northern conditions and relate to the category of indigenous peoples of the North. In determining the differentiation of various population groups in accordance with the subjective and objective assessment of quality of life, the authors used the statistical data and identified the level of satisfaction with the quality of education, level of security, work of the local government, material wealth, quality of services in cultural sphere, environmental situation in the district, and quality of health services.

Keywords: Taimyr, survey, Potapovo village, ents, subjective assessment, indigenous peoples, quality of life of the population, methods of comparative analysis, quality of education, security level

Abstract: The author demonstrates that the global world is formed under the influence of human activities, as well as the natural factors – global processes and limitations. On the one hand, the space of social and socio-natural interactions expands to the planetary volume of biosphere; on the other, such expansion faces the planetary (primarily biospheric) limitations that establish certain limitations and contradictions for further global development. Upon the path of its formation, it is necessary to settle the main socio-natural contradiction, which consists in the fact that the continuously growing needs of humanity became progressively unsatisfied by the planet’s biosphere, leading to the global limits of development, which potentially carries a threat of planetary disaster. Therefore, global community intents on the sustainable global development that must resolve such contradiction. A conclusion is made that the global vector of research that includes globalistics, global academic disciplines, globalizational studies, global evolutionism and a number of other fields of scientific inquiry, has already been formed. Although the global cluster of scientific knowledge unfolds mostly in the late XX century, its origins are detected in the works of V. I. Vernadsky already in the beginning of the same century. The scholar anticipated the emergence of the “global stage” of scientific development as a precursor to the beginning of global world in the form of noosphere.

Keywords: globalization, global world, global cluster of knowledge, global studies, global sustainability, global scientific revolution, globalistics, interdisciplinary directions of globalistics, global processes, sustainable development