Abstract: This article presents the overview of a section of the scientific practical conference “Social engineering: how social engineering changes the world”. The examination was conducted on the aspects of development of the participatory practices in Russia, namely the participatory budgeting (PB). Reports of the speakers demonstrated the path travelled by participatory budgeting in Russia over the recent years, transforming from a financial instrument into social influence, and becoming a field for active and entrepreneurial citizens. Inclusion of sociologists into the PB processes means better feedback from society and increased quality of project management. The research explores the questions of organization of practices of participatory budgeting, key discoveries and current challenges: absence of digitalization, difficulties with urban practices, involvement of population. Residents of the experimental territories demonstrate higher level of satisfaction with the quality of the infrastructure and work of the municipal and urban engineering, improvement in the dialogue with the local authorities, increase in the level of trust towards the leadership of the town and regional authorities overall.

Keywords: Local Initiatives Support, Your Budget, municipal self-government, social effects, trust in authorities, civic society, participatory mechanisms, initiative budgeting, co-financing, verification of beneficiaries

Abstract: The object of this research is the local municipal and rural associations of the Volgograd Oblast. The subject of this research is the resource of activism of local associations of the Volgograd Oblast. This research analyzes the key characteristics of the population of municipal and rural districts of the Oblast for emergence of activism, namely the unity in understanding of the key issues faced by local association and attention to them; presence of social solidarity and close communication; self-identification with the local territorial community. The main hypothesis of this research was tested with help of mass surveys of the population, conducted based on quota cell. Statistical population in this research – the population of the Volgograd Oblast (N=2,491,751). The basis for the quota consisted in the following: place of residence of respondents (municipal and rural districts of the Volgograd Oblast), as well as gender and age of respondents. The total size of the cell is n=848 respondents. The novelty of this research consists in the fact that for the first time it is determined that rural local associations possesses greater potential for activism than their urban counterparts, which can become a substantial base for development of rural areas if properly applied.

Keywords: territorial identity, local community resources, opinion poll, Volgograd region, rural community, urban community, civic activism, local community, local issues, social solidarity

Abstract: In the XXI century, under the effects of the globalization factors, mass consumerism culture and demonstrative consumption, there formed a new type of culturological way of thinking, which prompted new conceptual approaches towards the understanding of the collecting phenomenon. The basic function of collecting (preservation of the heritage of the past) is replaced by a demonstrative collecting, in which the value (both, material and spiritual) is substituted by the symbolic perception of demands of an individual, and the main motivating factor for the collector becomes consists in the desire of establish a certain level of prestige and effort to be a part of an elite social circle or demonstrate their individuality. These changes represent an objective and natural process, characteristic to the period of change in the paradigm of civilizational development, namely the transition from traditional industrial society towards a postindustrial one. This article gives detailed overview to the presented structural transformations of the forms of collecting, brought about by the development in cultural trends of consumer society.

Keywords: value, the culture, thinking, consumption, consumerism, mass culture, collecting, status, prestige, involvement

Abstract: The goal of this article is to analyze and understand the institutional peculiarities of functionality of the master’s program in sociology in Russian and Indian universities. In the conditions of rapid development of global educational space, master’s programs become an attractive means of exercising academic mobility by students. For this case study, Ural Federal University and Mumbai University were selected, both of which offer master’s programs in sociology and are not part of the QS World University Rankings. The author analyzes the websites of both university, and conducts surveys of sociology students in India (n=65) and Russia (n=66). The results of this research demonstrate that master’s program in the Russian university is practically oriented and is aimed at filling the demands of the regional job market. The program offered by the Indian university is accompanied by national specificity, reflecting peculiarities of the current state of Indian society. For Indian students, getting an education in a Russian university master’s program serves as an important instrument for securing strong status positions. Russian sociology students do not demonstrate interest towards education in Indian universities, opting instead for education in BRICS countries and China.

Keywords: Ural Federal University, academic mobility, students, sociological education, sociology, master’s programs, magistracy, education, Mumbai University, BRICS

Abstract: The object of this research is the low-income incomplete households of the Sakhalin Oblast. The subject is the current state of trends and peculiarities of the measures of public assistance for the low-income incomplete households of the Sakhalin Oblast. The author gives detailed overview to the main vectors of public assistance of households in the region, and describes the key issues faced by the recipients of public assistance. Special attention is given to the questions of assessment of efficiency of public assistance measures, signifying the prioritized vectors for optimization of this process in the Sakhalin Oblast. The conclusions are based on results of specific sociological research, conducted by the author using surveys and interviews. The research demonstrates that the region is undergoing large-scale efforts on meeting the vital needs of the socially vulnerable groups of the population, but not all measures correspond to the volume, quality and accessibility requirements of low-income incomplete households, and are in need of serious correction and establishing constant monitoring of the efficiency of measures based on feedback from the recipients.

Keywords: family stability, social protection, regional social support, single-parent family, poor family, state family policy, family social support, effectiveness of social assistance, social policy issues, family crisis

Abstract: The subject of this research is the value orientations of China’s modern youth in the area of profession selection and professional self-development. Special attention is given to the phenomenon of stereotypization of a number of social perceptions and orientations pertaining to conditions, in which the process of professional self-development of the youth could see the highest level of success. This article includes theoretical and empirical aspects. The theoretical portion explores the specificity of professional education, modern trends and difficulties characteristic to modern China, as well as presents the data of earlier research devoted to this problematic. The empirical portion presents the results of surveys of China’s working youth, determines respondents’ priorities in the sphere of profession, and cites the presence of cognitive myths related to the role of higher education and social ties in the process of job searching. The scientific novelty of this research consists in author’s approach towards exploration of the formation of professional choice process among Chinese youth not only under the influence of objective conditions, but also through the prism of social stereotypization and mythologization. Based on the conducted research, the author proposes a series of measures aimed at overcoming professional imbalance in China.

Keywords: China, youth, higher education, professional education, professional orientation, Professional choice, social stereotypes, working conditions, career, unemployment

Abstract: The subject of this research is the economic behavior of students in the area of personal finance management. Special attention is currently devoted to increasing the level of financial literacy of the population. The target audience in this research is the students of higher education in the city of Vladimir. Majority of young people find it necessary to manage their own finances namely during their student years. The research explores behavioral strategies of students in the areas of savings and borrowing. The main method of this research consisted in an online survey of college students of the city of Vladimir. The sociological survey covered the students of the Vladimir Aviation Mechanics College, Vladimir Polytechnic College, Vladimir State University, and Vladimir branch of the Russian Academy of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. The data acquired allows concluding on the fairly low level of financial capacity of the students. The current level of income allows the young people provision for only their ongoing needs. Management of personal finances is reduced to control of income and spending. High levels of debt have not been observed among the students.

Keywords: own budget management, Credit, The youth, Students, Economic behavior, Economic consciousness, investment, accumulation, higher education institution, college

Abstract: The goal of this article is to generalize the results of the sociological research of 2018 “Interconfessional and interethnic relations in the Mari El Republic”, pertaining to linguistic consciousness and linguistic behavior of the Hill Mari, residing on the territory of the Gornomariysky District of the Mari El Republic. The subject of this research is the social (ethnic identity, communicative, lingual competency, state) status of the Hill Mari language in modern society from the perspective of social consciousness of the local population. The conclusions and generalizations of the authors can have practical importance for correction of national policy, linguistic “construction” and principles of interethnic interaction in a multiethnic region. The state and social status of the Hill Mari language is brought to the forefront within the framework of a study on the linguistic situation in the Mari El Republic. It is proved that the ethnic community actively mobilizes the internal mechanisms of ethnolinguistic protection and attempts to comprehensively support the social status of the language on the ethnic identity, communicative and linguistic competence levels. Support of the Hill Mari language on the state level remains a relevant issue.

Keywords: social status of the language, the Hill Mari language, language politics, language situation, sociolinguistics, ethnic sociology, public consciousness, The Republic of Mari El, state language, ethnic self-identification

Abstract: This work explores current state of the conceptual framework of social philosophy. The object of this research is the phenomenon of a social institution. The subject is the conceptualization of the notion of “institution” within the modern socio-philosophical discourse. Institutions are perceived by the authors as specific social establishments. Considering the pragmatism of the modern social philosophy, the authors focus on the functional elucidation of institutions, giving grounds for instrumental classification, as well as presenting essential features from the position of the functions they carry out. The authors’ contribution into the research of this topic is the thesis on the need for continuous research of institutions in light of their dynamic nature and the social transformations accompanying the functionality of this phenomenon. This article presents an original concept of an institution, which takes into consideration its characteristics as a structure that provides vital function for any society: historism, collective activity of people, and sustainability.

Keywords: development, social dynamics, structure, pragmatics, functionalism, society, Institute, order, social philosophy, norm