Риски становления социального государства в РФ в условиях современных технологий организации взаимодействия власти и населения

Abstract

The study discusses the impact of the latest tech-nology on the interaction between the authorities and people in the post-industrial society. The pa-per focuses on the fact that communication technology poses serious risks to the welfare state in the Russian Federation. The institution of the welfare state has resulted from the increased con-flicts and risks of social relations in the early industrial society. As humanity evolved and there was a gradual shift to the fifth technological para-digm, it became possible to make a great break-through in communication technology. On the one hand, communication technology has undermined society’s stability and sustainability resulting in the phenomenon of dispersed power and questioned the effectiveness of the social and political institutions of the early industrial era. On the other hand, this technology has made it pos-sible to considerably transform the institution of the welfare state that gets novel opportunities to become the institution of social cooperation and its citizens’ solidarity. However, a new e-infrastructure of society-government cooperation poses the following risks and threats to the establishment of Russia’s welfare state: information resource is a substitute for real management practices in relation to people-government interac-tion; people gain social benefits and rights be-cause of their allocation rather than a dialog with the authorities based on economic expediency and the threat of social upheaval; administrative bodies depend on the position of the most active and selfish minorities on different issues. Other risks are considered as well. Nevertheless, the au-thors conclude that further development of Russia’s welfare state implies the adaptation of social and political institutions to new contexts in-stead of the abolition of new technology.