Liberalism and the State: Economic Growth and the Inequality

Abstract

The article provides a critical comparison of two opposing views on the socio-economic development of Russia: radical liberal and socio-state ideology. The reason for the comparison was the report of Professor V. V. Kossov at a meeting (December 6, 2019) of the International Organizational Sciences Academy (IOSN) (“Barriers to Russia’s Economic Growth”), which stated that the main barrier to economic growth in Russia was government interference in economic activity and insufficient respect for private property in the population. The article shows on statistical data that, firstly, GDP growth should not be considered the main indicator of a country’s success, and secondly, it is the weakness of the state that actually hinders socio-economic development. It is shown that such problems as the elimination of poverty and inequality cannot be solved without the active participation of the state. The main thing is not economic growth and direct democracy, but the satisfaction of the interests of all social groups and the achievement of social justice. This position is supported by an appeal to the research results of many Western economists. Criticizing the liberal position, the authors of the article remain supporters of the free development of the individual and the society of equal opportunities.