Sustainable development as an alternative goal of economic actors in modern society

Abstract

The article deals with the content of the category “sustainable development”. Through the understanding of the signs of sustainable development, the goals of economic entities are substantiated, the directions of transformation of the economic system in accordance with the goals of sustainable development are determined. The goal of modern society is to make more and more profit. The current crisis reveals the limits of profit: markets are becoming global, and further expansion of production is impossible, and credit opportunities to expand demand are becoming limited, which, in turn, are limited by the relatively declining incomes of the population. With the apparent improvement in the quality of life, GDP growth and other indicators, dissatisfaction with the modern economy increases. Since it is quite difficult to abandon the usual goals, the goals of economic entities should be refracted under the pressure of public interest. The spokesman of the public interest is government, but the initiative must come from the mass of the subject, able by his behavior to steer economic development in a new direction is households and individuals, including the self-employed. Orientation of households, each person is not on the maximization of utility, and harmonious creation is the goal of sustainable development. In accordance with this goal, there is no dependence on the constant increase and maintenance of income, the need to intensify labor, high dependence on the level of technology development. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the change of the socio-economic development of society in the direction of sustainable development involves the abandonment of big business, the possible introduction of full or partial policy of protectionism, full state control over the branches of natural monopolies (electricity, utilities, transport, etc.), the nomination as criteria for assessing the development of non-cost indicators of production and capital growth, and indicators of preservation of the biosphere and individual satisfaction with living conditions.