Sociological Methods Research Articles

The Labyrinth of The Iron Cage of Educational Capitalism: The Reflection of Siri Na Pacce in Strengthening Educational Leadership

This study aims to demonstrate that the Indonesian local culture, Siri Na Pacce, becomes the construction of educational leadership in the era of educational capitalism. The Indonesian constitution upholds the availability of human resources to be educated for social change. The advancement of educational facilities creates inequality among human resources in accessing a better education. This inequality creates social reproduction through the educational system. The iron cage of the educational system chains the production of potential leaders for social change. The sociological method is conducted to analyze andevaluate the root of the problem to bring in the emic perspective. This method accesses books, articles, journals, and academic writing. This research aims to align local cultural values, Siri Na Pacce, to construct leadership values in generating an accessible educational system. To conclude, the construction of educational leadership is based on the solid value of Siri Na Pacce to build the character of being with others.

State programmes to support higher education in the Republic of Kazakhstan: Efficiency, prospects for development

Relevance. The research is relevant in light of the significant role that higher education plays in the implementation of social and economic policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, especially through the application of educational programmes. In addition, the analysis of changes in the educational policy of Kazakhstan will enable evaluating of its effectiveness. Purpose. The purpose of the research is to investigate students' perceptions and experiences of the state programme �Serpin-2050,� focusing on their adaptation to its procedural structure. This examination serves as an indicator of the programme's effectiveness and a predictor of its potential for further development. Methodology. Analysis, synthesis and abstraction were used to develop the theoretical methodology. For the empirical part of the research, the sociological method of survey was used. Results. The research revealed that students primarily received information about the �Serpin-2050� programme through physical and social environments, with digital channels being less effective. Students' motivations for joining the programme were predominantly personal, focusing on individual needs and interests, rather than patriotic or public benefit motives. The overall adaptation to the new educational environment was positive, with students expressing high satisfaction with university infrastructure, the quality of educational services, and the level of support and communication from the university administration. Conclusions. The study concluded that the �Serpin-2050� programme is highly valued by its participants, who are generally willing to recommend it to others. The findings suggest areas for improvement, such as enhancing leisure facilities in dormitories, increasing digitalisation of the library, and encouraging more active student participation in research and discussions. The practical value of the work is related to the prospect of adjusting the programme with some comments on the areas of improvement of educational services: leisure areas for the dormitory, digitalisation of the library, and active participation of students in research and discussions. Keywords: academic mobility; intellectual migration; quality of services; academic adaptation; internationalisation

International experience in countering theft on railway transport in the context of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Relevance. The issue of countering theft on railway transport in Kazakhstan is highly relevant due to the widespread use of rail transport, which is economical, convenient, and allows for rapid movement over long distances. However, the closed environment of railways poses safety risks, leading to increasing theft cases, which negatively affect society and require urgent solutions. Purpose. This study aims to investigate the current level of crime, specifically theft, on railway transport in Kazakhstan. It seeks to identify factors influencing these thefts, examine the experience of advanced foreign countries in addressing similar issues, and provide recommendations for incorporating effective strategies into Kazakhstan's legislation. Methodology. The study employs a combination of general scientific and special cognitive methods, including the general dialectical method, system and structural method, comparative and legal method, sociological method, formal logic, and literature analysis. Results. The study includes a theoretical part, examining the criminological characteristics of property thefts on railway transport in Kazakhstan, and a practical part, identifying social factors that provoke such crimes and analysing foreign policies addressing these criminal acts. Conclusions. The study's findings can be applied in law enforcement to optimize and organize investigations of passenger property thefts. Additionally, the insights can be used in criminology education and scientific research to enhance recommendations and develop methods for investigating other types of criminal offences. Keywords: theft; railway transport; other people's property; passengers

Ислам и война: Telegram-канал Р. Кадырова в период СВО

The relevance of the study is determined by the influence of the special military operation (SMO) on the transformation of political discourse on the Internet. The novelty of the research is due to the identi-fication of current trends in the proposed content in the modern Russian media space. The start of a special military operation (SMO/SVO) determined a new model of the political development of the Russian Federation, and also significantly influenced the political discourse of the heads of Russian regions. The political discourse, in turn, forms social and political views at the grassroots level. This paper examines the religious and political discourse of the Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov in the Telegram messenger during the first year of the SMO. The study is focused on identify-ing the specifics of the formation of religious and political content in social networks in wartime. The work is based on the methods of classical and digital sociology, as well as discursive analysis of text messages. 2035 publications by R. Kadyrov on the Telegram page from February 24, 2022 to February 23, 2023, including 1406 videos, 165 photos/print-screens, 20 audio messages and 3 docs-attachments were analyzed using a continuous sample. Finally, conclusions are drawn in relation to some change in Kadyrov’s public discourse for the past year. On his personal page in Telegram, religious themes with an emphasis on traditional values, the image of the enemy and the legitimation of armed struggle (ji-had) acquire an exceptional sound in the conditions of the SMO. In today's political realities, a reli-gious resource and an open armed conflict successfully complement each other. At the same time, the head of the Chechen Republic demonstrates a claim to religious authority both on a Russian and global scale: he openly opposes Western ideology not only on the battlefield, but also in the religious content, actively participates in the sacralization of the SMO and its jihadization. The obtained conclusions ex-pand the knowledge about the potential of a religious resource in open conflicts and raise the question of the prospects for its use by other religious communities.

Obstacles in Carrying Out the Responsibility of Breastfeeding Mothers in Langsa City, Aceh: A Juridical Sociological Perspective

The child's right to breast milk is human right that should be guaranteed, protected and fulfilled; However, this right has not been fully implemented yet. A study in Langsa City Indonesia in 2022 shows that the percentage of babies who get exclusive breast milk up to six months is only 60.29% out of the total 3,447 babies. Therefore, the main question in the article is the obstacles that arise in breastfeeding children in Langsa City. The method applied in this study is the juridical sociological method. Data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews and document studies. The informants interviewed were health workers, family planning officials, and religious leaders, while the documents analyzed were related articles, scientific reports, and books. Collected data were analyzed by using qualitative analysis. The result shows that the obstacles that arise in the implementation of breastfeeding, among others, are a lack of mother’s confidence to feed breastfeeding, lack of understanding about the benefits of breast milk, lack of understanding about cultural characters that have been passed down from generation to generation in the community. Therefore, it is suggested that some efforts need to be done, among others to provide health services, consultation, training, advocacy, and socialization about the importance of breast milk to mothers and the community as well. This includes involving religious leaders or scholars in socializing the importance of breastfeeding children.

Leading Global Cities In The Russian-Language Segment Of Internet: How Do They Look Like At The Beginning Of The 21st Century?

In the XXI century, the factors of the development of megacities are changing rapidly, the competitiveness of which increasingly depends on their image in different social environments. The purpose of the study is to identify main common features of the current image of the leading global cities (London, Paris, New York and Tokyo) in the Russian–language segment of the Internet (Runet). The research was based on a combination of methods of socio-economic geography, quantitative and qualitative methods of sociology. To reflect the objective reality of megacities, international statistics were used; to assess the role of Internet information resources influencing the formation of the image, the number of search queries in Runet and the context of publications about cities in social media were analyzed; to identify the configuration of the image, the data of a sociological survey were studied. It was revealed that the perception of megacities in Runet is based on a comparable volume of information flow in social networks (the number of published messages is 20 thousand per day for Paris and London, 15 thousand for New York, 4 thousand for Tokyo) and on similarity of publications’ context (2/5 are in the categories “entertainment” and “personality”). Despite certain limitations of the methods used and the relevance of the digital artifacts obtained, the image structure of the centers under consideration is characterized by the predominance of objective over subjective and cognitive (knowledge and ideas about “physical” givens) over affective (emotions, feelings, sensations) components with the key role of four collective categories: common features of large cities, idealized imagery of the country, prestigious urban locations and world architectural brands; as well as high stability in time and space. The continuation of research based on the proposed principles, while improving the methodology and involving cities of different classes, will contribute to the adaptation of foreign experience in designing of images of ambitious Russian cities in the face of new global challenges.

The role of medical and organizational measures in improving the quality of early detection and clinical examination of autoimmune thyroiditis among the population of the Republic of Belarus

Objective. To evaluate the role of medical and organizational measures in improving the quality of early detection and medical examination of autoimmune thyroiditis in the population of the Republic of Belarus.Materials and methods. The data of population statistics and the State register of persons affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe and other accidents on cases of thyroid pathology, as well as outpatient records of patients were analyzed. Epidemiological, statistical and sociological methods were used.Results. It was noted that different clinical and laboratory variants of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) are encountered in clinical practice. Subclinical AIT with sonographic signs of the disease but without diagnostic concentrations of antibodies to thyroid peroxidase (AB/TPO) and disturbances of its function is registered in 14.1 (6.0-24.4) %. AIT with diagnostic concentrations of autoantibodies to AB/TPO, with preserved thyroid function or hypothyroidism occurs in 22.5 (13.534.0) % of the cohort subjects. The frequency of combining AIT with nodular neoplasms of the thyroid increased by the 4th stage of screening and reached 20.7 (11.2-33.4) %.The reasons for different approaches to diagnosis were analyzed and measures to improve organizational and medical measures for early detection and dispensary treatment of patients with AIT were proposed: groups of persons at high risk of AIT and primary hypothyroidism (PHT) were identified, an algorithm for early detection and dispensary treatment was developed, etc.Conclusion. When making a decision to improve the quality of medical care to the population of the Republic of Belarus on early detection and medical examination of patients with AIT, it is necessary to take into account the timeliness of thyroid status studies in the population, compliance with the terms of dynamic observation for persons at high risk of AIT and PHT development, peculiarities of clinical and laboratory variants of AIT course.

Problems in the criminological characteristic of juvenile offender identity

Relevance. Insufficient attention of state bodies to the problem of juvenile crime also leads to the aggravation of antisocial manifestations in society, neglect of social and cultural norms, and increased manifestations of crime and cruelty. Child welfare and protection of children's rights are among the main tasks of every democratic, social, and legal state. Purpose. Despite the close attention to the problem of juvenile crimes, many of the relevant aspects are still understudied; they require scientific and theoretical interpretation and substantiation, including problems in the criminological characteristic of the juvenile criminal identity. Methodology. The study employed a variety of methodologies including dialectical analysis, historical legal method, comparative legal analysis, logical legal method, documentary analysis, statistical analysis, and sociological method to comprehensively examine and understand the criminological characteristics of juvenile criminal identity and develop proposals for enhancing prevention and intervention strategies. Results. The study covers doctrinal approaches to the criminological characteristic of the personality of juvenile criminals, to find out the variability of ideas and concepts aimed at identifying the essence and features of the juvenile criminal identity on the territory of various states, and also to conclude that the system of social prevention of offences, including crimes, that has developed in the past, which has practically ceased to exist in our time, requires a qualitative reform. Conclusions. The study has substantiated that there is currently an urgent need to reproduce such a system based on new principles and unified foundations of the criminological characteristic of the juvenile criminal identity, to create an appropriate legislative framework for this purpose and to widely involve the public in this activity.

Beyond the Income: The Normative Effects of Unemployment in the Goldfields of Welkom, Free State, South Africa

ABSTRACT “Beyond the income” puts emphasis on the need to go beyond income loss to understand the meaning of wage labour, and the effects that unemployment and inequality have on people. This ethnographic and in-depth interview-based research focused on the experiences of unemployment among South African black men—ex-mine workers in their fifties and sixties who had worked on the Welkom goldfields—and found that they suffered three types of loss: economic loss, psychological harm and social exclusion. These findings illustrate that, while income loss is crucially important for workers globally, unemployment has far-reaching effects other than income loss. Income loss interconnects with other types of loss (psychological and social). E. Durkheim (1964, The Rules of Sociological Method. New York: The Free Press) and G. Therborn (2013, The Killing Fields of Inequality. Wiley) foreground the importance of taking into consideration income loss, but they also demonstrate the need for approaches that take into consideration anomie and existential inequality to understand that unemployment has greater effects on its victims than only income loss. The research has relevance for the debates on basic income grants. Because the loss involved in unemployment is greater than income loss, ex-mine workers’ loss cannot be solved only by the income support offered through a basic income grant. The basic income grant would only go to the extent of responding to income loss, but it would be limited in relation to the normative aspects that were fulfilled by wage labour. The paper concludes by suggesting that going beyond the income broadens our understanding of the effects of wage labour, unemployment, and inequality, and that this understanding should inform research, policy (social and economic), and movement building.

Становление советского законодательства в сфере высшего образования в период с 1917 по 1930 г.

Regulatory and legal reform of higher education has always been a way to solve political and ideological problems, some of which are still relevant. The principles of higher education laid down from 1917 to 1930 are still relevant today. The importance of studying the formation of the higher education system at the beginning of the formation of the Soviet state is caused by the need for a better understanding of modern processes in education policy. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to identify the main stages and principles of higher education reform at the beginning of the Soviet period. Methodology. The following methods are used in the research: historical-legal method, historicism method, sociological method, hermeneutics method. Changes in law occur under the influence of political and ideological processes in a certain historical period. When using the sociological method, law examines a social phenomenon that is formed under the influence of social relations. The hermeneutics method is used to interpret legal acts. Results. The process of formation of higher education management bodies is analyzed. The basic principles of building an educational system are derived based on the study of legal acts regulating the area under study. Conclusion. Approaches to the formation of a professional training system changed during the period taken for study, which shows a fairly prompt response by the state to identified problems. Of course, not all decisions were effective, which is natural, especially during the formation of a new approach to educational policy.

Does the Social Community Have a Biography?

The paper proves that the biographical method in sociology can be used in the study of social community. At the same time, it is advisable to consider the signs of social community (both objective and subjective) in the process of studying the biography of a person (individual, personality) as individually biographical, helping to see the similarities and interactions between a person’s life path and the biography of a social community. The article examines the features and stages of the biography of the social community of the faculty.

DEVELOPMENT OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS IN THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM

The challenge and need of society in the 21st century is the development of corporate social responsibility. Corporate responsibility of business directly affects social security at all hierarchical levels of the economy. The purpose of the study is to extend the theoretical and methodical foundations and develop practical recommendations for the development of corporate social responsibility of enterprises. The following methods of inquiry were used during the study: economic-mathematical method, sociological method and method of expert assessment to assess the impact of corporate culture (CC) on corporate social responsibility (CSR); graphical-analytical to illustrate the processes under study. As a result of the study, methodical support for assessment of the impact of CC on the development of CSR was developed based on the systematization of methods for study of CC, indicators for assessment of the economic and social effectiveness of the impact of CC and development of methods for assessment of its impact on the activity of an enterprise and development of CSR. In conclusion, scientific and practical recommendations for the formation of positive CC at the microeconomic level were substantiated, which include the use of the proposed system of tools (organizational, economic, socio-psychological, information, etc.), a set of measures to improve labour motivation, overcome distortions in labour evaluation and labour incentives , use the potential of social partnership.

Modern educational needs of specialists in the public health system.

Aim: Studying the opinion of public health system workers (emlpoyees) regarding existing educational problems and needs in the context of continuous professional development. Materials and Methods: Bibliosemantic, medical-statistical, sociological methods are used in the study. The research program provided for conducting sociological surveys of public health specialists in different regions of the country regarding the establishment of priority training topics for public health specialists; preferred methods of learning; barriers to access to education, etc. The scientific base of the research the regional centers for disease control and prevention have become. Statistical processing and mathematical analysis of materials was carried out using methods of statistical analysis. Results: The research has found that the priority topics of training for public health specialists are issues of epidemiology (which were indicated as very important by 67.7±3.7 and as important by 22.0±3.2 per 100 respondents); emergency and disaster management (67.7±3.7 and 31.1±3.6 per 100 respondents), quality and safety (53.0±3.9 and 38.4±3.8), practices based on on evidence (42.1±3.9 and 45.7±3.9) eHealth and digitalization (40.2±3.8 and 38.4±3.8), statistics (38.4±3.8 and 51 ,2±3.9), research methodology (32.9±3.7 and 51.2±3.9) and research ethics (12.8±2.6 and 67.7±3.7, respectively). Webinars (62.2±3.8 per 100 respondents) and online training (60.4±3.8), classroom (42.1±3.9) and hybrid (40.2±3.8) were identified as preferred forms. teaching. The obstacles to the continuous professional development of public health specialists are a lack of time and a lack of finances, a lack of information about desired training programs, their regulations, insufficient support from management, military aggression and the problems caused by it, etc. Conclusions: The priority topics of training for public health specialists, preferred methods of training and barriers to access to training determined in the course of the study are the basis for improving the organization of continuous professional development of employees of public health centers.

The social hygienic aspects of reproductive behavior of women aged 40-45 years

In the context of forecasted decreasing of natality, actuality of studying its causes for organizational decision-making increases. The purpose of the study was to determine factors affecting reproductive behavior of women aged 40-45 years residing in areas with different natality levels in 2020-2021. The cohort, analytical, sociological methods were applied. The results of study demonstrated that in areas with high natality level most of urban women with higher education and high income resides in conditions of dormitory or mortgage flat and working in profile of their specialty. They are characterized by belated marriage that results in postponed child-bearing. The areas with low natality are characterized by dwelling of rural women with secondary or secondary specialized education. They reside in their own homes and work in other occupations than their specialty. The analysis of social status of women of different age groups will permit more selective approach in developing measures of increasing natality in modern conditions.

Pelevin’s Intertext in the Mirror of the Reader’s Reception

The article presents a study of the readership ability to unravel the intertextual code of V. Pelevin’s late novel work. A sociological method was used – a questionnaire, which made it possible to determine the degree of recognition of reminiscences in the works of V. Pelevin. Intertextual and structural types of analysis are also used in order to identify traces of someone else’s word in a postmodern text and to indicate its connection with the plot, spatial and temporal organization of the text, composition or characterization of characters. The subject is the intertexteme in the novel work of V. Pelevin. It is revealed that the primary sources of Pelevin’s studies are recognizable, since the postmodernist refers to literary, cultural, musical cliches, archetypes and iconic quotations. Pelevin’s text is intertextually heterogeneous and has a wide network of borrowings, which indirectly indicates a focus on a wide range of readers: solving the intertexteme and discovering the original source directly depends on the cultural background of the recipient. The article proves that the presented text passages are precisely intertexts, that is, conscious authorial borrowings, and not random coincidences and intuitive embodiment of the national cultural code. Pelevin uses techniques of editing and syncretism, referring simultaneously to a variety of primary sources, combining high and low, thereby creating a polycythe. Intertext, performing a sense-forming function, not only allows you to give a concise characterization of a character, chronotope or situation, but also acts as a semantic duplicate of the plot and narrative vector. Numerous references determine the development of the author’s narrative, giving an additional clue about further events to the reader.

The concept of corporate conflict and alternative ways to resolve it in the Asia-Pacific countries

The subject of this study is the concept of "corporate conflict", its problematic aspects when defining, signs, as well as alternative ways to resolve such conflicts in different countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The author examines many diverse approaches to the concept of "corporate conflict", based on the opinion of scientists from the Asia-Pacific region and draws conclusions based on the selected literature. The author also examines in detail alternative ways of dealing with corporate conflicts in such Asia-Pacific countries as the USA, China, Japan. The author highlights the types of alternative dispute resolution unknown to the legislation of the Russian Federation, such as mini-trial, common in the United States, and formal commercial mediation used in the PRC. Attention is also paid to alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation, arbitration, ombudsman and the combination of mediation and arbitration. The author uses such scientific research methods as description, analysis, synthesis, comparative legal method, sociological method. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it includes an analysis of existing alternative mechanisms for resolving corporate disputes in the law of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The author also identifies the signs and features of the concept of "alternative conflict" based on the research of a group of scientists from different countries and gives his own definition of this term, which is the most complete, and, in the author's opinion, takes into account all the features of this concept. The conducted research can help entrepreneurs understand the possibilities of out-of-court dispute resolution when doing business in the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region, and can also contribute to the scientific community to evaluate special types of alternative dispute resolution methods and consider the possibility of applying these methods in practice in the Russian Federation.

Самореализация обучающихся вуза в ракурсе государственной молодежной политики

Introduction: there has been a rise of the universities role in ensuring the basic goal of the state youth policy – in creating conditions for the self-realization of student youth. But do the state goals declared in the fundamental regulatory documents on youth policy in universities correspond to the ideas of student youth about their prospects, plans and opportunities? Objectives: to consider and analyze the ideas of young people about values, competencies, targets and conditions of self-realization at the university in the context of the state youth policy implementation. Methods: sociological method, systematic and comparative analysis. The empirical base of the study are the results of an online survey of students in five Russian cities: St. Petersburg, Belgorod, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk (n = 1743 people, 2023). Results: the study showed that the most important for students are the basic values: health, well-being, material prosperity and well-being, family, freedom and independence, friends and communication. Based on cluster analysis, groups of students were identified that differ in their assessments of acquired competencies: “pragmatists” (41.2 %), “conformists” (46.7 %) and “organized performers” (12.1 %). Conclusions: students goals and values are shifted towards pragmatism, individualism and freedom of activity. Such motivational and motivating components as innovation, creativity, hard work and empathy remain outside the students attention. Only one fifth of students are engaged actively in constructive forms of self-organization; less than half are satisfied with the quality of their education, and one third note the lack of assistance in building an individual professional and career trajectory. As part of the state youth policy implementation, a new model of social mobility should be developed, social elevators should be proposed and guaranteed to ensure the advancement of young people to their intended goals.

The Impact of Social Media on Consumer Sentiment

With the wide use of network media, consumers’ information acquisition and communication methods have undergone significant changes. Network media not only provides them with a fast and efficient way to obtain information, but also provides them with a broader social space and communication platform. Therefore, the popularity of social media has brought some negative effects, such as low mood and depression among consumers. This paper will first study the impact of social media operation strategies on consumer sentiment. Secondly, the author will examine how social media self-control affects mood, which includes how users control their emotions and behaviors on social media, and the impact of this self-control on consumer mood. This paper will discuss and study through the research methods of psychology and sociology. Finally, this study aims to analyze the problem of information overload between social media and consumer sentiment by focusing on the comments made by consumers on social media. At the end of the study, the research results need to be summarized and analyzed in order to provide useful references for social media platforms to manage consumer emotions, so as to provide useful references for lawmakers, academics and practitioners.

МЕТОДИКА ОЦЕНКИ И УПРАВЛЕНИЕ РАЗВИТИЕМ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ МЕЗОСИСТЕМ

The article is focused on the consideration of the concept of mesosism in the context of management by socio-economic development. It also provides a methodology for assessing and managing the development of socioeconomic mesosystems. The article proposes a number of methods that will allow assessing the level of development of socio-economic systems for further development of measures to improve their management efficiency. Systemic economics considers the concept of “mesoeconomics” mainly in the context of the economic sphere, focusing on the regional dimension [Kleiner 2006]. At the same time, it is advisable to expand the conceptual framework to include the following aspects in the field of mesoeconomics research: – Industry clusters and ecosystems – groups of interconnected enterprises and organizations united by a single industry specialization, common technologies and markets; – Local economic systems – autonomous territorial entities with their own resources, production base and infrastructure, but interacting with the external environment; – Global value chains – networks of interconnected enterprises and organizations engaged in joint activities for the production and distribution of goods and services on a global scale. The development of the theoretical foundations of mesoeconomics will allow not only to study, but also to manage those objects, contributing to an increase in the efficiency of the economic system as a whole. It will require the involvement of an interdisciplinary approach combining methods of systems analysis, economics, sociology and other sciences. Thus, mesoobjects take the modern economy beyond the neoclassical paradigm, opening up new horizons for research and practical application. The system economy, expanded on the basis of the proposed concepts, serves as a promising theoretical basis for building mesoeconomical models and developing effective management mechanisms.

Regional food markets of the Western borderlands of Russia: adaptation to integration and disintegration processes

The paper reveals the mechanisms of adaptation of food markets in the western borderland of Russia to the integration and disintegration processes that have been taking place on the external and internal borders of the Eurasian Economic Union since 2014. Using the example of the Kaliningrad and Smolensk oblasts, the authors identified changes in the regional food base under conditions of active import substitution, assessed the changes in food preferences of the population, as well as the role of cross-border practices in meeting the population's food needs. Based on the analysis of regional and federal statistics and field research, it was possible to establish that against the background of active investment in agriculture and food production there were three parallel processes: the spatial contraction of agricultural production, the expansion of its production capacity by large agricultural holdings in strictly defined areas (around regional capitals and important transport routes), and the expansion of holdings in selected peripheral areas with the lowest land value. Despite the commonality of the processes, the performance in agriculture and food production and activity in obtaining state support in Smolensk and Kaliningrad oblasts are radically different. Visual inspection of retail outlets, discourse analysis and representative surveys of the population allowed us to conclude that import substitution only partially allowed to provide raw materials and final products to regional food markets in both regions, since most holdings are oriented to meet the demand in high-margin markets inside and outside the country. Food markets in border regions are characterized, on the one hand, by greater vulnerability to integration and disintegration processes, and, on the other hand, by the variability of choice and opportunities for cross-border shopping trips. However, empirical data obtained by sociological methods show that the widespread perceptions of high cross-border mobility of the population of border regions are highly overestimated. The populations of Smolensk and Kaliningrad oblasts are similar in the level of mobility and conservatism with regard to shopping for goods of specific manufacturers of a suitable price segment. The “network” (through intermediaries) penetration of “sanctioned” goods in the Kaliningrad oblast covered a much larger share of the population than that which directly traveled abroad for shopping, so the adaptation of the population to external challenges to the food market was more noticeable.