Regional Social Policy Research Articles

Natural Reproduction of the Population of Russia during the Coronavirus Pandemic: Risks and Consequences (The Case of the Republic of Tatarstan)

Introduction. The study is of relevance due to the decline in the population of the Russian Federation since 2018 and the aggravation of the demographic situation since 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the results of analyses of demographic indicators of natural population growth in the Russian Federation, in the Volga Federal District, and in the Republic of Tatarstan, the article identifies the factors affecting such indicators during the spread of coronavirus infection. Materials and Methods. The study analyzed operational data from the Federal State Statistics Service and the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System on the demographic indicators (birth rate, mortality, marriage rate, and divorce rate). The comparative, cross-sectional, correlation, and regression methods of analysis were employed, which made it possible to reveal significant factors affecting the demographic situation and identify the general trend of demographic processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results. On the basis of the official statistics, an analysis of the demographic situation in terms of natural reproduction of the population of Russia, exemplified by the case of the Republic of Tatarstan has been carried out; the main factors in natural population decline during the COVID-19 pandemic have been identified; the need for the introduction of new measures aimed at improving health and reducing the mortality rate and overcoming the demographic crisis in marriage and family relations has been substantiated. Discussion and Conclusion. Conclusions have been drawn about the possibility of increasing the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the future demographic situation, which is a threat to the national security of Russia. The significance of the research materials consists in a comprehensive analysis of the demographic situation caused by the natural population change. The results of the study can be used by the authorities in the development and adjustment of regional and federal demographic and social policies.

ОЦЕНКА УРОВНЯ НЕРАВНОМЕРНОСТИ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО РАЗВИТИЯ РЕГИОНОВ РОССИИ

In this article, the author examines the problem of interregional differentiation of the socio-economic development of the regions of the Russian Federation, which during 2010-2019. remains quite significant. The directions of its dynamics in the conditions of economic growth and the crisis of the country's economy are determined: until 2015 it was decreasing, and then there was a tendency to increase. These trends were identified based on the analysis of the scatter coefficients for key indicators (GRP per capita, total industrial production per capita, investment in fixed assets per capita, etc.) at the level of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The main reasons for the identified dynamics are the lack of an effective mechanism and effective tools for the implementation of various programs for the balanced development of territories, which led to the fact that the differences in the level of socio-economic development of the regions of the Russian Federation not only do not decrease, but become stronger. All this testifies to the ineffectiveness of the state regional economic, investment and social policy pursued by the authorities.

ETHNOSOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF DEPOPULATION OF MOUNTAIN TERRITORIES: DAGESTAN AND NORTH OSSETIA

Unlike the transboundary regions of Mountain ecosystems in Europe (Alps) with high population density and the integration of the rural economy into the regional and World markets, most of the Mountainous regions of the Russian Federation are characterized by the stability of traditional forms of nature management and life support, which determine, on the one hand, natural (or "old") distinctiveness of the economy of rural enclaves and, on the other hand, the preservation of social institutions based on family and relative ties, the solidarity of fellow villagers, on the cohesion of the rural community and the viability of traditional culture and ethnic identification.
 Regarding the general trends and consequences of the migration of inhabitants of Mountainous regions of Dagestan and North Ossetia to the lowland, it can be concluded that the prospects of ethnocultural dynamics in these republics are determined not only by the factors of urbanization, the growth of the absolute number and proportion of the population of predominantly Russian-speaking lowland urban and rural settlements and by the functional stagnation of local languages, but also by the demographic depression, depopulation of Mountainous territories, the gradual disappearance of Mountain villages, which can be considered almost the only mono-ethnic enclaves and social environments that ensure the reproduction of ethnolinguistic and ethnocultural identity in generations. In this regard, the importance of regional and federal social policy courses aimed at sustainable socio-economic and environmental development of Mountainous territories, preserving their demographic potential and ethnocultural particularities is emphasized.

Implementation of The Local Budget Social Assistance Policy for Disability In Tangerang Selatan

Social assistance is one of the poverty reduction programs carried out by the South Tangerang City Government. Poverty is defined as a condition of the inability of income to meet basic needs so that it is not able to guarantee survival. South Tangerang City has received the spill over effect of various economic impacts. Persons with disabilities have a low level of welfare. The low welfare is partly because they have limited physical functions and often have negative emotional experiences due to their physical limitations. Limited physical functions make it difficult for persons with disabilities to access work because they are considered less productive. This has a negative impact on persons with disabilities such as losing their role, independence, status, and financial stability. The purpose of this study is to analyze the implementation of regional budget social assistance policies for disabilities in South Tangerang. And to find out the supporting factors and inhibiting factors. This research method uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. qualitative approach, using the Theory of Policy Implementation according to Edward III. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of the Regional Budget Social Assistance Policy for Disabilities in South Tangerang has not been going well, it is based on poor communication from the implementor to the community, in terms of both human and financial resources are still lacking. Likewise, the supporting facilities in implementing social assistance for disabilities. And most importantly.

African Agency in Practice: Acquiring Agency and Institutional Change in the West African Health Organisation

This article investigates how practitioners in the West African Health Organization (WAHO) obtain and exercise autonomous political agency in the development of regional health policy. While many process-driven accounts of African agency focus on the freedom and ability of African governments and regional organisations to act and not be acted upon, the article finds that it is necessary look within these agents to examine how they are constituted and the processes in which they acquire the capacity to be agents in their external interactions. This article shows that practitioners in WAHO rely on three institutional strategies that constitute them as agents within the organisation: networking with extra-regional partners; the inclusion of civil society in regional social policy; and the development of intra-organisational linkages to create insulation from political control. Through these strategic interactions, WAHO practitioners constitute themselves as agents within the organisation as well as autonomous agents in the broader global health theatre.

Social security of the region and directions of its provision

Regional social policy often acts as the activity of the subject in the person of federal authorities and public organizations. The main goal of such a policy is to achieve equal living conditions, developed infrastructure and social structures of the region. And the general coordination of state, regional and local interests is actually implemented with great difficulty and is very often replaced by centralized management. Since regions and subjects become targeted objects of federal authorities, regions are not always able to realize their own interests. To avoid this situation, the regions need to establish their independence in solving social problems. Currently, the social and economic development of the state directly depends on the level of development of the regions. The concept of "economic security" and "social security" are closely related to each other, since the economic security of both the country and the regions mainly consists of socio-economic indicators. In other words, the economic security of the state and its subjects depends on the level of their social security. As a result of the conducted research, threats to the economic (including social) security of the region were identified. The assessment of the level of social security of the regions that are part of the Central Black Earth Economic Region was carried out using the methodology of Gaifullin A. Yu.and Gaifullina M.M. (Institute of Socio-Economic Research), which showed a fairly high level of social security of the object under study – the Voronezh Region. Determined the effectiveness of regional social policy and the ways and measures to improve the social policy of the region, in particular, it is recommended to pay attention to demographic component of the social security, living standards of the population, education and culture, and strengthen the rule of law.

THE ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE SPHERE OF THE POPULATION

The creation of an effective system of social protection of the population in Ukraine is one of the priority tasks of the social policy of the state, provides for the modernization of the system of social services for the population in accordance with new socio-economic challenges, the dominant needs of the population, the development of an information society, requires the introduction of innovative technologies for the provision of social services, based on dissemination and application of the project management methodology. The features of the mechanism of social order in the implementation of projects in the field of social services are identified. The purpose of the article is to identify potential opportunities for the implementation of project management in the provision of social services in Ukraine. The methodological basis of the research is formed by general scientific methods of cognition of social phenomena and processes (analysis, synthesis, generalization, classification). The article analyzes the creation of an effective system of the population social protection in Ukraine, which provides for the modernization of the social services system for the population in accordance with new socio-economic challenges, the dominant needs of the population, the development of the information society and requires the introduction of innovative technologies for the provision of social services based on the dissemination and application of the methodology project management. The presented material allows us to draw the following conclusions. Project management as a direction of management in the sphere of social policy implementation will contribute to: 1) institutionalization of program-targeted management of regional social policy; 2) formation of a unified regional information base on social problems of the region and organizations; 3) coordination and pooling of efforts and resources of all sectors of society to achieve the goals of sustainable development of the region.

Advances in regional and Southern social policies: Between the social question and social investment

Advances in regional and Southern social policies: Between the social question and social investment

Effects of social security policy reforms on mental health and inequalities: A systematic review of observational studies in high-income countries.

Evidence increasingly shows that changes to social security policies can affect population mental health. Thus, in the context of rising burden of mental illness, it is of major importance to better understand how expansions and contractions to the social security system may impact on mental health of both adults and children. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a synthesis of observational literature on the effects on mental health and inequalities in mental health of social security reforms. We conducted a systematic review of quantitative observational studies of specific national and regional social security policy changes in high-income countries and summarised the mental health effects of these policies. We searched seven electronic databases, including Medline, PsychInfo, Embase, CINAHL, ASSIA (Proquest), Scopus and Research Papers in Economics from January 1979 to June 2020. We included both objective and subjective mental health and wellbeing measures. The study quality was assessed using the Validity Assessment tool for econometric studies. We identified 13,403 original records, thirty-eight of which were included in the final review. Twenty-one studies evaluated expansionary social security policies and seventeen studies evaluated contractionary policies. Overall, we found that policies that improve social security benefit eligibility/generosity are associated with improvements in mental health, as reported by fourteen of the included studies. Social security policies that reduce eligibility/generosity were related to worse mental health, as reported by eleven studies. Ten studies found no effect for either policies contracting or expanding welfare support. Fourteen studies also evaluated the impact on mental health inequalities and found that contractionary policies tend to increase inequalities whereas expansionary policies have the opposite effect. Changes in social security policies can have significant effects on mental health and health inequalities across different recipient groups. Such health effects should be taken into account when designing future social policy reforms.

Negative Effects of Industrial Clustering on Region Social and Economic Development: System and Agglomeration Approach

The Present investigation illustrates the negative side of industrial clustering which often makes regional social and economic policy ineffective. Analyzing data from 790 papers, we identified and described 5 key negative clustering effects. Drawing from a system and agglomeration approach we propose a conceptual mechanism that illustrates cluster influence on a region, focusing on internal parameters which determine the impact nature (positive, negative or neutral). The investigation showed that the genesis of all the negative effects is connected with the tendency of industrial clusters to close in on itself in the medium term. Based on these findings, we propose recommendations on industrial cluster negative influence minimization.

Social well-being of families in light of regional social policy

This article studies the social well-being of the families of the Tyumen Region (excluding the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area). This article considers the theoretical approaches to the concept of “social well-being” presented in the Russian academic literature. The results of a sociological study conducted by the authors in 2020 are presented. The novelty of the research lies in highlighting the specifics of intraregional differentiation of the influence of factors influencing the social well-being of families. The main research method was a questionnaire survey, which allowed providing a quantitative description of the phenomenon under consideration. The construction of the research sample model was carried out taking into account the center-peripheral model, which implies the analysis of the data obtained in the context of various types of territories represented in the region. The volume of the quota sample of the study was 1,200 people — the representatives of regional families with children. The main goal of the article is to determine the general level of social well-being of regional families, as well as to show its specificity in such social-territorial communities as a large city, a small town, rural settlements of the central type and peripheral villages. The following were considered as the components of social well-being: satisfaction with various aspects of life; availability of social infrastructure facilities; assessment of the state of various spheres of life; problems that concern families, their needs. Based on the results of the analysis, it was concluded that in different types of settlements, the level and nature of social well-being change. This circumstance should become the object of close attention of the authorities implementing social policy. The authors noted the need to develop a social policy that takes into account the spatial characteristics of the region. At the same time, the research component is of great importance, which makes it possible to analyze the problems of families in a territorial context, and it is also important to develop clear criteria for the classification of socio-territorial communities, taking into account the tendencies of their changes over time.

Social policy of the regions: Reducing poverty among families with children and stimulating fertility

Subject. This article analyzes the differentiation of the subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of fertility and material well-being of average-revenue families with children, and considers maternal capital as a regions' social policy aspect. Objectives. The article intends to justify the priorities of the Russian Federation subjects' social policy in the context of the expansion of federal subsidies for multiple-child families, based on an analysis of the relationship between the well-being of families and fertility. It also aims to develop general recommendations for groups of actors to improve social policy in the face of budgetary constraints. Methods. For the study, I used general scientific, economics and statistics methods of research. Results. Combining the subjects of the Russian Federation in eight clusters, close in birth rate and material well-being of families, the article offers general recommendations on the choice of priorities of regional social policy. The article shows that maternal capital gets transformed into a lump-sum benefit to support the current revenues of low-income families. Conclusions. To secure demographic increase, maternal capital must be paid from the Federal budget at the birth (adoption) of each child in the family without additional conditions, regardless of the region of residence. The eradication of poverty among families with children and support for multi-child parenting should be key priorities of the social policy of the regions.

Local government, social policy and social assistance: development paths since 1989/1990

The paper discusses the first and second local government reform in Poland. The article describes the essence of social assistance institutions: social assistance centers, county family assistance centers and regional social policy centers. The article ends with consideration of the place of social assistance in local government social policy.

GIS “Protest Activity of Rostov Region”: Opportunities of Using in Regional Social and Economic Policy

Digital technologies have contributed to the formation of a new theoretical and methodological approach to the study of society and they influenced the development of a new branch of knowledge i.e. digital sociology. The purpose of this article is to analyze the opportunity of using a geographic information system (ArcGIS) for the analysis of statistical data of the facts of protests which took place in Rostov Region over the past ten years (2009–2018). Street protests, rallies, demonstrations, strikes are the main barometer of the social and political tension of a society, an important indicator of the existence of social problems and contradictions that require solutions. The article provides an overview of existing databases, the methodology for the creation of the geographic information system “Protest activity of Rostov region” and the opportunity of its use, which generally depend on research goals and objectives. This product allows identifying the structure of social protest, its qualitative and quantitative characteristics, its dynamics in time and space with the visualization of the main trends and so on. The visualization of the centers of the social and political tension in the form of ready made electronic maps contributes to deeper understanding of political, social, economic or environmental processes that take place in the Don region at different times. The authors draw the conclusion that the GIS developed for this research provides an opportunity to identify latent threats and risks that can destabilize the social situation in Rostov region, and accordingly adjust the regional policy. The geographic information system “Protest activity of Rostov region” can be used both by researchers and experts from a wide range of scientific organizations and by authorities of various administrative levels.

The Mission-Oriented Approach for (Cross-Border) Regional Development

During the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, nations have issued unprecedented border closures around the world, yielding abrupt impacts on the movement of goods and people. This has heavily affected the quality of life in border regions, which are often found to be at a disadvantage when compared to other regions in terms of employment, accessibility, social services and economic growth. Based upon developing threads in the literature concerning the untapped potential for development in border regions, we argue that the Mission-Oriented Approach (MOA) can fit well with the ambitious goal to revitalize those territories in the aftermath of the pandemic. Despite the surge of MOA in discourses on innovation policy, we seek to implement it in a regional development perspective, pursuing both economic and social policy objectives. The authors unravel the policy concept of MOA into three main aspects: (I) address a sound societal challenge; (II) Research & Development (R&D) regional agenda embedded in a cross-border regional development vision; (III) mobilizing multiple cross-sectorial projects. Through a desk study analysis, the authors draw insights from selected case studies where these aspects have been implemented to inspire policy intervention in the aftermath of COVID-19. This paper presents the MOA theoretical model, which has potential explanatory power in other cross-border regions.

Innovative Forms of Realization of Regional Social Policy by Organizing Public Dialogue and Communication in Conditions of Post-conflict Transformation in Eastern Ukraine

The current socio-economic situation in Eastern Ukraine, complex processes of economic recovery, internal displacement cause numerous conflicts between local and displaced population and institutions. In these circumstances the issues of implementation of effective regional social policy instruments, integration of internally displaced persons into local communities, strengthening social cohesion and peacebuilding become important. The purpose of the article is to substantiate innovative forms of implementation of regional social policy by organizing public dialogue and communication in conditions of post-conflict transformation in Eastern Ukraine, which would ensure sustainability of conflict resolution. The article shows the experience of implementing the results of experimental studies on organizational support for interaction of institutions on conflict prevention and resolution in the project "Geoinformation system for monitoring, analysis, assessment and resolution of conflicts in communities". The essence, basic principles, components and tasks of the geoinformation system, which is realized through creation of the online resource and the network of regional experts working under support of the international community, were presented. Keywords: conflict, regional social policy, organization, dialogue, communication, interaction, institution, geoinformation system, network of mediators.

О некоторых аспектах социальной активности старшего поколения: пилотное исследование в Республике Саха (Якутия)

The paper focuses on the social activity of Yakut pensioners (urban and rural). The most common ways of displaying social activity of Yakut people of retirement age are described, and attributes that allow describing pensioners as “advanced”, keeping up with the time, are highlighted. Studying the problem on the example of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the authors conducted a research aimed at studying the most common options for self-realization of Yakut pensioners. The typified characteristics of this social group found in the study allowed the authors to create a social portrait of a Yakut “advanced” pensioner, that is, a citizen of retirement age who actively uses the global network, strives for self-education, travels, has hobbies, leads a healthy lifestyle and enjoys the fruits of scientific and technological progress. The results obtained can be applied in the work of regions implementing regional social policy.

Formation of the Spatial Development Strategy for an Agro-Industrial Region: Modernization of Approaches

The need to update and develop new provisions of the policy of regional social and economic development as a centre-peripheral system is determined by the impossibility to ensure balanced social and economic development and smooth spatial development of central and peripheral territories only within the framework of the long-term strategy and programmes of social and economic development. The factor of economic space, its qualitative characteristics, as well as life-affirming properties in the context of the transition to the post-industrial paradigm of economic dynamics began to perform a much larger range of functions than just a topographic placement of economic agents within the framework of the concept of physical and metric use of elements of space. This circumstance can no longer be ignored in the framework of regulating interterritorial proportions and developing adequate approaches ensuring the equal spatial and economic development of the relevant centre-peripheral systems. The inclusion of the center-periphery conditions into the processes of forming and implementing the regional social and economic policy makes it necessary to look at the problems and order of regional strategic targeting from another point of view. This process, i.e. the process of strategy development, as well as the resulting strategic document of regional perspective development, is quintessential of the general philosophy and ideological concept of development of the region taking into account its spatial position, specialization of economy and specificity of the center-peripheral architecture within the region. The article justifies the relevance of developing new approaches to the formation of a strategy of regional spatial development for the territories of the central-peripheral type or agricultural and industrial regions. It details the principles of strategy development, the recommended diagnostic procedures used in the development of the strategy document, as well as the technological routing of the strategy development process and its key components. The presented scientific results have practical value within the implementation of the policy of spatial development of agricultural and industrial regions.

Substantiation of the priorities of social development of territories (on the example of subjects of Volga Federal District)

In the conditions of the relevant in modern Russian space problem of social and inter-budget transfers and limited resources that can be used for fulfilling social goals and needs, one of the primary tasks of regional social policy becomes the identification of priority vectors of administrative influence. Thus stresses the need for the algorithm or methodology that would focus on assessment of the degree of balance of social and economic processes unfolding in different territorial entities, as well as determine the “tender” points and priorities of social reforms depending on the peculiarities of development of specific territories. The object of this research is the socioeconomic processes of territorial entities. The subject is the factors of the quality of life within the territorial entities. The empirical base relies on the data of the Federal State Statistics Service. Secondary data analysis is carried out. The article presents an overview of the theoretical-methodological and methodical foundations for assessment of the level of social development of the territories. An attempt of comprehensive assessment of social dynamics in the regions based on definition of the index of sociality of the regions is presented. The methodology offered in this article was tested on the subjects of Volga Federal District, allowed determining the key trends in social development of these territories, as well as tracing the interregional dynamics.

Modern trends in shaping, implementation, and development of regional social policy in Ukraine

The аtricle presents the analysis of modern trends in shaping, implementation, and development of regional social policy in Ukraine. It breaks into stages shaping the regional social policy in the period of independent Ukranian state: the stage of post-Soviet reconstruction and the Eurointegration stage. Social priorities are ranged on the basis of empirical research in regional strategies of Ukrainian regions. Among top priorities in social development of the regions, in particular, social protection of population is recognized as the regional priority in half of the regions of Ukraine. On these grounds, the article justifies the special role of the department of social protection of population in the regional state administration as a key management subject in the field of regional social policy implementation. It is proved that the functional content load in the activities of executive authorities in the regions is based on the functions of social and service contents and functions of social development (goal-setting, forecasting, monitoring, and outsourcing). The article provides suggestions on the improvement of methodological tools for active implementation of social development function in the conditions of decentralization in the social sphere. It is proved that regional social policy in its development is perspective-oriented, which ensures gradual European integration progression of the Ukrainian state.