Functioning Of Social Systems Research Articles

Long-term landslide impacts and adaptive responses in rural communities: Using historical cases to validate the cumulative causation approach

The assessment of landslide impacts provides key information for understanding the hotspots of landslide vulnerability and risk, but it has mostly relied on accounting of immediate social and economic losses while neglecting the long-term implications for local development and respective post-disaster adaptive responses to landslide events. In this paper, we propose and validate an alternative approach that focuses on landslide impacts in terms of their long-term effect on the functional operation of communities and municipalities. We apply a cumulative causation model to historical case studies in rural areas of Czechia (Central Europe). The study is based on a qualitative analysis of written and iconographic documentary data from archives, which enabled us to identify the impacts of historical landslide events and adaptive responses taken by rural communities. We identified sequences of five adaptive responses: abandonment, relocation, resistant recovery, marginalisation, and non-development. Based on validation through the typologically diverse multi-case study, we assert that re-focusing the current research on the long-term implications of landslides for local development provides valuable insights to understand drivers of community adaptive responses, and clarifies the actual effects of landslide hazard on the functioning of social systems in rural areas.

О синтезе и междисциплинарности в экономической теории: сравнение русскоязычного и англоязычного дискурсов

Synthesis and interdisciplinarity in economic theory are considered promising directions for resolving the contradictions that have accumulated in the theory. The paper analyzes one of the extreme va­riants of interdisciplinary synthesis as presented in the work of Evgeny V. Balatsky, "New Imperatives of Economic Knowledge: On the Way to Socionomics" (2022. In Russian). The creation of a synthesised science of socionomics is proposed by Balatsky as an alternative to modern economics which is no longer able to get out of the “global methodological impasse” and give adequate answers to the challenges of practice. Socionomics should unite and streamline the principles, rules, effects, models and facts about the functioning of social systems “scattered over different sources”. We use the methodology of scientific critical discourse to analyze Balatsky’s proposals about the new science in this paper. At the same time, other forms of interdisciplinary interactions are also considered. First, we talk about the creation of ‘joint’ sciences with econo­mics for more in-depth answers to questions posed by practice (among them are neuroeconomics, econophysics, social economics, and complexity economics, etc.). Second, in addition to replacing economics with a new science and creating ‘joint’ sciences, relations of economics with other social disciplines on the basis of ‘soft’ interdisciplinary convergence are considered. In this case, there is a co-tuning of the general conceptual framework, as well as an exchange of models and methods of analysis between disciplines. However, despite this exchange, the disciplines do not become integrated with each other and retain their independence. Finally, the development of pluralism in economics is also considered as an additional prospect for the deve­lopment of economic discipline. The use of the methodology of scientific critical discourse, a structured lite­rature review and bibliometric analysis in our research made it possible to formulate the following conclusions. The first conclusion is that Russian-speaking and English-speaking economists assess the need for interdisciplinary synthesis in economic theory differently — the former consider it more necessary, especially in the face of modern global challenges. English-speaking economists are less radical in this regard and see the development of economics mostly as just an increase in interdisciplinary interactions. Another conclusion is that in English-language economic literature pluralism is a more pronounced trend in the development of modern economic science rather than the focus on synthesis.

БЛАЗИРОВАННОСТЬ СОВРЕМЕННОГО ЦИФРОВОГО ГОРОДА

The article provides an analysis of the category «blasé attitude»inferred by G.Simmel as a specific feature of the mental and social life of big cities. The study deals with the sources of the formation of blasé attitude and its key aspects as well as the transformation of the blasé attitude mechanism and the use in different «points»of social space, including in cyberenvironment. In addition, the «blasé attitude trap»is described, which is when the efforts expended in order to reduce nervous tension do not lead to the desired result and can even increase the intellectual load. The paper separately examines changes in the mechanism of blasé at-titude under lockdown and self-isolation of the population of big cities during the COVID-19 pandemic, characterized by the possibilities of using urban environment and its economic and socio-cultural infrastruc-ture being significantly reduced or requiring that a person literally let the space of the city into their own home. The latter leads to the search for ways of reducing the heterotopicity of space, to a focus on the pro-duction of counteracting factors and the use of available physical constraints. The examples considered in the paper show the transformation of not only everyday life but also the practices of maintaining the usual way of building relationships with Others in changing circumstances. The modern city is described through such categories as «flânerie»and «civil inattention», which, in combination with «blasé attitude», allow us to demonstrate the transformation of everyday practices of the inhabitants of a big city. Citizens seek to re-duce the risks of digitalization by finding ways to preserve the rules of the functioning of social systems and fix the boundaries of their operation, even if the boundaries are violated or it is impossible to separate them by time spent on daily movements. Blasé attitude is not only a mechanism for separating from some and creating a connection with others. It is the aspect of conscious acceptance that allows one to maintain a socially approved focus of attention in the performance of certain social roles.

Religious Identity in the System of Civilizational Values

The article defines religious identity. It is noted that this is a form of collective and individual self-awareness, built on the awareness of one’s belonging to a certain religion and forms an image of oneself and in the world with the help of relevant religious dogmas. It is the fixation of the subject’s identity in the sense of acquiring one’s own existential experience with the help of religion, with the subjective awareness of one’s belonging to one or another religious community. It is noted that historically religious identity was one of the first forms of identities. Rites, religious rituals, practices in ancient and traditional communities are important structural elements of the functioning of social systems. At the same time, other types of ethno-cultural identifications have come to the fore today. Attention is focused on four types of Orthodox identity, which manifest themselves in the public space and outside the institutional space, group, individual-personal and social-personal. The article also mentions the anthropological essence of religious identity. Modern Orthodox teaching about man, based on tradition of the Holy Scriptures, has three main components, in other words, three lines of development of the problem of man: the composition (structure) of man, the image and likeness of God in man, the purpose of man. it is also emphasized that religious identity is connected with the system of civilizational values. Any civilization arises on the basis of culture, and its core is values, primarily religious.

Explaining the forms of generation Z’s political engagement: A study on generation Z in Semarang, Indonesia

This study aimed to construct the form of political engagement and examine the differences in any political engagement in Generation Z based on age, gender, and scientific field. This study involved 600 Generation Z (300 male, 300 female) who were studying at Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indonesia. This study uses a mixed method consisting of qualitative grounded theory and quantitative comparison. Data collection uses open-ended questions, in depth interview, and a political engagement scale (16 items; = 0.862). The results show that the form of political engagement of Generation Z includes the cognitive type such as understanding and analyzing political conditions, and the behavior type such as voting, expressing opinions, and habituating socio-political values in daily life as good citizens. Forms of political involvement vary from individual to collective. Generation Z’s political perception cannot be separated from the results of social construction by online media and significant others. There are differences in the political engagement of Generation Z on age and scientific field. However, there is no difference in political engagement related to gender. This research has implications for the urgency of the functioning of social systems that ensure the exposure of reliable information and provide space for expression for Generation Z to be involved in the political arena.

We the swarm—Methodological, theoretical, and societal (r)evolutions in collective decision-making research

Collective decision-making constitutes a core function of social systems and is, therefore, a central tenet of collective intelligence research. From fish schools to human crowds, we start by interrogating ourselves about the very definition of collective decision-making and the scope of the scientific research that falls under it. We then summarize its history through the lenses of social choice theory and swarm intelligence and their accelerating collaboration over the past 20 or so years. Finally, we offer our perspective on the future of collective decision-making research in 3 mutually inclusive directions. We argue (1) that the possibility to collect data of a new nature, including fine-grain tracking information, virtual reality, and brain imaging inputs, will enable a direct link between plastic individual cognitive processes and the ontogeny of collective behaviors; (2) that current theoretical frameworks are not well suited to describe the long-term consequences of individual plasticity on collective decision-making processes and that, therefore, new formalisms are necessary; and finally (3) that applying the results of collective decision-making research to real-world situations will require the development of practical tools, the implementation of monitoring processes that respect civil liberties, and, possibly, government regulations of social interventions by public and private actors.

The role of libraries as a social institution in the transforming Russian society

The authors analyze the identified research and real-case publications on the critical problem: the libraries’ role as a social institution non-corresponding to the mission being conferred on them and its implementation. The purpose of the article is to actualize the problem related to the libraries’ role as a social institution and to attract attention of researchers in various domains, evoking interest to building professional competences in the specialists of social and cultural areas, including libraries. The authors suggest to develop management standards for the social institution of libraries to improve the quality of library services. The uniqueness of the study lies in the general analytical and comparative methods applied to existing standards, laws and conceptual documents for the institutions of culture. The researchers use competitive and systems methodological approaches. The empirical data of revealed sources are obtained through the methods of comparative analysis and systems analysis. The originality of the article is that the role of libraries is specified as a social institution going through transformation and intensive digitalization. The key functions of many social institutions (educational, cultural, families, etc.) are deflecting; their missions and roles are changing and being lost. On one hand, this is due to the chaos and inconsistency of transformation processes, and on the other hand, due to weakening control system and strengthening management system in business and economical processes. Today, despite the national programs, the problems of social systems affect economics, finances, ecology, etc.The current socioeconomic situation of transformation and intensive digitalization in every sphere of the Russian society, calls for regulated functions of social systems and their components. The analysis findings demonstrate that the libraries as a social institution have been losing their mission, while random and chaotic transformation processes result in imbalance and do harm. The social institutions depreciate the libraries’ implementing social functions which is evidenced by the analysis of legal and regulatory and conceptual acts in the cultural and social sphere. One of the solutions is to strengthen management of the libraries as a social institution and improving expertise of librarians.

The network approach as a methodology for the study of social conflicts and risks of modern civilization

The paper deals with the essence of the network approach. It is investigated specific of its application in situation of conflicts and risks of modern society. Network methodology is focused on clarifying horizontal, multifunctional, multi-channel relationships between actors. Conflicts are a factor of social risk that negatively effects on the functioning of social system. The study of their essence is a necessary condition for settlement of contradictions.

Мотивація як підґрунтя легітимації: антропологічний та психологічний, правовий та освітній підходи (філософська оцінка)

Motivation is a key factor in getting involved in education, as well as in other things. After all, the existence of objective prerequisites for education is only a necessary basis for its success, but the use of these conditions properly depends to a large extent on the adequate motivation of participants in the educational process. Therefore, proper motivation is a sufficient basis for making efforts to achieve a better result. However, efforts also need to be directed correctly: there is not enough to be passionate about, something must be done in a way that is acceptable to others and understandable to them. Therefore, motivation is inevitably more or less related to legitimacy, i.e. the provision of normative activities. For each case there is the best motivation for it and proper legitimacy. Motivation refers to the identification of basic values of a certain type of activity, legitimation requires a clear understanding and recognition of certain norms that are generally accepted in this activity. At different stages of adulthood, the motivation and legitimation of its activities alternately play a priority role, although both of them are more or less present at all stages of personality development. Therefore, both the excessive opposition of motivation and legitimacy and attempts to consider one as part of the other are wrong – these are relatively self-sufficient mechanisms to ensure the success of individual behavior. Motivation and legitimacy are closely linked to the individual's acceptance of certain obligations and responsibilities, which are the basis for the individual's acquisition of certain rights. Unsuccessful motivation and inappropriate legitimation of an individual's behavior is a sign of his unsuccessful socialization, which risks losing the connection of the individual with the main social institutions of society – especially with the state. In the case of their successful implementation, motivation and legitimacy are an important means of effective inclusion of the individual in the functioning of social systems, as well as – in the improvement and development of such functioning.

TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESOLVING NETWORK CONFLICTS

The study and understanding of modern technological processes, occurring in society, ambivalent nature leads to the need to clarify network processes. Social networks gradually become not only a theoretical construct, but also an empirical object included in the sphere of human daily life. Uncontrollability, anonymity, lack of unified value orientations and a strict system of control over the transmission of information, multi-channel, hypertextuality, and interactivity inherent in network interaction make it difficult to resolve conflicts. In order to reduce the level of acute contradictions, the main measures regulating people's activities within the information and communication space should be taken. The study of social capital as a basic phenomenon that determines the specifics of the network structures interaction is caused by the fact that this capital is a resource that has a direct impact on the quality of the network, its functioning and development. The mechanisms of its distribution are used to build attitudes, activities, and a model of people's behavior in network foundation. It acts as an information resource that affects the causes of conflict, the specifics of its unfolding, and the development of measures to resolve contradictions. The study of social capital allows us to clarify the features of network conflicts that consist in their anonymity, openness, sensory distancing, lack of sanctions and legal consequences for violation of social norms. Symbolic information space in this case acts as the main sphere of unfolding the confrontation. The importance of network conflict resolution establishes controlling over the conflict situation and developing measures to resolve it, searching for means and ways to achieve the desired result, and elaboration options for preventing the negative productivity of the problem, preventing the escalation of violence and destruction of the existing forms of social system functioning. It contributes to its transformation into more humane relationships of people to each other, interests and changes in life aspirations.

The Role of Social Logistics for the National, Economic and Social Security

Logistics continuously expands its application areas. In modern conditions, there is a need to apply logistics in areas not related to its traditional applications such as military and business spheres, resulting in the identification of a third area with the name social logistics. Social logistics aims to introduce a social (human) factor into the systems and to apply logistic principles and methods in solving the problems of society. Social logistics can be defined as a set of actions that ensure the effective functioning of social systems (such as a set of social phenomena, processes and subjects), applying the principles of logistics. For the purposes of this paper, a number of scientific approaches and methods have been applied, such as system approach, comparative analysis, critical analysis, synthesis and others. Social logistics plays an important role in national security, including economic and social security. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of social logistics in enhancing national security, including economic and social security.

Isabel Menzies-Lyth: Personal reflections

This is a personal account of being supervised by Isabel Menzies-Lyth (1917–2008) when the author was beginning a career as a counsellor for people with multiple sclerosis, when counselling itself was finding its place in society in the early 1980s. Isabel Menzies-Lyth was a sociologist born in Scotland, the only woman amongst those who founded the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. An analyst, herself analysed by Wilfred Bion, she is best remembered for a paper she published in 1959: ‘A case-study in the functioning of social systems as a defence against anxiety. A report on a study of the nursing service of a general hospital’ . This paper describes the huge debt owed to her by her supervisee.

«Being Together» in Pandemic Conditions: Social Cohesion Challenges of the Contemporary Ukrainian Society

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the Ukrainian society social cohesion challenges in the pandemic conditions of digitally mediated interactions. Based on the results of qualitative sociological research, as well as a secondary analysis of the results of other sociological studies and statistics data, the author explores the phenomenon of social cohesion in the unity of three social levels of its presence - macro, meso and micro. The study has shown the dialectical nature of social cohesion and the opposite tendencies of its reproduction at different social levels – inner circle, professional communities and society as a whole. In the macro-social perspective, the pandemic has become a «common challenge», intensifying social consolidation at the level of civil society institutions; on the other hand, it has created a new axis of social inequality, deepening local differences and awareness of the different degree of «protection» from crisis conditions. It is concluded that the digitally mediated everyday interactions, characterized by a lack of social actors' co-presence in space and time, contributes to the spread of systemic integration in those social systems for which it was previously uncharacteristic. This, in turn, leads to the «frozen» functioning of social systems. In contemporary digital age, social actors are increasingly beginning to experience «digital loneliness» due to the loss of coexistence in physical time and space and the weakening of binding social capital, making familiar identification patterns less stable and definite. The «shift» of the concentration of interactions from different social circles to the level of the inner circle – the family one sets a double scenario of its reproduction either as a space of cohesive values, the highest level of trust, participation and social security, or as an environment for everyday conflicts. The article emphasizes the urgency of further conceptualization of a new type of capital – digital, which in conditions of systemic integration of social systems «puts into action» the activation of other types of capital.

Empirical analysis of attitudes to new forms of employment in the pandemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in the functioning of social systems, including employment. This raises the need for a comprehensive study of the ongoing processes and forecasting their consequences. The subject of this article is the analysis of the remote form of employment scaled due to the 2020-2021 pandemic. The object of the study was the attitude of working Muscovites to the new form of employment. The use of qualitative and quantitative research methodology made it possible to clarify the ambiguity of remote work, to identify changes in the family and professional field that have occurred as a result of the transfer of labor functions to a remote format. The built-in indicators made it possible to assess the attitude towards distance employment, identify changes that have occurred between relatives and colleagues, assess the prospects for the further use of distance technologies, and speak out about the acceptability of remote work. The results showed that, in general, remote work as a new form of employment is accepted, and is considered by many as very convenient for the metropolitan metropolis in connection with significant savings in time and money spent on the road. Most have no plans to move from the metropolis while maintaining distance employment, since Moscow is labeled not only as a place of work and income, but also as a city of opportunities for leisure, development and life. The possibility of moving is considered only in connection with an increase in wages, career growth; in connection with personal and family reasons or with moving from Russia in general, as well as if the situation in small towns is favorable. The results presented in this article may be of interest to researchers dealing with the transformation of the labor market and employment, as well as to specialists from government bodies who are involved in the implementation of state employment policy and in the development system of urban agglomerations.

THE SYSTEM AS A SOCIO-CULTURAL PHENOMENON PHILOSOPHY OF MANAGEMENT

Introduction. The relevance of the article topic is due to the fact that we live in a systemic revolution of society, its political, economic and social subsystems. The deep nature of the phenomenon of the system is not fully understood, and traditional management methods are unable to cope with the growing complexity, dynamism and systems instability. Purpose and methods. The purpose of the article is a theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of the system in the context of the system paradigm of management philosophy as a meta science, which allows to significantly expand the horizons of the managers vision of public organizations in terms of increasing international interdependence. The methodological basis of the study is the dialectical principle of cognition, systemic, historical, philosophical approaches to the study of organizational phenomena and processes in society. Results. The history of system ideas development has been investigated. The existing methodological approaches to defining the essence of the phenomenon “system” have been analyzed. The essence, role and significance of the system philosophy of management, its key aspects and worldview paradigms have been revealed. A conceptual approach to the typology of social systems has been proposed. The basic principles of construction and functioning of social systems in the context of the system philosophy of effective management aimed at preserving the integrity and viability of systems have been substantiated. Conclusions. The scientific novelty of the research results is the deepening of theoretical positions on the system and system philosophy of management, the holistic view development of this complex organizational and philosophical problem and substantiation of approaches to solving its ontological, epistemological and value-semantic aspects. The practical significance of the obtained results is manifested in the possibility of their use in the management of social systems and in supplementing the general theory of systems and philosophy of management with new provisions on systemic as the basis of the modern concept in management

MULTILATERALITY OF UKRAINE'S SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM

Introduction. Ensuring social security at the level of an individual, society or state is a central concept of activity of all branches of government in Ukraine, as it is a guarantee of public perception of the activities of public institutions and successful implementation of reforms. The lack of stability in Ukrainian society is particularly relevant to the task of ensuring multi-level social security and encourages the deepening and development of organizational and managerial principles of its regulation. Methods. The dialectical method of scientific cognition, complex, systematic, logical approaches, as well as a sociological survey were used to identify the state, problems and directions of providing social security, the sample size of which was 2515 respondents in 110 settlements of Ukraine, statistical error (probability 0,95, design effect 1,5) did not exceed 3,2% for metrics close to 50% and not less than 0,7% for metrics close to 1% and 99%. Results. Based on the hierarchy of the construction and functioning of social systems, there is reason to argue that the social security system is a complex multilevel system, which is formed and operates in the plane of objective and subjective processes from the influence of many factors of internal and external origin. A high level of social security is achieved by creating favourable conditions for ensuring a sufficient standard of living for the population and is characterized by the size of real incomes and the volume of economic benefits. Social security management is a purposeful activity of social security entities that develop and implement governmental, regulatory, coordinating, controlling, regulatory and organizational-managerial influences on social security objects for the purpose of forecasting, timely detection, prevention and neutralizing threats. Discussion. Further research should be carried out in the direction of developing the scientific basis of state regulation of social security, aimed at timely response to and elimination of social threats, formation of targeted mechanisms for achieving social security, coordination and interaction of authorities. Keywords: social progress, public administration, social security system, national security, social risks, social and economic interests.

Actual Problems of Modeling Social Systems in the Digital Economy

In the scientific and production sphere, components of robotics and sensors, wireless communication technologies, virtual and augmented reality technologies, quantum technologies, neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence, distributed registry systems, new production technologies, industrial Internet are being introduced. Russia has created an infrastructure of science and innovation represented by various development institutions, business incubators, technology parks, which is planned to be used for the development of the digital economy. In the context of globalization, digital technologies are able to perform an important function of the social integration of mankind into a single metasystem, which is possible only with a certain degree of openness of social systems in relation to each other. Being artificially isolated from the external environment, the social system behaves according to the laws of physical systems in thermodynamics: the dissipation (dispersion) of energy is accompanied by an increase in entropy (disorder) in the system. The absence of feedbacks within the system and in relation to the external environment deprives the source of additional energy, leads to the wear, simplification, disorganization of the system. The article analyzes the factors affecting functioning of social systems, features and prospects of their development in the conditions of the digital economy. The author considers some parameters characterizing society as a social system.

Accessibility of Education in Conditions of Health Crisis

The priority objective of the authorities in the context of the current health crisis is to maintain a balance between protecting the health of the population and the functioning of social systems as close as possible to normal. Regarding the educational system, the closure of educational institutions or the conduct of classes in an alternative or "hybrid" manner (some students will be physically present in classrooms and another will be online for certain periods of time) are measures by which it is protected. the health of students and teachers and which are part of the "normalization" of the functionality of the system. In this paper we intend to analyze some of the challenges that the education system must respond. The data we will use in this material from national and international research and INS and Eurostat data.

ПРОБЛЕМА ПОЛІТИЧНОГО ПРОСТОРУ В НАУКОВІЙ ПАРАДИГМІ СУЧАСНОСТІ

Розглянуто основні проблеми концептуалізації та необхідності переосмислення розуміння політичного простору в умовах сучасних трансформаційних процесів. Політичний простір показано як одну з проекцій політики на відносини, які складаються між різними суб’єктами з приводу розподілу влади. При цьому політичний простір виступає регулятором відносин груп та індивідів, областю взаємодій груп інтересів на перетині «горизонтальних» і «вертикальних» відносин. Він являє собою відкриту і нестійку систему, на функціонування якої великий вплив здійснюють зовнішні фактори.

РЕКЛАМНЫЕ КОММУНИКАЦИИ В СИСТЕМЕ ГЛОБАЛЬНЫХ КУЛЬТУРНЫХ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЙ И СОЦИАЛЬНЫХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ

Цель. Статья посвящена анализу рекламных коммуникаций на современном этапе развития общества, которые представляют собой уникальное явление, модернизирующееся и трансформирующиеся под воздействием новых экономических, политических, социокультурных и технических условий.Предметом анализа выступают рекламные коммуникации как инструмент социальных технологий в глобализирующемся пространстве современного мира. Цель работы состоит в осуществлении философского анализа рекламных коммуникаций в системе глобальных культурных трансформаций.Метод или методология проведения работы. Анализ заявленной проблемы выполнен на основе структурно-функционального, социально-психологического, аксиологического и социокультурного подходов в контексте современной культурной ситуации.Результаты. В статье анализируются рекламные коммуникации как оказывающие существенную поддержку в плане демонстрации и укрепления норм, ценностей в обществе в целях функционирования социальной системы. Рекламные коммуникации играют роль инструмента убеждения, и могут воздействовать, как на сами ценности, так и на общий уклад жизни. Они могут оказывать, как позитивное, так и негативное влияние, обладать, как экономическим, так социальным и культурным предназначением. В статье показано, что рекламные коммуникации – это существенный феномен социального характера, который играет важнейшую роль в глобальных культурных трансформациях, и как мы видим, успешно используется как инструмент социальных технологий. Этому процессу в большей степени способствовали культурные трансформации, произошедшие в ХХ и происходящие в ХХI веках.Область применения результатов. Практическая значимость исследования состоит в возможности использования материалов для разработки теоретического и прикладного характера как для создателей рекламной продукции, так и ее потребителей. Кроме того, они могут быть использованы для разработки и преподавания в высших учебных заведениях дисциплины «Философия рекламы» и других дисциплин, связанных с рассмотрением рекламных коммуникаций.