2023. N 20

History of Sociology

Sociology of the city / Man and environment

Environmental Policy of China and Russia: first steps towards the formation of anti-risk national behavior

Environmental problems around the world often turn out to be technogenic and social challenges. Russia and China are among the countries where these problems are extremely acute, as evidenced by the positions of both ones in international ratings. The authors compares the directions implemented by these countries in the field of environmental policy. The main task is to maintain a balance of interests of all its subjects and develop anti-risk national behavior in most countries of the world. As a methodological basis for analyzing the achievements of Chinese and Russian environmental policy, the theory of environmental modernization is used, which allows to evaluate systematically innovations that determine the social component in each country, designating the main as change in the consciousness of each person. The analysis showed that both countries are on the transition to a qualitatively new stage: the transformation of consumer behavior into a “responsible” one that meets the requirements of world environmental policy. But they have not yet been able to achieve the indicators of international ratings of developed countries. Although, on the whole, in terms of “natural” indicators, Russia’s place is slightly higher than China’s, but all indicators are below the average level. Environmental concerns have become part of national policies in both countries, as evidenced by noticeable positive developments in environmental performance. However, the observed passivity from the side of public control predetermines the lack of success in both countries, preventing their governments from fully realizing their potential. The severity of the problem urgently requires the inclusion of government agencies, enterprises, charitable organizations and each person.

 

Digital Inequality in Urban Space of St. Petersburg

The problem of digital inequality is observed in this research. Inequality is represented in online services usage by St. Petersburg residents. The existence theoretical base in the field of digital inequality is described, based on theoretical information there were proposed hypothesis. In order to test hypothesis, the regression analysis of the survey data was conducted. The results have shown that in St. Petersburg, instead of leading position in digitalization, there are problems which are the obstacles of intensive digital development. So, the most vulnerable group, that has problems with Internet access, awareness, trust, skills and benefits is older generation. According to the results, the recommendations for St. Petersburg regional authorities were developed. The importance of decision problems is ensuring equal access to digital amenities for residents through the digital adaptation policy.

 

Children, Family and Society

Reception of the Experience of the NWFD Regions in Providing Housing for Persons from the Category of Orphans (St. Petersburg’ case)

Social policy in any country is an integral part of public administration. The most important tasks of the social policy of the Russian Federation are the social protection of citizens, the provision of assistance to those in need. Some of those who belong to the category of “needy” are persons among orphans and children left without parental care. This paper describes the experience in regions of the North-Western Federal District on providing housing for orphans and children left without parental care. The conducted empirical research made it possible to identify the main problems in the implementation of social measures to provide housing for orphans (on the example of St. Petersburg). The system of introducing housing certificates in the Kaliningrad region was also analyzed, in which such a practice of providing housing is already functioning as a pilot project. Data analysis has showed the modern system of providing housing for orphans and children left without parental care in the Russian regions should be modified.

 

Sociology of Culture

What is a Meme Made of? Sociocultural Codes and Structural Principles of Organization

Article is devoted to the analysis of visual Internet memes in terms of their ability to encode information. Author identifies two levels of encoding information in a meme: the macro level, where the meme is an element of Internet culture, meme is the bearer of the socio-cultural code, meme encodes meanings; and the micro level, where the meme appears as a coded information object with an internal structure of elements and links, the meme itself is a code system. At the level of the sociocode, the author highlights the range of cultural codes incorporated into the meme. At the structural level, a meme consists of a core and periphery elements. At the level of the sociocode, the author highlights the range of cultural codes incorporated into the meme. At the structural level, a meme consists of a core and periphery elements. Changes in the relationship between the core and the periphery implement the principles of “continuity” and “variability” characteristic of memes. The transfer of the core of the meme to another context, the collision of two or more cores creates the basis for a new meme.

 

Sociology of Health

Organizers and Historians of Soviet Health Care on the Problems of Their Field in 1960s-1980s

Health care in the USSR has been actively developing since about the end of the 1920s and until the beginning of the 1970s, when, on the one hand, the requirements, standards, and needs for the “services” of the health care system greatly increased, and, on the other hand, an inertial model of development was allowed not intensive, as in developed countries, but extensive — building up purely quantitative indicators of the industry, with a dangerous weakening of attention to preventive tasks, medical examinations, health education, etc. The article describes the features of the organization of health care in the USSR in the 1960s-1980s. based on statistical data and special literature 1957-2018 on the history of medicine and health care organization.

 

Scientific Life

What are the Possibilities of Sociology in the Face of (not)New Challenges? Review of the Conference: “Russian Scientific Seminar «(Not)New Challenges and Opportunities of Sociology»”

The paper presents an overview of the Russian scientific seminar “(Not)new challenges and opportunities of sociology”, which took place on April 24-25 of 2023 year at the SI RAS branch of the FNISC RAS on the initiative of the editorial board of the scientific journal “Petersburg Sociology Today”. Nine sections worked within the framework of the seminar, at the sites of which scientific reports of scientists from St. Petersburg and Moscow, Samara and Rostov-on-Don, Pyongyang and Volgograd were presented. During the seminar it was possible to discuss the problems of accelerating social dynamics, the importance and possibilities of sociology for society, as well as channels for the dissemination of sociological knowledge in the focus of research on citizens and urban communities, family and marriage, employment and labor market, social inequalities in health and aging, self-organization and collective action in the face of (not)new challenges.

 

How the Population is Changing and What is the Human Potential. Review: “V International Scientific and Practical Conference «Social Dynamics of the Population and Human Potential»”

The V International Scientific and Practical Conference “Social dynamics of the population and human potential”, held on June 22-23, 2023, was devoted to topical social issues in the study of human potential, including demographic potential, family and health potential. The initiator of the discussion of topical issues of population development and social behavior was the Researcher, Institute of Socio-Economic Problems of Population of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. The event was supported by the Department of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Sociology of the Family and Demography of the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov. Reports at the plenary session, five sections and the round table were presented by researchers from almost all Russian regions from Kamchatka to Karelia and guests from the Republic of Belarus, China, Italy, Madagascar and Congo.