Economic, environmental and social assessment of the competitiveness of the regions of Belarus from the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals

The author’s methodology for assessing the competitiveness of the regions of the Republic of Belar­us by economic, environmental, social blocks, taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals, is presented. The novelty lies in the complex determination of the competitiveness of the regions, reflecting the economic, environmental and social situation. Indicators are proposed for calculating the integral index and rating assessment of the level of competitiveness in the context of three blocks, not only for the analyzed regions, but also for the republic, taking into account the influence of external and internal factors in order to ensure sustainable development.

Humanitarian Contexts of Technical Education in Russia

The article deals with the problem of formation of social and humanitarian competen[1]cies in Russian engineering education. The author shows how different views on the relationship between man and machine, as well as between society and the technosphere, were translated into various public initiatives and analyzes the impact of these initiatives on the evolution of approaches to engineering education. Special attention is paid to the promotion of the ideology of design think[1]ing and the movement for the humanitarization of engineering education. Both gained a consider[1]able popularity in the last quarter of the twentieth century. However, in modern conditions, the relationship between technological progress and the development of human society is taking on new forms that require new answers. There are also new risks – in particular, the risk of complete de[1]humanization of technological progress and the unclear prospect of the formation of a so-called post-human civilization. Social assessment of technology and the development of value-based tech[1]nologies are possible answers. They have received a very significant support in the United States and Western Europe. In particular, several European conferences on this topic have already been held within the EU (the latest one took place in Bratislava in 2019). However, due to some features of the Russian intellectual tradition, as well as the pronounced techno-optimism of mass consciousness, the Russian academic environment has not yet shown sufficient interest to implant these approaches in technical education. The possibility of managing the current technological progress on the basis of a dialogue with civil society, which is popular in the European Union, is also not considered in Russian intellectual environments. At the same time, the leading technical universities in Russia are gradually developing a network of enthusiasts who are studying the European practice of social assessment of technology and its adaptation to Russian conditions. Such adapted practices may become the con[1]ceptual guidelines for Russian engineering education.

A mixed methods approach to the social assessment of transport infrastructure projects

In this paper, we propose a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative approach to capture fully the measurable and less tangible social impacts of transport projects on local people and communities. The approach was used to assess the potential social impacts of a strategic road by-pass project case study in a deprived region of Wales in the UK. The project specifically aimed to stimulate local economic growth and regeneration in the local areas it serves. In a ‘before and after’ case study, we combined fine-grained, GIS-based spatial analysis of secondary datasets with qualitative participative exercises with the local residents of the five communities living adjacent to the road, and interviews with professional local stakeholders. This mixed methods approach significantly enhanced understanding of both the social benefits and disbenefits of the road project. It helped to reveal local concerns that would not otherwise have been apparent from secondary dataset analysis alone. The qualitative studies were also successful in bringing to the table new ‘hard to reach’ voices that had not been heard through the formal consultation and public engagement process. The study revealed that the social benefits accruing to local people from the project could have been significantly enhanced, whilst a number of its locally occurring negative social impacts could have been avoided had social assessment been employed earlier in the decision processes concerning its routing and design. Recommendations to improve the practice and uptake of social assessments at the option appraisal, project design mitigation and post evaluation stages of transport projects are included in the paper.

Social Assessment and Resettlement Policies and Practice in China: Contributions by Michael M Cernea to Development in China

We are very pleased to contribute to this volume to express our appreciation for the collaboration with the community of social scientists, sociologists and anthropologists, working at the World Bank. Chinese social scientists joined forces with them on essential activities: development projects, research programs, academic conferences, training courses, and joint books. One of us, Guoqing Shi, has participated in the international symposium in Bieberstein, Germany, where this volume has originated.

SOCIAL CAUSALITY, FOUNDATIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINALIZATION OF THE CREATION OF A TERRORIST COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATION IN IT

The article is devoted to the analysis, theoretical substantiation of the establishment of criminal responsibility for acts related to the creation and participation in a terrorist community, as well as an analysis of the social causality of the criminalization of a terrorist community creation and participation in it. The article reveals the purpose and grounds for the criminalization of this activity. The author has paid special attention to the principles of criminalization and their compliance with the decision of the legislator to establish criminal liability for the creation of a terrorist community and participation in it. Attention is paid to the public danger of creating a terrorist community and participation in it, on which the social assessment of criminal acts is based.

Preferred Internet Content and Social Anxiety as Drivers of Internet Addiction in Teens and Students

The article presents the results of studying the connection between Internet addiction and social anxiety and the preferred types of Internet content among adolescents and young people studying in schools and universities. The sample consisted of 72 high school students of a secondary comprehensive school in Moscow aged 15 to 17 years (M=16), including 36 boys and 36 girls, as well as 72 junior students of Moscow universities aged 18 to 20 years old (M=19), of which 36 were boys and 36 were girls. The methodological complex included an Internet Addiction Test (K. Young), the original author's questionnaire of preferred Internet content, Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS, Watson, Friend, 1969), Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE, Leary, 1983). It was revealed that the indicators of Internet addiction at the tendency level are higher in adolescents compared to students. Of the three components of social anxiety (social avoidance, social distress and fear of negative social assessment), only the indicator of fear of negative social assessment has a significant positive effect on the growth of indicators of Internet addiction in the combined group of respondents. The preference for content related to communication and self-presentation also has a significant impact on the growth of Internet addiction rates. Being overly concerned with other people's evaluations, seeking their approval, and focusing on self-presentation and social media communication all contribute to Internet addiction (increased time spent on the Internet, loss of control over it, as well as cognitive preoccupation with what is happening on the Internet).