DESIGNING THE FUTURE IN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES OF RUSSIAN YOUTH

Представленная статья реализует попытку авторов осмыслить на основе деятельностно-активистского подхода конструирование будущего в образовательных стратегиях российской молодежи. На базе концептуального социально-эмпирического анализа авторы статьи приходят к выводу о том, что большинство молодых россиян разделяют позиции адаптивности, актуализма в качестве выбора образовательной стратегии. Это определяется факторами объективного и субъективного характера, где объективизация социальных условий выступает влияющей на субъективный выбор молодежи. Отмечая значимость социальной и территориальной дифференциации, авторы статьи обосновывают положение о конструировании будущего, о формировании образов жизни и набора жизненных целей российской молодежи как возможности ухода от ограниченности прагматического поворота в образовании. В качестве заключительного суждения определяется взаимосвязь между ориентацией на квалифицированную деятельность и конфигурацию ответов на изменения в образовательной системе. Делается вывод о том, что в отечественной социально-гуманитарной науке назрела необходимость осмысления образовательных стратегий российской молодежи как способности российской молодежи конструировать образ будущего с учетом нарастания влияния социальных инноваций. The presented paper implements the authors' attempt to understand, on the basis of an activist approach, the design of the future in the educational strategies of Russian youth. Based on a conceptual socio-empirical analysis, the authors of the publication conclude that most young Russians share the positions of adaptability, actualism as a choice of educational strategy. This is determined by factors of an objective and subjective nature, where the objectification of social conditions acts as an influence on the subjective choice of youth. Noting the importance of social and territorial differentiation, the authors of the paper substantiate the provision on the design of the future, on the formation of lifestyles and a set of life goals of Russian youth as an opportunity to escape the limited pragmatic turn in education. As a final judgment, the relationship between the orientation to skilled activities and the configuration of responses to changes in the educational system is determined. It is concluded that in domestic social science and humanities there is a need to understand the educational strategies of Russian youth as the ability of Russian youth to design the image of the future, taking into account the growing influence of social innovations.

Socio-geographic analysis of the demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast: current condition and peculiarities of development

The article contains analysis of the current demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast. We determined causes and factors influencing the development of the demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast. The paper reveals the specifics of development of the demographic processes in Vinnytsia Oblast according to the data of the Main Statistic Service in Vinnytsia Oblast for the period from 1959 to January 1, 2020. We determined how the totals of the urban and rural populations have changed. Based on the analysis of statistical and literature sources, we researched the specifics of natural movement of population, its sex and age structure, migration, distribution of the employed population and unemployment rate. We provide characteristics of specifics of the territorial differentiation of parameters of birth, death rates, natural increment (decline), migration, sex and age structure in Vinnytsia Oblast. We analyzed the specifics of employment of population in Vinnytsia Oblast, levels of economic activity and unemployment. We etermined modern tendencies of natural movement of the population, its impact on the prospects of further changes. We found out the problems of current demographic development in Vinnytsia Oblast based on determining modern specifics of the demographic parameters of the population in the researched area. The paper suggests ways to improve the demographic situation in Vinnytsia Oblast in the immediate future. As a result of the research, the demographic situation in Vinnytsia oblast was found to be negative. We observed a number of negative tendencies and patterns, including decrease in the rural population; decrease in the birth rate in the period from 1995 to 2020; high death rates due to diseases of blood circulation and malignant tumors; high parameters of aging of the population, especially in rural areas; decrease in the number of the employable population in the Oblast, etc.

Public-private partnerships in US innovation

Introduction. The subject of the research is public-private partnership (PPP), which contributes, through funding and incentives, to the spatial development of innovation in the United States. As an economic phenomenon, PPP is seen as an effective mechanism for integrating investors, business (primarily venture capital) and the state aimed at implementing the innovation process at the meso-spatial level – states and regions (subregions) of the United States – within the framework of regional innovation systems (RIS), contributing to territorial differentiation. Theoretical analysis reveals the factors and mechanisms of public-private interaction in the space of the corresponding RIS states and sub-regions of the country, characterized by the institutional and functional role of American forms of PPP in the implementation of innovative projects at the regional level. A hypothesis is formulated about the heterogeneity and unevenness of the united innovation space in the United States, one of the foundations of which is the differential nature of state financing of innovation activities at the regional level. Empirical analysis. A correlation is shown between indicative indicators reflecting the level of innovative potential and characterizing the innovative activity of the RIS of the states and subregions of the United States as a whole, on the one hand, and the degree of development of the innovative potential of PPP within the RIS of the corresponding territory, on the other hand. The carried out typological grouping of RIS states based on the lognormal distribution reflects the statistical commonality of the analyzed indicators. Results. Based on the available values of the indices characterizing the innovation activity of the RIS of specific states and subregions of the United States, as well as the calculation of integral indicators that make it possible to assess the interaction of PPP subjects, which are at the same time the institutional and functional elements of the corresponding RIS, a hypothetical statement about the unevenness of the US innovative development has been confirmed. In this case, the territorial differentiation of innovation in the United States and its impact on the spatial aspect of the development of an innovative economy, and, consequently, on economic growth, is determined by the intensity of the use of innovative potential by forms of PPP, which involves proactive financing and stimulation of innovative business projects at the expense of budgetary funds in the RIS of specific groups of states and sub-regions of the United States.

A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Care Arrangements of Older People with Limited Physical Abilities Living Alone in Italy

Older people with limited physical abilities, who live alone without cohabiting family members, need support ageing in place and to perform daily living activities. In this respect, both the available informal and formal care seem crucial. The present study aimed to explore the current role of the care arrangements of older people, especially if they have functional limitations. Qualitative interviews were carried out in 2019 within the “Inclusive ageing in place” (IN-AGE) research project, involving 120 older people who lived at home, alone, or with a private personal care assistant (PCA) in three Italian regions (Lombardy, Marche, and Calabria). A mixed-methods analysis was conducted. Results showed that support networks are still mainly made up of family members, but also of domestic home help (DHH) and PCAs, friends/neighbours, and public services, albeit the latter provide support in a residual way, while the former is not as intensive as it was in the past. Frequency and geographical/living proximity of help play a role, emerging also as a territorial differentiation. The paucity or absence of support, especially from the family, risks compromising the ability of ageing in place. It seems, thus, necessary to innovate and improve, in particular, home services, also through real formal and informal care integration.

The Quality of Local Institutions: The Case of Poland

There is a growing consensus within both policy and academic circles, including various schools of political, legal, and economic thought, that institutions matter and that the quality of institutions and governments makes an important difference for economic development. However, while the institutional literature has extensively discussed different types of institutions and their importance, only a few quantitative measures of formal institutions and their quality are available. What is more, most analyses referring to the quality of public institutions concern the national or regional level and the issue at the local level is relatively understudied. The purpose of the article is to fill this gap in two ways. The first one is to identify territorial differentiation of the quality of public institutions at the local level in Poland; the second one, to explain the reasons of the differentiation of institutional capacities in the context of historical, cultural, and social factors. The research has shown that the quality of public institutions is highly related to historical circumstances. However, although their impact is strong, the historical conditions are definitely not the only factor influencing local institutional capital in Poland, as they appear to be deeply affected also by the level of urbanization and the degree of human capital.

Smart Technologies As a Tool for Development of Personal Pension Protection of Population

The need to provide pension protection for the population of Russia is one of the priority tasks of the state’s social policy. However, the current situation connected with the territorial differentiation of retirement benefits creates conditions for finding new opportunities to provide the population with access to pension products that will allow them to ensure their pension protection. The importance of the issue determined the purpose of this paper which is to study the specifics of investment into personal pension protection of Russian citizens, as well as the peculiarities of smart technologies use during this process. The research methodology is based on the methods of systems analysis and synthesis, as well as on general research methods like induction and deduction. Methods of statistical and graphical analysis were used to process the empirical material. In order to study the involvement of the population in the investment into personal pension protection and the use of smart technologies in the financial sector, the method of sociological surveys and expert opinion was applied. Relying on the essential parameters of the Russian system of pension protection and the digital technologies used in the process of implementing the personal pension scheme funds of Russian citizens, the authors have identified and analyzed the following parameters: 1) specific features of the Russian system of pension protection for general public in Russia; 2) peculiarities of the financial behavior and financial preferences of Russians in the formation of personal pension protection; 3) key problems that deter people from the use of pension schemes in an expanded format; 4) suggested service of existing digital technologies in the pension system and the prospects for its development. The method suggested by the authors for the solution of the issues mentioned above involves taking into account the real needs of the public for the access to pension products by means of digital technologies based on the suggested service. The set of options suggested by the authors will contribute to the most efficient investment into pension protection of the general public and improve the standard of living of the population in the future.

Territorial differentiation of public sentiment in modern Georgia (the experience of sociological survey)

В конце октября 2020 г. в Грузии состоялись парламентские выборы. Стартовал очередной электоральный цикл. Что принесёт он в плане взаимоотношений России и Грузии? После окончания избирательной кампании был проведён социологический опрос среди жителей соседнего государства с целью выяснения их отношения к России, её потенциального влияния на избирательную кампанию, возможных путей развития взаимосвязей двух государств. Опираясь на результаты анкетирования, автор исследует наличие территориальной дифференциации общественного мнения по данным вопросам. Возможно ли выявить «эффект соседства» по отношению к России? Исследование является составной частью большого многолетнего проекта по изучению вероятной трансформации электорального поведения жителей пограничных с Россией государств. Автор приходит к выводу, что, несмотря на довольно серьезные политические противоречия между двумя государствами, существует большой потенциал добрососедских отношений, выражающийся в преобладающем позитивном общественном мнении по отношению к соседнему государству. Приграничные с Россией регионы Грузии не проявляют какой-либо особой лояльности. В работе также выявлены территориальные различия в общественном мнении по линии Север - Юг, которые требуют дополнительного исследования. At the end of October 2020, parliamentary elections took place in Georgia. Another electoral cycle has started. What will it bring in terms of bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia? After the end of the election campaign, a sociological survey was conducted among residents of the neighboring state in order to clarify their attitude towards Russia, its potential impact on the election campaign, and possible ways of developing relations between the two states. Based on the results of the survey, the author finds out whether there is a territorial differentiation of public opinion on these issues. Is it possible to identify the "neighborhood effect" in relation to Russia? The research paper is an integral part of a large multi-year project, which studies the probable transformation of the electoral behavior of residents of the states bordering Russia. The author comes to the conclusion that despite the existing considerable political contradictions between the two states, there is a great potential for good neighborhood relations, expressed in the prevailing positive public opinion regarding the neighboring state. The regions of Georgia bordering Russia do not demonstrates any particular loyalty. It was possible to identify territorial differences in public opinion along the North-South line, which require additional research.

Health Care Resources and 24,910 Deaths Due to Traffic Accidents: An Ecological Mortality Study in Poland

Background: Deaths due to traffic accidents are preventable and the access to health care is an important determinant of traffic accident case fatality. This study aimed to assess the relation between mortality due to traffic accidents and health care resources (HCR), at the population level, in 66 sub-regions of Poland. Methods: An area-based HCR index was delivered from the rates of physicians, nurses, and hospital beds. Associations between mortality from traffic accidents and the HCR index were tested using multivariate Poisson regression models. Results: In the sub-regions studied, the average mortality from traffic accidents was 11.7 in 2010 and 9.3/100.000 in 2015. After adjusting for sex, age and over time trends in mortality, out-of-hospital deaths were more frequently compared to hospitalized fatal cases (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.68, 95% CI 1.45–1.93). Compared to sub-regions with high HCR, mortality from traffic accidents was higher in sub-regions with low and moderate HCR (IRR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.11–1.42 and IRR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.02–1.38, respectively), which reflected the differences in out-of-hospital mortality most pronounced in car accidents. Conclusions: Poor HCR is an important factor that explains the territorial differentiation of mortality due to traffic accidents in Poland. The high percentage of out-of-hospital deaths indicates the importance of preventive measures and the need for improvement in access to health care to reduce mortality due to traffic accidents.

Electoral Behavior of Voters in Ukraine in Crisis Times

The article contains an analysis of the impact of the crisis situation on the electoral behavior during the national elections in Ukraine. For this purpose, the study highlights the pre-crisis, crisis and postcrisis periods. The criteria for a comparative analysis of the electoral behaviour during these periods are the peculiarities of territorial differentiation of voting and the degree of support for election participants, as well as the specifics of the turnout in the regions of Ukraine. It has been revealed that with the transition from one period to another there has been a transformation of the electoral behaviour of voters. The pre-crisis period was characterized by a significant electoral split in Ukraine between pro-Russian and pro-Western forces. The sharp decline in voter turnout in the South-East of the country during the crisis period led to a significant fall in the influence of the pro-Russian forces. In the western regions of Ukraine, on the contrary, during this period there was an increase in voter activity, which determined the emergence of new relevant political forces of a pro-Western nature. In the post-crisis period, turnout rates generally returned to pre-crisis levels. However, this did not lead to a full restoration of the electoral division of the country due to the geographically homogeneous support of V.A. Zelensky and his party «Servant of the People». A forecast is made, including three scenarios of transformation of the political system of Ukraine taking into account possible changes in the electoral behavior of voters.