Justice and inequality in the household consumption in Russia and China: A comparative analysis

The authors conducted a comparative analysis of the household consumption in Russia and China on the basis of the reputable empirical information sources. The article focuses on the main trends and peculiarities in how households from each country differed in terms of the structure and level of consumption under dramatic transformations associated with market reforms. Inequality in consumption in Russia and China, which can be characterized as high or excessive, largely determines the overall situation with social inequality and significantly influences the development of state social policy in various fields. As for the most differentiating items of expenditure for both countries, those are groceries, durable goods, public utility payments, cultural activities and entertainment. After noting the effect that income has on consumption, which is undeniable, though differs in nature and degree, the authors focus on other factors of this type of inequality, in particular, on the territorial, regional and settlement-specific characteristics of consumption inequality in both countries. The authors argue that in Russia, there is significant regional inequality in consumption, while in China such inequality is more settlement-specific; there are also differences in consumption inequality between urban and rural areas, which contribute to the overall situation with social inequality. In China, urban household expenditures are growing much faster than those of rural households, while in Russia the difference is not that pronounced. That said, the share of spending on groceries in the structure of expenditures is decreasing more rapidly in urban China, and compared to Russia, there is a smaller gap between urban and rural areas. At the same time in China, consumption inequality as a result of age and class differences is a much more acute issue, while in Russia, the differences caused by intensifying economic stratification seem to be a more important factor of inequality.

Depicting the Prototype Change in Rural Consumer Behaviour: An Empirical Survey on Online Purchase Intention

E-commerce is an undeniable growth opportunity. The infrastructure of e-commerce has been successful in making their system resilience in this age of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). Besides during the time of pandemic, e-commerce have accomplished in meeting the demand of the consumers crossing various obstacles and scarcity of resource across the colours of socio-economic stratification of India. A detailed investigation of social, cultural, behavioural norms along with effect of socio-cultural regions has been investigated to strengthen the research. The method of cluster analysis has been used to segment the consumers into homogeneous subsets. The implied findings of this research will help the digital entrepreneurs to know their target consumers. Through cluster analysis, six clusters have been identified and they are named as, (a) Advanced changers; (b) Price sensitive; (c) Enthusiasts; (d) Realistic and logical; (e) Conservatives; (f) Unconcerned. The outcomes of this research can help the strategy managers and intrapreneurs to make informed decisions. This study can be of value addition for startups, digital entrepreneurs to start their own business through online shopping portals. The extracted results can help the marketing managers to know about the specific attributes of the consumers of rural areas which will lead to framing strategy according to market design, market space and marketplace.

Development of public administration tools for academic mobility of youth in the general environment of population migration in the period of globalization of innovative business structures

Молодежь как класс студенчества определяется тем, что готово не только к формированию инновационного мышления, но также и к изменению своего места пребывания, которое изменяется соответственно задачам, которые молодежь ставить перед собой в процессе изучения отдельных дисциплин, а также при формировании своей жизненной стратегии. Актуальность исследования определяется тем, что построение выбранной образовательной траектории определяется готовностью к получению образования определенной ступени и смене специализации при необходимости изучения более новых дисциплин и формирования знаний. Новизна исследования определяется тем, что мобильность студентов академического толка определяется не только сопутствующим набором получаемых данных, но также и влиянием на миграционные потоки. Следствием подобных миграционных потоков могут быть смещения социального капитала общества в целом. Авторы показывают, что формирование академической мобильности имеет прямую корреляционную связь и способствует достижению условий личностного развития студентов. Практическая значимость исследования определяется тем, что студенческая мобильность позволяет расширить возможности кросскультурного обмена и определить потенциальные направления глобализации общества. Авторы определяют, что возможность прогнозирования изученного явления даст дополнительный стимул экономической стратификации общества. Youth as a class of students is determined by the fact that they are ready not only to form innovative thinking, but also to change their place of residence, which changes accordingly to the tasks that young people set for themselves in the process of studying individual disciplines, as well as in the formation of their life strategy. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that the construction of the chosen educational trajectory is determined by the readiness to receive education at a certain stage and change specialization if necessary to study newer disciplines and knowledge formation. The novelty of the study is determined by the fact that the mobility of academic students is determined not only by the accompanying set of data obtained, but also by the impact on migration flows. The consequence of such migration flows may be the displacement of the social capital of society as a whole. The authors show that the formation of academic mobility has a direct correlation and contributes to the achievement of conditions for the personal development of students. The practical significance of the study is determined by the fact that student mobility allows to expand the possibilities of cross-cultural exchange and identify potential directions of globalization of society. The authors determine that the possibility of forecasting the studied phenomenon will give an additional incentive to the economic stratification of society.

AN ANALYSIS OF LEAKAGE AND INJECTION OF HOUSEHOLDS RELATED TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND MOBILITY IN SELECTED DISTRICTS OF CENTRAL PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Purpose of the study: This study deals with leakages and injections of households due to socio-economic opportunities and mobility in Central Punjab, Pakistan. During the past few decades, researchers have been trying to analyze the changes caused by mobility in the socio-economic stratification of society over time. Methodology: For analysis purposes, the study uses primary data collected from the three selected districts of Central Punjab. The study used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for calculating the Socio-economic Status Index (SESI) by assigning the weights to indicators. The sample size is taken from 370 respondents by interviews. The sample size has been determined based on the population of each district, such as rural and urban. Main Findings: The results show that both creeper and struggling strata experience low mobility because households consider their basic needs highly important. The size of both low strata decreases due to leakages of households; while, the size of other strata increases due to the injection of households from low strata. The logistic regression results show the substantial contribution of both education and occupation in improving the socio-economic status of the households. Applications of this study: This study can provide guidelines to the policymakers for formulating appropriate policies that are relatively flexible for the middle stratum compared to creeper and ruler strata in Central Punjab. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of the study is that it brings up the true picture of the structure of Central Punjab through estimating the household transformation by using leakage and injection in terms of intra-generational and intra-temporal household mobility. The results of the study can be used to reduce the income inequality in Central Punjab.

Conceptualizing Black Political Disillusionment

This article explores the impact of increased political disillusion on support for a Black regime within a city shaped by Black empowerment. Building on findings from previous research on the 2010 mayoral election in New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA), we examine how the intersection of race and economic stratification influences political disillusion in a Black community. W.E.B. Du Bois’s double consciousness guides our examination of the Black political sphere relative to the election of Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2010. We conduct a quantitative content analysis to illuminate the communicative elements resulting from Black empowerment and the political incorporation of Black residents of New Orleans in relation to political disillusion. All participants (n=22) in this sample are Black New Orleanians who were eligible to vote in the 2010 New Orleans mayoral election. Our findings convey a Black electorate both disillusioned by post-Katrina economic and political developments and yet pragmatic about the possibilities for greater success with a white mayor. Also, the findings suggest that government disillusion influences why Black voters are willing to elect a white mayor. Lastly, we assert that participants, while being seen as outsiders to their community, develop a second-sight. This second-sight is generated by intra-racial political considerations that take on cultural, as well as political, form.

Financialization and Wage Inequality in Urban China

The growth of wage inequality during a period of rapid economic development and reform in China raises questions about the nature of economic stratification in contemporary Chinese society. The most prominent explanation is that the transition to a market economy contributed to the growth of wage inequality by increasing the returns to human capital and skill in China. However, recent research suggests that the labor market in China is highly segmented across economic sectors because of preferential state investment and reform of strategic sectors. We contend that the growth and prominence of the financial sector in China empowered financial labor to obtain greater compensation, which created a wage premium in the sector. Drawing on nationally representative data on Chinese urban households, we test this argument by estimating adjusted wage differentials between financial and non-financial sectors across the distribution of earnings since the late 1980s. Estimates show that a wage premium emerged in the mid-1990s for low, median, and high earners in the financial sector. Over the next two decades, wage disparities within the financial sector increased as the wage premium shrank for low earners in the sector while expanding for high earners in the sector. We find that this dynamic is explained by growing occupational stratification in the financial sector, where the wage premium greatly expanded for the highest-paid managers and executives. Overall, this study extends the literature on contemporary economic inequality in China by identifying how excessive compensation among top earners in the financial sector contributed to wage inequality.

Polityczna imitacja jako źródło współczesnej kontrrewolucji w postkomunistycznej Europie – próba ujęcia teoriopolitycznego

The main goal of this article is analysis of the influence of the policy of imitation on the phenomenon of counterrevolution. The aim of the article was to answer the research question whether the politics of imitation and counterrevolution at the level of theoretical considerations can constitute elements of one theory concerning the crisis of liberal democracy in post-communist European countries? The detailed question was whether political imitation is a category by which it is possible to explain the causes of the process of counterrevolution in post-communist Europe? The considerations are based on the concepts of Jan Zielonka, as well as the ideas of Ivan Krasett and Stephen Holmes. In accordance with the principles postulated by Ivan Krastew and Stephan Holmes, the politics of imitation is an important reason for the success of populist, which Jan Zielonka equates with counterrevolution. Negative opinions about the course of the systemic transformation mainly focus on its lack of alternatives, on the problem of imposing liberal values, and on the problem of economic stratification. These premises also constitute the basis for the contemporary problems of the crisis of liberal democracy.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE INTERNET AS A MEANS OF MASS COMMUNICATION ON QUALITY AND STANDARD OF LIVING OF THE POPULATION

The monograph is devoted to the problems of the influence of the Internet as a means of mass communication on the quality and standard of living of the population. The digital inequality and other new forms of socio-economic stratification generated by the introduction and development of new information and communication technologies are investigated.