Abstract: The subject of this research is the international practices of utilization of social capital of local communities for the purpose of development of tourism attractiveness of the territories. The object of this research is the social capital of local communities. The author explores such aspects of the topic as the development of tourism on the basis of local community, stimulation of social activism and communication between the locals, their ability to self-organization on the local level within the framework of international projects. Special attention is given to the risks and negative consequences for the local communities caused by tourism. The conclusions is made that the role of the representatives of local communities is considered as one of the key elements within the international practice of tourism development. This relates to the formation of tolerant and friendly tourism space for maintaining a “geographical myth”, which cannot be created without involvement of the local residents. Such process must be manageable for the authorities that ensure protection of local population from the sociocultural threats caused by tourists. International experience can be adapted in the Russian realities to some extent, however this process requires outworking of the corresponding mechanism of three-way interaction of the local government, business and local residents. The scientific novelty lies int the attempts of critical revaluation of the role of social capital of local communities at the time of transformation of tourism industry due to unfavorable epidemic situation.

Abstract: The object of this research is the Russian practice of providing shelter to orphans and children abandoned by their parents. The authors examine such aspects of the problem as availability and capability of timely provision of shelter to orphans after release from orphanage, as well as mechanisms of exercising right to shelter for this social group. Special attention is given to the dysfunctions in the work of regional and municipal authorities regarding creation of environment enabling orphans to exercise such right. The information framework for this research consists of federal and regional normative-legislative acts, as well as information and analytical data forwarded by the regional authorities to the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation for the period of 2014-2019. A conclusion is made that the modern practice of providing shelter for orphans is a prerequisite for development of social injustice regarding families, in which parents diligently carry out their obligations, lead socially acceptable lifestyle, but are unable to provide their children with separate housing. The solution to this situation can come from creation of housing that cannot be privatized or be subject to alienation and made available for social renting.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the institutional conditions for converting social resource of the local communities into the processes of development of tourism attractiveness of the Russian territories. The authors examine the initial theoretical and methodological prerequisites of studying institutional conditions (key provisions of the theory of social institutions, socioeconomic situation of institutional environment); determine the significance of impact of institutional conditions upon the vector of development of municipal formations; explore the structural-conceptual perception of institutional conditions. Special attention is given to the potential and constraints of conversion of social resource of the local communities to the development of tourism attractiveness of municipal formations, explicated in the established institutional conditions. The following conclusions were made: conversion of social resource of local communities to the development of territory’s tourism attractiveness requires the creation of institutional conditions that incentivize population towards this social action, considering the transformation of formal rules, norms and parameters of interaction. From such perspective, the institutional conditions allow implementation of informal practices, which manifest as the compensators of inevitable limitation of institutionalized systems, imparting them with flexibility, adaptivity and variability of development. The scientific novelty lies in determination of institutional conditions initiating the processes of formalization of social relations, transition towards creation of organizational structures for mobilization of internal sources of territorial development to create competitive advantages and adaptive opportunities of socioeconomic systems.

Abstract: This article aims to examine the key theories and approaches towards interpretation of the concept of social capital in order to determine the new opportunities for the development of local communities. Special attention is given to studying the characteristic features of social capital: its non-monetary nature, proneness to self-expansion in terms of increasing the frequency of usage, consideration of the level of trust and qualitative characteristics of relations between social actors. Special attention is turned to “trust” as the foundation of organization of social interactions, indicators for measuring sustainability of social networks, disruptiveness of the phenomenon of social capital. Comparison of the concepts of social capital allows concluding that the common thesis, currently shared in sociological discourse, is not only the vector towards establishing trust-based relations, but also the need for investing to them and participation in social exchange. Leaning on the research materials, the author assumes the need for institutional reinforcement of the processes of formation of social capital as a mechanism for decreasing destructive manifestations: closed nature of social capital, “freeloading” of short in resources members of social networks, concealment of potential profits by the participants. Possible insurance against losses in social exchange through participation of municipal authorities in supporting sustainability of social networks, reinforcement of intermunicipal forms of cooperation, can become such mechanism that will ensure the development of social capital not as a side affect from interaction between the representatives of local communities, but through reinforcement of personal motivation of the actors of social network.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the social capital of local communities. The object of this research is the individual resources of social actors, converted into social networks in accordance with their spatial allocation and normative-value content. The author explores the approaches towards determination of the essence of the concept of “social capital of local communities”; indicators for measuring and conditions of formation of the social capital. Particular attention is paid to the description of testing results of the indicators for measuring in the course of pilot survey conducted in May 2019. The empirical base for this study became the Volokolamsky Municipal District; a simple probability sample N=97 persons. The leading research method is the questionnaire-based survey. For verification of the acquired data, the author used the method of focus group survey. The f conclusion is made that in social network, the local residents predominantly demonstrate the socially shared values, such as respect, solidarity, and trust. However, the study illustrated that the higher is the level of social capital, the greater is the inequality between local residents and municipal government. The regional officials were assessed by the respondents as “aggressors”, as an obstacle towards achieving common good. The lack of information support and replicable practices leads to the emergence of barriers in functionality of social networks. The author’s main contribution lies in the development of indicators for measuring social capital: prevailing values of social interaction, dominant forms of building social networks, sustainability of social networks. The scientific novelty consists in the testing results of indicators for measuring social capital.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the Russian experience of social construction of tourism attractiveness of the territories. The object of this research is the practices of participation of the local residents in designing tourist destinations; advantages and consequences of the conversion of social capital of the local society into job opportunities, urban infrastructure, new social relations and symbolic goods. The author meticulously examines the multiplicative effect of involvement of the local population in creating formation of tourism attractiveness of the territory; reveals the advantages and risks of initiating the process of social construction. Particular attention is given to the analysis of interdependent relations of the local citizens that ensure holistic positioning of the territory as attractive for tourists. The empirical foundation for this research includes the following cities: Moscow, Veliky Ustyug, Myshkin, and Dzhubga. The leading research method is the traditional document analysis. For verification of research results, the author applies the methods of observation and questionnaire-based online survey on the Google platform. The main conclusions consist in the theses on multiplicative effect of the involvement of local population in social construction (formation and content of the professional-structural network, development of entrepreneurship, creative clusters, etc.). The author’s main contribution into this study lies in determining the need for structuring the conceptual row (symbolic status of the city), around which would develop social interactions between the local residents. Such approach allows creating the range of interrelated tourist products or services functioning in conceptual connection with each other.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the factors of development of tourist attractiveness of municipal formations. The author shifts from the traditional perspective of economic theory towards the value-rational, psycho-emotional and aesthetic factors of the development of perpetual attractiveness of the territories. The article examines the key components of the development of tourist attractiveness of a municipal formation, and the role of tourists’ experiences in this process. Special attention is given to the processes of emotional engagement of a tourist, “value of impression”, which help to identify the territory in person’s mind and form a positive image. The main conclusions lie in determination of the factors of development of tourist attractiveness of municipal formations (value-rational, psycho-emotional, and aesthetic) from the standpoint of tourists’ subjective perception of characteristic features of the territory, which convey positive impressions, according to the selected consumption models, lifestyle, recreation and leisure. The author’s special contribution into the research consists in the new interpretation of tourist attractiveness of municipal formations as a set of characteristic features of the territory, which comprise its immanent uniqueness, as well as form a special psycho-emotional attitude and aesthetic satisfaction from the trip. The scientific novelty lies in the original approach to analysis of the factors of development of tourist attractiveness of municipal formations, shift of the currently dominant focus from economic approach towards the customization of experiences.

Abstract: The currently observed in Russian society trends of “decline” of the historical-cultural heritage to the level of market products of sociocultural consumption are reflected in the decreasing interest of society, especially youth, to the cultural values of the Russian civilization. Due to this circumstance, careful attention must be given to analysis of the role of social institutions in determination and formation of the value orientation of perception by Russian society of its historical-cultural heritage, accumulation and transmission of the social and cultural experience. The author meticulously examine such major institutional structures as the government, family, education, religion, and mass media that ensure the process of infogenesis, including distribution of the socially important behavioral models of the individuals regarding their historical-cultural heritage. In the course of the research, the authors determined the change in the role positions of the key institutional structures that define the value orientations of perception of the historical-cultural heritage by the Russian society. The work also identifies the factors that limit the possible impact of social institutions upon the consolidation of sociocultural orientations within the youth consciousness. The article underlines the main dysfunctions in the process of establishment of the institutional conditions for preservation and perception of the cultural-historical heritage, which include: inefficiency of planning and programming of the sociocultural trends; commercialization of the historical-cultural heritage; insufficiency of financial support; devaluation of the family values; discredit of the traditional images of historical-cultural heritage of the Russian society in mass media.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the practice of formation of the state education procurement in the context of meeting the educational demands of modern society. Due to intensification of criticism with regards to the state education policy alongside declaring the need for expanding the public participation in determination of the foundations of education procurement, the goal of this article consists in the attempt of critical comprehension of the basis of formation of the state education procurement, and systematization of the possible flaws of its impact upon the development of education. Special attention is given to the functions  carried out by the state education procurement in the process of social regulation of the educational space. Methodology leans on the modern achievements of the theory state administration and theory of social interaction. The author makes the following conclusions: it is inefficient to replace the state procurement with the social education procurement due to the lack of resource and administration potential in the society; the state education procurement has a complex of interconnected socially important functions that cannot be transferred onto the level of social structures; there are certain flaws in the process of formation of the state procurement that define the portion and role of public participation in education management. Some recommendations are made on balancing the disputed identified in the course of this research.

Abstract:  
Cultural-educational tourism represents an important sphere of sociocultural communication and cultural self-determination of people, realized through acquaintances during the tourist excursions with the historical and cultural heritage of different cities. From the economic perspective, cultural-educational tourism becomes the factor that substantiates the dynamics and scale of the socioeconomic development of the territories. The goal of this work consists on evaluation of the level of content of the various social groups with the tourism services received in terms of cultural-educational trips through the Russian cities. The leading methods of this study is the questionnaire-based survey that allowed revealing the preferences of the respondents from various social groups on basic components that form the level of content of the Russian citizens with tourist trips through the Russian cities. In the course of this research, the authors established the dependence between the level of accomplished trips through the Russian cities and the level of satisfaction of the Russian citizens with the quality of tourism services of the domestic segment of tourism industry. The article presents the analysis of issued faced by the tourists during travelling, among which are the insufficient level of infrastructure development in Russian cities, discontent with the variety of entertainment programs, lack of services offered in a tour package. At the same time, the authors note that more Russians value the historical and cultural heritage of the Russian cities, give high evaluation to organization of public festivities and possibility to adhere to national folk traditions, as well as enjoy the quality of folk crafts.
 

Abstract: The subject of this research is the transformation of the foundations of interaction between the actors of educational space in the context of expansion of social component of the management process as a possibility of application of the mechanism of social partnership within educational space of the middle school. The goal of this work is to define the promising directions of application of this mechanism for development of the educational branch based on the analysis of theory and practice of organization of the social partnership. Special attention is given to the questions regarding the investment of consolidated efforts of the authorities and society in formation of the social procurement for the educational services of middle school as one of the leading directions of Russian education strategic development. The author reveals the content of the concept of “social partnership in education” as the constructive alignment of interests of the actors of educational space based on the choice of a corresponding model of social interaction. The work also defines the possible methods of socio-engineering activity of ensuring social partnership in educational space of a modern school. Leaning on the results of this research, the author determines the prospects of application of the mechanism of social partnership within the Russian management practice.