Abstract: The object of the research are non-financial development institutions, namely various kinds of special economic zones — free economic zones, special economic zones, territories of priority development and free ports. The subject of the research are the non-financial development institutions in the context of relations between the federal centre and periphery defined by the trends of state policy. The field of the research is territorially limited to the Primorsky Region, the period of the study including origins of prerequisites and conditions for the development of modern special economic zones is from the end of 19th — beginning of 20th century until September 2015. The authors apply general methodological system approach, considering the region as a subsystem with its structural connections that to a certain degree replicates the structure of the system. Moreover, the development institutions are considered in their historical sequence with the help of historically-comparative institutional analysis. Among the empirical methods the analysis of documents, secondary analysis of statistical data and expert evaluation were used. The study analyses the reasons of inefficiency of the previous regional development institutions and highlights the risks for the territories of priority development and the free port in Primorsky Region. The main conclusion is that the provision of tax and customs privileges to the investors alone does not mean consequent priority development of the territory. The scientific contribution of the authors to the study of the topic lies in the fact that the issue of territories of priority development and the free port is considered comprehensively in the context of evolution, taking into account the changes in the trends of state policy and the degree to which the federal centre patronises the periphery.  

Keywords: Free Port, Special Economic Zone, territories of priority development, Far East, Primorsky Region, Development Institutions, Governmental Patronage, Center-Periphery, Free Customs Zone, Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract: The subject of the research of the present article is the phenomenon of glamour as a mode of competitiveness in the context of modern mass culture, its genesis, stages of formation and the degree of its influence on the European (Western) public consciousness. In the article the author considers the influence of British (Scott, Byron) and French (the image of Napoleon I) traditions on the formation of mythology, ideology and aesthetics of glamour as a means of realisation of the competitiveness principle in order to reveal the success coefficient and determine the status of the competitors in this segment of mass culture. Methodologically the study is based on the method of ascension from abstract to particular, the principle of historicism, and comparative analysis. The novelty of the article lies in consideration of the phenomenon of glamour as a way of displaying (mode) of the competitiveness principle in the context of sociocultural evolution, the genesis of this phenomenon, its mythology and aesthetics. The main conclusion of the article is that in the modern era and in the context of the formation of mass culture, glamour has become not only a significant aesthetic phenomenon, but also, which is even more important, a way to implement competitiveness, a criterion for determination of the success of an individual under the conditions of  growing competition and social dynamics of European (Western) society.   

Keywords: glamour, conflict, competition, mass culture, aesthetics, Walter Scott, George Byron, Napoleon I, brand, style

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the military factor as a mechanism of Russian modernisation in 1914-1940. The author's main goal is to conduct an analysis of the impact of the First World War on the transition of the Russian state from the agrarian society to the industrial one in terms of spirituality. The article defines the major mental attitudes of Russian peasantry, such as paternalism, piety, monarchism, social collectivism, equalitarian land utilisation, and their transformations in the course of the Russian modernisation during the First World War and interbellum period. The article put special emphasis on the need for organic modernisation processes in Russia as a prerequisite for their successful implementation, because the transition of the Russian Empire from agrarian to industrial society was not of organic nature, which was expressed in asynchronous of economic, political, social and spiritual transformations. The academic novelty of the paper is the interpretation of war as a kind of a "challenge" for the Russian (Slavic) civilisation, and the "response" was the modernisation of Russia in that time. The main conclusion is the assumption that the Great war (1914-1918) was the strongest "accelerator" for the Russian modernisation processes, compared to previous military conflicts involving the Russian Empire. This justified the formation of the deviant model of Russian modernisation, which was expressed in the Soviet variant of the Russian society in terms of spirituality.  

Keywords: First World War, modernisation, spiritual sphere, mentality, organicity of Russian modernisation, monarchism, piety, paternalism, social collectivism, equalitarian land utilisation

Abstract: This article is devoted to the study of the features of Ukrainian foreign policy in direct relation to the state and the main stages of the evolution of foreign policy relations between Russia and the West. A key step in the development and transformation of these relations in the years 2013-15 was the Ukrainian crisis which has qualitatively changed the relations between the two countries for many years, . The article provides analysis and description of the main stages and phases of the development of the Ukrainian crisis as a projection of US-Russian relations, demonstrating the presence of a positive feedback. Methodological bases of the research includes systemic, structural and functional, comparative-historical and comparative-political approaches, methods of induction, deduction, analysis, synthesis, observation. The main result of the study was evidence that the Ukrainian crisis has become the key point in the system of relations between Russia and Western countries, showing that Ukraine's foreign policy is a direct projection of the state of US-Russian relations. Thus, any changes in the relations between the USA and Russia lead to an immediate response in Ukraine according to a "stimulus-response" principle on the reflex level, which is basic for external control of the Ukrainian political elite in Washington.

Keywords: interests, democracy, state, hybrid wars, Ukraine, USA, society, politics, values, security

Abstract: The article is dedicated to the current international cultural and humanitarian policy of Russia and characterises its major achievements in 2014. Special emphasis is put on the international cultural isolation of Russia under the internationalisation of the Ukrainian crisis. The article explores the peculiar features of the "cultural" sanctions against Russia, their consequences and the public attitude towards them in Russia. Moreover, the article reveals the reasons for the enhancement of the role of culture in contemporary international relations as a mechanism of solving international contradictions. The following methods were used in the study: sociological (which allowed to reveal the influence of the cultural factor on politics) and situation method. The novelty of the research lies in the proof of politicisation of international cultural relations. The author concludes that “cultural sanctions" did not have a significant impact on the cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and foreign countries, and that Russia continues to develop international cultural dialogue during the period of international tension.

Keywords: cultural and humanitarian relations, Russia, culture, foreign policy, «soft power», sanctions, foreign cultural policy, diplomacy, image, influence

Abstract: The paper focuses on i the Comintern's Popular Front policy (1935–1939) in order to reveal its open and hidden aims. The subject of the research are the ethical aspects of this policy and its impact on foreign and domestic political processes. For the objective evaluation of the official Soviet interpretation of the Popular Front policy, the author analyses historical materials and studies the history of its establishment, ways of implementation before the war and its application after the war to consolidate the power of Communist parties in Eastern Europe. Using the methods of historical analysis based on the studied materials, the author comes to a conclusion about the hypocrisy of the initiators of the Popular Front policy, who initially tried to enhance the Bolsheviks’ international influence under the aegis of populist and anti-fascist mottos. The article shows that the Popular Front policy, intolerable from the ethical point of view, in the course of time eventually became not only a strategy, but also a hazardous political habit, a style, an essential mode of existence of some marginal political powers. This is why its analysis would be helpful for the understanding of modern political life, which still provides a lot of place for lies, hypocrisy and populism. The author defines the criteria for the disclosure of the elements of the Popular Front policy: unification around one allied party to fight an imaginary threat, suppression of hidden aims, expression of the party’s position on the behalf of the nation, improvement of the party’s image via dispersing it in a “neutral” political movement, disdain of democratic and ethical norms. The article highlights the characteristic features of the Popular Front policy in modern political life. By conducting historical and political analysis, we can figure out criteria for identifying characteristics of the Popular Front policy in the modern-day context. Among these are: allies coalescing around one party to deal with an imaginary threat; hypocritical concealment of real goals; expressing the party’s position allegedly on behalf of “the people” or “popular”/“national” movements; efforts to improve the party’s tarnished image by “dissolving” it in a politically “neutral” populist movement; ignoring democratic principles and ethical norms.

Keywords: stalinism, international policy, ethics, propaganda, Munzenberg, populism, Comintern, Popular Front, socialist countries, anti-fashism

Abstract: The object of the research is civil and political education in Russia, while the subject of the research are the features of formation of the qualities of statehood and citizenship as fundamental origins of political education. These concepts are a result of construction of social and political meanings and their domesticatiom in the public consciousness. Their formation is influenced by both spontaneous indirect mechanisms and by the purposeful process of political education. The author proceeds with an assumption that the role of political education lies in the fact that it forms potentially active citizens, who possess “influence reserves”. Special emphasis is put on the necessity to bring up “strong personalities” — citizens of the country who are characterised by the feeling of ethnic and national identity, statehood and patriotism. The problems of formation of the political education system in Russia are studied based on empirical methods: qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data of sociological research and documents. The main conclusion of the paper study is the statement about the lack and often imitational nature of civil, political and patriotic education and upbringing in Russia, especially among the young generation , and the need to comprehensively alternate the whole system of civil and political education in the country in all its social institutions.   

Keywords: national and state identity, strong state, citizenship, statehood, civil education, political education, patriotism, state, education, civil servant

Abstract: The subject of research are modern ideas about the laws of adaptation reactions of the human body in the climatic conditions of the Far North, including the characteristic periods of human adaptation, specific physiological and psychophysiological features of adaptive responses, specifics of the adaptive motor-visceral reactions, and those of the circadian adaptation reactions and the respiratory system of human adaptation, as well as compensatory-adaptive reactions of human body. The relevance of generalisations of modern ideas about human adaptation reactions in the Far North is justified due to the increased attention to the development of the Arctic region of Russia, due to the need to protect national interests in this strategically important region. The research methodology is based on a systematic approach and integrates methods of the physiology of labour, sociology of medicine, human ecology, medicine, labour, and measuring health risks. Adverse ecological and physiological factors that accompany the professional activity in the Far North, have a negative impact on the function of the body, resulting in the necessity for persons working in the Far North to be involved in entertainment and recreational activities aimed at optimising their functional state, with the preservation of occupational health taking into account the characteristics of the functional tasks performed.

Keywords: adaptation potential, occupational physiology, human ecology, working conditions, human adaptation, conditions of Far North, acclimatisation, measuring health risks, human psychophysiology, occupational health

Abstract: The subject of the research is the state of the Russian-speaking communities in the post-Soviet republics. The Russian-speaking population in this paper are considered not only as a basically ethnic group — Russians, but also as a stratum connected with certain professional skills and status position. The position of the Russian-speaking population in the former Soviet Union is considered through a lens of the transformations of social and demographical structure of the former USSR societies. The changes that took place in the former Soviet Union countries regarding the Russian questionn are considered within the framework of the general theory of civilisational and imperial collapse. Based on historical comparison, the author defines different models of the integration of the Russian-speaking population into the public systems of post-Soviet societies. The problems of Russian-speaking population are revealed in the context of transit state of post-Soviet societies. The article reveals common and peculiar features of social and demographical processes in the former USSR republics regarding the problems of the Russian-speaking part of population. The article highlights the differences of group identifications within the Russian community around the world. The author discloses the phenomenon of demographical extrusion and discrimination of the Russian-speaking population in the former Soviet Union countries, which can be explained by the trend of post-imperial disintegration.   

Keywords: migration, latent discrimination, demographic extrusion, The Russian question, identity, former Soviet Union, Russian-speaking, diaspora, compatriot, demography

Abstract: The subject of the research is the culture of scientific work in the field of modern social and humanitarian knowledge, and, in particular, sociological science. It is worth mentioning that the research culture is connected not only with methodical security and professionalism of the scientists, but also with such categories as the researcher’s responsibility for the results, as well as search for the truth. The last factor is of great significant for the system of knowledge in general, and moreover, it impacts the justification of the results of the research. The main research method is theoretical analysis of the issue of scientist’s responsibility for the results of his/her study in the field of sociology. The main conclusions of the study are as follows: 1) scientific responsibility is one of the main factors of development of modern sciences and sociohumanitarian knowledge; 2) search for truth, and not only simple statements of scientific data is one of the most necessary conditions for the scientific research in sociology and also in sociohumanitarian knowledge in general.   

Keywords: sociocultural processes, cognition, norms, values, sociology, society, culture, methodology, science, problems of Sociology

Abstract: The subject of the research is the connection between poverty and such unfavourable social phenomena as social inequality and social isolation. The author considers such aspects of the topic as connection between the unfavourable state of health of the population and its relative poverty, taking into account such factors as: the level of the education of the parents and lack of resources. Special attention is paid to the correlation of the notions of social isolation and relative poverty; to the vulnerability of poor population towards different sorts of risks; to the determination of the categories of population most subjected to poverty; to the reasons of emergence and eradication of poverty. Methodologically the study is based on the total of general scientific (dialectics, analysis and synthesis, concretisation, comparison) and particular scientific methods (formal and legal, comparative legal). The main conclusions of the conducted research is the determination of the consequences of poverty and reasons for its emergence. The novelty of the research lies in the study of connections between poverty and social inequality,  between poverty and social isolation. A particular contribution of the author into the study of the topic is the determination of the reasons for the worldwide eradication of poverty, as well as the reasons for emergence and intensification of the issue of poverty.   

Keywords: poverty, social isolation, deprivation, alleviation, extreme poverty, eradication of poverty, reason of poverty, poor population, social inequality, poverty issue

Abstract: The article discusses the role of the social media (social networks, blogs, forums, UGC-sites) in the process of the escalation of ethnic conflicts in the information sphere. The subject of research is the Russian-Ukrainian information conflict, an example that demonstrates the specificity of social media as a means of fomenting ethnic hatred and growing ethno-social tensions. The author thoroughly examines the dynamics of direct mutual insults by the representatives of Russian and Ukrainian people that appeared in the Russian segment of the Internet in the period from 01/09/2013 till the present time. The article focuses on the analysis of the most popular Internet memes that have arisen during this period.  The study is built with the help of an electronic social media monitoring service IQBuzz that collects information from more than 10,000 Internet resources, such as Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte, My World, LiveJournal, LiveInternet, Google+ and others. The novelty of the research lies in the formulation of the research problem and the choice of the tools of its implementation. The main conclusion of the study is the cyclical nature and expressed antiphase of the increase of the activity of thematic discussions between the representatives of Russia and Ukraine, as well as their linking to the most important information occasions.  

Keywords: Ethno-social tensions, Information War, IQBuzz, Ethnic conflict, Ukraine, Russia, Social media, Maidan, Memes, Internet

Abstract: The subject of the study are the problems of legal regulation and protection of the human right to a favourable environment. The article considers different aspects which allow to define the right to a favourable environment either as a main human right or as an interest protected by the law. In particular, the author refers to the question of whether it is possible to contest the decisions of the authorities that violate the right to a favourable environment. The article considers the position of the right to a favourable environment in the hierarchy of ecological and legal norms. The author points out considerable gaps in the existing environmental legislation, which does not contain a clear description of the content of this right, or any ways to protect it. The study used both general and particular methods of scientific knowledge: dialectical, formal-logical, formal and legal, comparative legal. The analysis of the content of the right to a favourable environment allows to draw the conclusion that in positive law it has a form not of a subjective right, but the one of a legally protected interest. The author draws attention to the necessity to improve the methods of legal protection of this right, as well as to enlist various authorities to participate in this process.

Keywords: environmental interest, human rights, ways of protection, right to protection, legitimate interest, subjective right, favourable environment, environment, environmental law, judicial protection

Abstract: The subject of the research is social position of scientific workers in the circumstances of modern scientific-technological and innovative development of the society. Special attention is paid to the justification of the necessity for the “creators” of scientific and technical progress to reach high social status as a factor of the enhancement of the role of science in contemporary society. The author demonstrates that all states that conduct active scientific and technological policy are facing this issue. This problem can be resolved due to regulation of legal status of scientific workers within the framework of national legislation based on international legal standards. In this connection the article thoroughly examines the system of international legal standards regarding the legal position of scientific workers. The author analyses the documents that belong to international “hard” and “soft” law, demonstrating the advantages of regulation of the elements of such status on the level of advisory acts. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the directions of enhancing social status of the scientific workers with the help of legal policy in the field of improvement of legal regulation of informational, labour and socioeconomic rights of the representatives of this professional group. Methodologically the research is based on the understanding of social status in modern social philosophy and sociology. Apart from that, the author considers legal status as a condition for the provision of social status, as well as the unity of rights and duties. At the same time, the duties are said to root not only in participation of scientific workers in labour relations, but also in their ethical responsibility towards society and individuals. The main contribution of the author to the study of the topic is the consideration of the meaning of international legal standards of the legal status of scientific workers as a basis for the harmonisation of regulation of their social status on the national level, which is especially important in the conditions of globalisation of scientific and technological as well as innovative development. The novelty of the study lies in the understanding of such major element of the legal status of scientific workers as the freedom of research, as a responsible freedom. The main conclusion of the article is the justification of the modernisation trends of the legal status of the scientific workers based on renewed international standards, which are the reference points for tis direction of scientific and technological policy of the states.   

Keywords: domestic legislation, human rights, international standards, scientific and technological progress, ethical responsibility, freedom of research, globalization, scientific worker, international law, modernization of society

Abstract: The subject of the research is media politics. The object of the research is migration processes administration. The article analyses the synthesis of the notions “migration” and “communication”, and suggests the notion “migration communication”. The author highlights different degrees of sustainability of connections, communication, information exchange, as well as types and nature of such communication. Examining the development of civil society institutions in the field of migration, the author notes that the issues of migration are diverse and complex, which correspondingly requires the coordination of the activity of all decision-making structures which undoubtedly should be carried out based on the interaction between the representatives of governmental authorities and civil society. The study used such methodological approaches to the research on migration processes as logical analysis, synthesis, generalisation, analogies, classification, provisions of correlation-regression analysis, factor analysis. The authors come to a conclusion that in the formation and implementation of migration policy it is necessary to achieve communicative and informational identity. Considering the unity of migration and informational policy, the article analyses the notions of “power”, “informational power” and “spiritual power” in regard to “migration demographical policy”, justifying the unity of migration and informational policy. Migration and migration policy are of communicative nature and develop under information exchange, where a significant role is played by media communications and media, which creates the task of provision of ethnical and information identity with the means of political communication and information.  

Keywords: non-governmental organization, information analysis, civil society, media policy, migration processes, migration policy, migration, labour migration, conception, FMS of Russia