From Social Policy to the Welfare State or... Reverse?

Abstract

The base for mainstreaming the concerns of the social State is an institutional fact: in the article 7 of the Basic Law of Russia is recorded “The Russian Federation is a social State whose policy is aimed at creating conditions to ensure a dignified life and free development of man”. The meaning of “social State” is holistic, multidisciplinary and must take into account the totality of the aspects. It is important to take into account the historical experience of the theory and practices of the Welfare State, the social market economy in developed Western countries, successful in 70-80’s and crisis at the beginning of this century. On the other hand, the Russian State, proclaiming himself a social, announced intentions to implement modern features in relation both to various categories of citizens, and to society as a whole, but far from implementing these intentions. It is desirable to identify specific ways, methods, which release energy and self-development capacities of local and regional communities, enhance their level of self-organization. The absence of such self-development signals on the conservation of energy of self-development and the possible movement of the tide - to reproduce socioparasitic structures, civilised regress of individual regions or all over Russia.