Volume 13, Nº 3 (2023)

Purpose. The paper examines the role of the national idea in the history of the development of civilizations on the example of Russia and foreign countries.

Methodology. The authors relied on the following scientific principles: historicism, objectivity, complexity of studying the subject of research, also used scientific methods such as analysis, synthesis, induction, etc. and special methods of historical science, in particular, historical-genetic, historical-comparative methods, method of diachronic analysis during research.

Conclusions. The author concludes that the national idea forms as a guideline for the development of civilization, determining the direction of its political, spiritual and socio-economic development. There is a lot of factors are influencing formation of a national idea: religious, spiritual, moral, and geopolitical. Its content is partly determined by the specifics of the country’s socio-economic development. The formulation of its main provisions is influenced by political and philosophical scientific concepts. National ideas are largely based on the historical experience of the development of the nation, its ideas about its origin, ethnic and cultural roots, experience of interaction with neighboring states and nations. The emergence of a national idea may be due to historical circumstances. For example, the formation of the concept of “Moscow – the Third Rome” was associated with the tasks of forming a single Russian state, and the formulation of the contemporary national idea of the People’s Republic of China was the need to develop a special Chinese way of developing socialism. The advancement of a national idea that corresponds to the true tasks of the country’s development can serve as a powerful stimulus for its further development, and, conversely, neglecting many factors in determining its content can have disastrous consequences. Therefore, the research of the historical experience of putting forward a national idea, of course, requires deep study.

Practical significance. The conclusions have made in the article can be used in the development of the national idea of Russia, as well as in the teaching of history, political science and legal.

The scientific article studies the evolution of the institution of elections in the structure of the organization and functioning of the modern Russian state. The authors analyze elections as an integral part of the political system of modern Russia. The issues of organizing and holding elections in Russia are considered, problems associated with a decrease in the interest and activity of citizens in the conduct of elections are fixed, which negatively affects the political agenda of the state. The article focuses on the latest changes in the legislation regarding elections in Russia, and also analyzes the consequences of the introduction of new rules for the organization and functioning of the modern Russian state. The authors conclude that the institution of elections in Russia continues to evolve, and this evolution is connected with the problems existing in society. Despite the problems that arise during the elections, this institution is a system-forming element of the modern Russian state. Elections play a key role in social processes due to the fact that they are the main political channel of communication between state power and society.

The article deals with the main problems of developing a social control mechanism. The authors analyze the components of the social mechanism, substantiate the general principles and technologies for its implementation. As a result of the research, they come to the conclusion about the relevance and complexity of constructing a social control mechanism, while denoting the basic components of such a mechanism.

The purpose of this scientific work is to determine the role of state support for small and medium-sized enterprises in ensuring sustainable regional development. In the course of the study, existing areas of state support for small and medium-sized businesses were considered, among which guarantees, microloans, loans, subsidies, grants, budget investments were particularly noted. Within the framework of the work, topical problems of the functioning of small and medium-sized businesses were studied, which reflect the need to improve the economic and legal aspects of state support for this sector of the economy. In addition, the study identified the main aspects of the impact of state support on the activities of small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of sustainable regional development, the relationship between the phenomena under consideration was established. The directions of improving state support for small and medium-sized businesses in the context of sustainable regional development were proposed.

Conclusions. The existing state support for small and medium-sized enterprises does not have a sufficient level of efficiency, while its increase is necessary not only from the position of direct assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises, but also from the position of ensuring sustainable development of the regions, since small and medium-sized enterprises act as one of the key sources of this development.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of state programs to support small and medium-sized businesses on the example of the Central Federal District. The study examined existing approaches to assessing the effectiveness of state support for small and medium-sized businesses. The advantages and disadvantages of existing approaches were studied, as well as cases of their application were identified. Based on the analysis of existing approaches, the author’s evaluation model was developed, which has a hybrid form. This is reflected in the fact that both objective and subjective indicators are used in assessing the effectiveness of state programs to support small and medium-sized businesses. The peculiarity of the model is the formation of an integral indicator to simplify the interpretation of indicators. Then the model was tested on the example of the regions of the Central Federal District. Based on the results of the analysis, the results for all regions were determined, as well as the problematic aspects related to the application of the developed model and ways to solve them were identified.

Conclusions. At the moment, there is no unified approach to assessing the effectiveness of state programs to support small and medium-sized businesses. The need to improve existing approaches is due to the limited results in the context of the completeness of the assessment of the effectiveness of state support.

The purpose of this article is to study the evolution of mechanisms of state support for small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter referred to as SOE SMEs). Within the framework of the study, the existing bodies related to the implementation of the SOE of SMEs were considered. The authors considered the main functions performed by these bodies, and also identified the features of their functioning. In addition, a time frame was defined reflecting the transformation of the SOE of SMEs. In the course of the study, the key principles of the SOE of SMEs were considered, which are observed by all support bodies. Further, the activities of the key bodies of the SOE of SMEs were studied to determine the main changes related to the mechanisms of this support. Based on the analysis of the transformations carried out, the current features of the SOE of SMEs were considered. It should be noted that in the course of the development of SOE SMEs, the number of bodies has been constantly changing. This is due not only to the distribution of tasks described above, but also to the fact that some bodies had higher efficiency compared to others.

Conclusions. Currently, there is a complex of GP SME bodies, within which each structural element has its own functions. The transformation of the SOE of SMEs consists in improving support mechanisms, increasing the level of coherence between support bodies, as well as clarifying the goals and objectives of supporting the sector in question.

The purpose of this article is to identify the key problems of state support for small and medium-sized businesses and propose ways to solve them. The study identified the key prerequisites for the emergence of problems of state support for small and medium-sized businesses, which have different origins, but are closely related to each other. Further, the main manifestations of problematic aspects of state support for small and medium-sized businesses were considered. In the course of the study, the current directions of solving the problems of state support for small and medium-sized businesses were studied, as well as their assessment was carried out. Based on the analysis, promising ways to solve the problems of state support for small and medium-sized businesses were proposed and described.

Conclusions. The key prerequisites for the emergence of problems of state support for small and medium-sized businesses can be identified at the stage of origin, as a result of which the possibility of minimizing their development is manifested. The existing areas of support are effective to a certain extent, but they require not only improvement, but also expansion. Promising areas for solving problematic aspects of state support for small and medium-sized businesses are associated with both general development vectors and the development of individual procedures and measures.

The research studies the relations between the state and non-profit sector.

The article aims to analyze the prevalent models of interaction and to describe the emerging Russian model. Based on the system approach the existing models are classified according to the established practices into Western, Chinese and dependent models. The study reveals particular Russian experience and claims that it can be regarded as a new emerging model. The paper emphasized the need for coordinated effort from the Russian government and civil society in order to maintain efficient development of this model. Therefore it can be used for policymaking in relation to NGOs and may serve as a basis for further research to provide recommendations to boost the efficiency of interactions.

The article provides an overview of the second part of the work of the Russian theologian S.S. lagolev “Paris and Brussels in the Science of Religion”, dedicated to the development of the science of religion in Paris at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries. Centers for the study of religions and the public presentation of scientific results are described: open public lectures, university courses and museum collections. The concept of the Parisian religious tradition is presented through the prism of the principles of protecting the positions of faith in the process of scientific understanding of the phenomena of religions.

The article discusses the relationship between the understanding of such categories as “freedom of religion” and “freedom of religious propaganda” by Orthodox theologians and jurists at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries. The Russian legislation of this period of time, protecting the position of the Orthodox Church as “primary and dominant” in the state, limited the possibility of religious propaganda, giving this right only to the Russian Orthodox Church. However, the proclaimed freedom of religion caused a number of discussions regarding the completeness of religious tolerance in Russia and the place of freedom of religious propaganda within the framework of freedom of religion.

Nowadays, in the era of multiple digital platforms for decision-making, the public and governmental interest towards direct democracy instruments is constantly growing.

The goal of this article is to determine the spheres of social life where direct democracy is most effective. The study will contain the analysis of existing societies where direct democracy is already implemented, the US society in particular. The definition of the modern direct democracy instruments will be given, as well as the legislative base of such instruments in various states of the USA and the criteria for analyzing all precedents of direct democracy in the USA in 2011–2020, taking into consideration their legal status in different states.

The conclusion of this article is the percentage ratio of direct democracy precedents in the USA in different spheres of social life.

The article reveals the signs of the military factor in the formation of power and ensuring legitimacy in Yemen. The use of weapons in resolving political crises is not something surprising for the Middle East, however, the factor of armed equipment of opposing groups largely affects the overall level of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, which is close to disaster.

The purpose of the study. In this article, the purpose of the study is to analyze the “military factor” of the formation of power and ensuring its legitimacy in Yemen.

The author tries in this article to identify the features of China’s sports diplomacy. The author suggests that even before the concept of “soft power” appeared, China used sports to promote itself on the world stage and form a favorable image. It was China that offered Ping-pong diplomacy to the world, which made it possible to establish a dialogue between China and the United States. All other types of Chinese sports diplomacy are also aimed at helping to implement the general strategy of the People’s Republic of China, which should help the country create a special attractive image. The holding of the Olympic Games, the presence of China’s political elite at various sporting events, the support of a number of sports – all this forms a unique phenomenon of China’s sports diplomacy at the present stage of the development of international relations.

This paper discusses the US dilemma of policy making on India. The paper begins with a retrospective look at the US-India relations since Modi came to power, and a predictive analysis of the policy on India under the Biden administration, in order to show how the US perspective on India’s role in US global and regional strategies has changed. The paper demonstrates that China is one of the pivotal external variables that promote US-India relations. The review of policy is followed by a discussion of strategic assessments of India policies by US analysts and experts on India. These can be classified into two policies: “strategic altruism” and “selective cooperation,” each of which represents a type of US-India relation. Through comparing these assessments, the paper concludes that the United States faces a dilemma in policy making on India, with US policy makers unable to reach an agreement on fundamental issues concerning US-India relations.