RUSSIAN EXPERIENCE OF SOCIAL PRACTICES DEVELOPMENT IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY (CASE STUDY OF THE VOLOGDA OBLAST)

Abstract

Currently, the regions face with the need to implement new development strategies based on the maximum use of internal resources. One of the significant development factors is the social activity of the local population. This actualizes the study of social activity forms at the local level, which was the aim of this study. This aim predetermined the following tasks: determining the directions for social practices development in the region, identifying the degree of participation of the population in public life and the main barriers that prevent more active participation. The empirical information was based on the available statistical data on socially oriented non-profit organizations, as well as the results of the authors’ sociological survey. The study revealed insufficient development of social practices in the region; a characteristic feature of civic participation is the low involvement of Russians in formal volunteering and high informal volunteer activity. The data obtained through the case study give grounds to speak of the development of new practices, various civic initiatives. Within the framework of local communities, there are intense processes of collective integration, self-defense and self-organization at the level of everyday life. Civic participation, regardless of the format, can become one of the factors stimulating the self-development of territories, an additional resource for overcoming socio-economic challenges.