Structural elements of economic culture. Tasks of culture: vector development, socialization, formation of the socio-cultural environment

Detailed Solution Paragraph § 12 on social studies for students in grade 11, authors L.N. Bogolyubov, N.I. Gorodetskaya, L.F. Ivanova 2014

Question 1. Does every person need an economic culture? Economic freedom: anarchy or responsibility? Where are the limits of economic freedom? Is it good to be honest?

Economic culture - a system of values and motivations economic activity, respectful attitude to any form of ownership and commercial success as a great social achievement, success, rejection of "leveling" moods, creation and development of a social environment for entrepreneurship, etc.

Economic freedom is limited by the laws of the country. There is a list of items prohibited in trade, such as drugs. There is an obligation to pay taxes, an obligation to obtain a license in order to trade certain goods.

Questions and tasks for the document

The author warns us that any stagnation and inconsistency various areas society (subsystems of society) threatens the country with big problems, including relegation to the background, that is, the loss of its leading positions in the world, as well as such an unstable situation threatens the Russian people with exploitation by other more developed countries.

Question 2. Does Russia need a new socio-cultural order?

It is undoubtedly needed now, because not so long ago we moved away from the idea of socialism. Now the entire social system, as well as the consciousness of people, must get rid of the remnants of the past.

Question 3. What past cultural accumulations associated with the command economy could be sent to the "historical dustbin"?

Each person must receive according to his ability, otherwise talented people there will simply be no incentive for self-development, and this again threatens to stagnate. Secondly, the emphasis is on the fulfillment of the plan (quantity), and not on quality - hence the result is the same - stagnation, excess production (no one takes low-quality products).

Question 4. Based on the text of the paragraph, suggest the values of the "new economy" that would become significant elements of the economic culture of the XXI century.

The main directions of the state innovation policy in the conditions of the "new economy" are:

Improving the innovation environment by strengthening the innovative component of all areas of national policies and their integration;

Stimulation market demand on innovation and the use of the concept of "leading" markets, which involves supporting markets that are most receptive to innovation;

Stimulation of innovations in the public sector, overcoming the bureaucratic conservatism of the public administration;

Strengthening regional innovation policy and expanding cooperation.

SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS

Question 1. What are the main elements of economic culture?

The economic culture of a society is a system of values and motives for economic activity, the level and quality of economic knowledge, assessments and actions of a person, as well as the content of traditions and norms that regulate economic relations and behavior. The economic culture of the individual is an organic unity of consciousness and practical activity. It determines the direction of human economic activity in the process of production, distribution and consumption. The economic culture of the individual may correspond to the economic culture of the society, ahead of it, but may also lag behind it.

In the structure of economic culture, the most important elements can be distinguished and presented in the following scheme:

The basis of the economic culture of the individual is consciousness, and economic knowledge is his important component. This knowledge is a set of ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the impact of economic life on the development of society, about the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production, economic relations require a large and ever-increasing amount of knowledge from the worker.

Question 2. What is the significance of the economic orientation and social attitudes of the individual?

The effectiveness of solving economic problems largely depends on the socio-psychological qualities of the participants economic activity. Among them, it is necessary to single out such an important element of economic culture as the economic orientation of the individual, the components of which are the needs, interests and motives of human activity in economic sphere. The orientation of the personality includes a social attitude and socially significant values. Thus, attitudes are being formed in Russian society to study modern economic theory, to participate in solving various economic problems. The system has been developed value orientations personality, including economic freedom, competition, respect for any form of ownership, commercial success as a social achievement.

Question 3. Is self-interest the only basis for economic choice?

Economic interest is the desire of a person to obtain the benefits necessary to ensure life. Interests express ways and means of satisfying people's needs. For example, making a profit (which is the economic interest of the entrepreneur) is the way to satisfy the personal needs of a person and the needs of production. Interest is the direct cause of human actions.

In most cases, yes, because a person cannot be forced to do what he does not like. Other people can only show a person's interest in something else. But the main choice remains with the person himself.

Question 4. What determines the choice of a standard by a person economic behavior?

The choice of a standard of economic behavior depends on the quality of the factors influencing it, on personal economic viability. The choice of standards of behavior in the economy, the effectiveness of solving economic problems largely depend on the socio-psychological qualities of participants in economic activity. Among them, an important element of economic culture is the economic orientation of the individual, the components of which are the needs, interests and motives of human activity in the economic sphere. The orientation of the personality includes a social attitude and socially significant values.

Question 5. Should economic freedom be restricted?

Economic freedom includes the freedom to make decisions and actions. The individual has the right to decide which type of activity is preferable for him (employment, entrepreneurship, etc.), which form of proprietary participation seems more appropriate to him, in which area and in which region of the country he will show his activity. The basis of the market, as you know, is the principle of economic freedom. The consumer is free to choose a product, manufacturer, forms of consumption. The manufacturer is free to choose the type of activity, its volume and forms.

The economic freedom of the individual is inseparable from his social responsibility. Theorists and practitioners of economics initially drew attention to the contradiction inherent in the nature of economic activity. On the one hand, the desire for maximum profit and selfish protection of private property interests, and on the other hand, the need to take into account the interests and values of society, that is, to show social responsibility.

Question 6. Is a "voluntary marriage" of the economy and ecology possible?

For many years, industrial activity was characterized by irrational use of raw materials and a high degree of environmental pollution. There was an opinion that entrepreneurship and environmental protection are incompatible. However, the strengthening of the global environmental movement, the development of the concept and principles of sustainable development contributed to a change in the attitude of entrepreneurs towards environment. Sustainable development is the development of society that allows the needs of the present generation to be met without compromising future generations to meet their needs.

An important step in this direction was the creation of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, which included representatives of many of the largest multinational companies peace. These companies and individual entrepreneurs, who have adopted the principles of sustainable development, effectively use improved production processes, strive to meet environmental requirements (prevention of pollution, reduction of production waste, etc.) and the best way take advantage of market opportunities. Such companies and businessmen gain advantages over competitors who do not use new approaches to entrepreneurial activity. As world experience shows, a combination of entrepreneurial activity, economic growth and environmental safety is possible.

Question 7. What is the essence and significance of economically competent and morally valuable human behavior in the economy?

One of the most important social roles personality - the role of the producer. In the context of the transition to an information-computer, technological method of production, a worker is required not only high level educational and vocational training, but also high morality, high level common culture. Modern work is becoming more and more creative content, which requires not so much discipline supported from the outside (boss, foreman, product controller), but self-discipline and self-control. The main controller in this case are conscience, personal responsibility and other moral qualities.

Depending on how property is acquired (by legally and morally acceptable means or criminal) and how it is used, the social significance of the owner can be manifested either with a plus sign or with a minus sign. You probably know examples of such manifestations.

In the process of self-realization as a consumer, either healthy needs (sports, tourism, cultural leisure) or unhealthy needs (need for alcohol, drugs) are also formed.

The level of development of the main elements of economic culture, in turn, determines the nature and effectiveness of economic activity.

Question 8. What are the difficulties experienced by the new economy in Russia?

Firstly, almost a huge part of the Russian economy depends on the prices of energy resources and minerals in the world markets, as a result, if their prices go down, the Russian economy will lose quite a lot of money.

Secondly, there is a significant stratification of society. The formation of the "middle class" is taking place at an extremely low pace, despite the fact that many people have good incomes, many of them are not sure about the future.

Third: Corruption in Russia continues

Fourth: is the development of small businesses.

TASKS

Question 1. Economist F. Hayek wrote: “In a competitive society, the poor have much more limited opportunities than the rich, and yet the poor in such a society are much freer than the person with much better financial position in a different kind of society. Do you agree with this statement?

A person with low material wealth is much more mobile. Nothing is holding him. He can drop everything and leave at any moment (since he has nothing to throw). A rich man is chained to his source of wealth, he is vulnerable to external changes. The rich need to work much harder to maintain and increase their wealth. Stopping the accumulation of capital will lead him to poverty.

Question 2. These are the lines from a letter from your peer to the editor of the newspaper: “Only the mind, only a sober calculation - that's what you need in life. Rely only on yourself, then you will achieve everything. And believe less in the so-called feelings, which also do not exist. Rationalism, dynamism - these are the ideals of our era. What can you agree or disagree with the author of the letter?

One can agree with the author of the letter, but I would highlight the contradictions in the letter. Many problems are not easy to solve with reason (rationalism). Problems sometimes need to be solved physically. And in life, not only the mind is needed. Still, there must be a spark of romanticism in life for a person to achieve success with his soul. Dynamism in the character of today's man must undoubtedly be present, because this is the main feature of a person's desire to win. Hope only for yourself always invigorates a person.

Question 3. “Freedom can only be preserved where it is conscious and where responsibility for it is felt,” states German philosopher 20th century K. Jaspers. Can we agree with the scientist? Give examples to support his idea. List your top three values free man.

Freedom is associated with the presence of a person's free will. Free will imposes responsibility on a person and imputes his words and deeds to merit. Freedom gives rise to responsibility primarily for oneself, for one's actions, thoughts and deeds. Responsibility grants freedom to a person: a simple example - when a person is held accountable for his activities, then the Criminal Code is not terrible for him. If everyone thinks that freedom is only the absence of restrictions, then there will be chaos in the world.

The values of a free person: development, freedom of action, freedom of thought.

Question 4. International experts put Russia in 149th place in the world in terms of investment reliability. So, according to domestic experts, more than 80% of Russian businessmen believe that it is better not to break the law. But in practice, more than 90% are faced with optional partners. At the same time, only 60% of them feel guilty. How do you feel about the existence of double morality among the participants in economic relations - for yourself and for a partner? Is it possible to create in the country a system of protection and support for economic behavior that is characterized as reliable, predictable and credible? What would you suggest to do for this?

Often, Russian businessmen have negative economic qualities (waste, mismanagement, grabbing, fraud) outweigh the positive ones. The system of protection and support of economic behavior can and is possible, but first of all, it is necessary to educate the moral principles of future entrepreneurs so that momentary profit is not a priority. It is necessary to raise the level of ethics and economic culture of the individual. The state should provide economic freedom, but with real legal regulation. Participants in economic activity must consciously comply with the moral and legal requirements of society and be responsible for their activities. What can be offered? From childhood, to form the correct moral and ethical standards, for enterprises implementing environmental safety programs, paying attention to the development of their employees, their safety and improving labor protection, introducing new technologies, there should be some kind of incentive in the form of state support, tax benefits. It is also necessary to pay serious attention to economic crimes (so that there is a real punishment for misconduct), the impossibility of evading responsibility.

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTER 1

Question 1. How are the economy and other areas interrelated? public life?

The economic sphere is a set of relations between people that arise during the creation and movement of material goods.

The economic sphere is the area of production, exchange, distribution, consumption of goods and services. In order to produce something, people, tools, machines, materials, etc. are needed. - productive forces. In the process of production, and then exchange, distribution, consumption, people enter into a variety of relations with each other and with the product - relations of production. Production relations and productive forces together constitute the economic sphere of the life of society: productive forces - people (labor force), tools of labor, objects of labor; production relations - production, distribution, consumption, exchange.

The spheres of public life are closely interconnected. In the history of the social sciences, there have been attempts to single out any sphere of life as determining in relation to others.

Within the framework of real social phenomena, elements of all spheres are combined. For example, the nature of economic relations can influence the structure social structure. Place in the social hierarchy forms certain Political Views, opens appropriate access to education and other spiritual values. The economic relations themselves are determined by the legal system of the country, which is very often formed on the basis of the spiritual culture of the people, their traditions in the field of religion and morality. Thus, at various stages historical development influence of any sphere can be amplified.

Question 2. What does economics study?

Economics is the science of the economy, management, relations between people, as well as people and the environment, arising in the process of production, distribution, exchange, consumption of a product, goods, services. Combines features of exact and descriptive sciences.

Economics is a social science. It studies a certain side of the life of society and as such is closely related to others. social sciences: history, sociology, political science, psychology, jurisprudence, etc. In particular, the connection between economics and jurisprudence is due to the fact that in the economic life of society, economic and legal relations are closely intertwined. The economy cannot function normally without an appropriate legal framework - a set of rules governing the activities of economic entities both at the micro and macro levels. At the same time, the very need for appropriate legal norms is generated by the changes taking place in the economic life of society.

Question 3. What is the role of economic activity in society?

Economic activity (economy) plays a huge role in the life of society. First, it provides people with the material conditions of existence - food, clothing, housing and other consumer goods. Secondly, the economic sphere of society's life is a system-forming component of society, a decisive sphere of its life that determines the course of all processes taking place in society. It is studied by many sciences, among which the most important are economic theory and social philosophy. It should also be noted that such a relatively new science as ergonomics, it studies a person and his production activities, with the goal of optimizing tools, conditions and the labor process.

Question 4. How can the producer and consumer make a rational economic choice?

In order for the consumer to make the right choice, he must check and compare all possible offers on the market. Compare price and quality.

In order for the manufacturer to make the right choice, he must check the market for demand for a particular product in the place where he plans to sell it. Also check the solvency of the population in the region.

Question 5. Why is economic growth one of the criteria for progress and economic development?

Economic growth is an increase in the volume of production in national economy over a specified period of time (usually a year).

Economic growth is understood as the development of the national economy, in which the real volume of production (GDP) increases. A measure of economic growth is the growth rate of real GDP as a whole or per capita.

Economic growth is called extensive if it does not change the average productivity of labor in society. When GDP growth outpaces the growth in the number of people employed in manufacturing, intensive growth takes place. Intensive economic growth is the basis for the growth of the welfare of the population and a condition for reducing differentiation in the incomes of various social strata.

Question 6. What are the features of market regulation of the economy?

With this method of trading, entrepreneurs must compete, which favorably affects the price of goods, sooner or later it decreases. Like in a real market or bazaar.

If there is an overabundance of a certain product on the market, then they simply will not buy it and will not produce it. Everything is regulated in this way.

In addition, in a developed state, there are systems that do not allow entrepreneurs to collude and keep high prices. So, ultimately, market relations are beneficial to buyers.

Question 7. How to make production efficient?

An economically efficient method of production is considered to be one in which the firm cannot increase output without increasing the cost of resources and at the same time cannot provide the same output using fewer resources of one type and without increasing the cost of other resources.

Production efficiency is the sum of the efficiency of all operating enterprises. The efficiency of the enterprise is characterized by the production of goods or services at the lowest cost. It is expressed in its ability to produce the maximum amount of products of acceptable quality at minimal cost and sell these products at the lowest cost. The economic efficiency of an enterprise, in contrast to its technical efficiency, depends on how well its products meet market requirements and consumer demands.

Question 8. What is necessary for business success?

IN modern society For a successful business, you need start-up capital.

You need to set a goal, make a plan and start implementing it. To be successful in business, you need to have certain personal qualities: the ability to communicate with people, connections (requires support influential people), intelligence and luck. To achieve certain results, you need to be consistent and constant in your actions, have patience and fortitude. Constantly grow and improve.

Question 9. What laws regulate entrepreneurial activity?

Regulatory legal acts regulating entrepreneurial activity at the federal level:

Federal Regulations: Constitution Russian Federation.

Codes: Budget Code of the Russian Federation; Tax Code of the Russian Federation; Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Federal Law of July 24, 2007 No. 209-FZ "On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation";

Federal Law of February 25, 1999 No. 39-FZ "On investment activity in the Russian Federation, carried out in the form of capital investments”;

Federal Law of the Russian Federation of August 08, 2001 No. 128-FZ "On Licensing certain types activities";

Federal Law of December 26, 2008 No. 294-FZ "On the Protection of the Rights legal entities And individual entrepreneurs in the exercise of state control (supervision) and municipal control”;

Federal Law No. 271-FZ of December 30, 2007 “On Retail Markets and Amendments to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation”;

Federal Law No. 59-FZ of May 2, 2006 “On the Procedure for Considering Appeals from Citizens of the Russian Federation”;

Federal Law of August 08, 2001 No. 129-FZ “On State Registration of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs”;

Federal Law No. 14-FZ of February 8, 1998 "On Limited Liability Companies".

Question 10. How modern state participates in solving the economic problems of society?

State regulation of the economy - a set of measures, actions used by the state for corrections and the establishment of basic economic processes.

State regulation of the economy in a market economy is a system of standard measures of a legislative, executive and supervisory nature, carried out by authorized government agencies and public organizations in order to stabilize and adapt the existing socio-economic system to changing conditions.

The main goals of state regulation of the economy include:

Minimizing the inevitable negative consequences market processes;

Creation of financial, legal and social prerequisites for the effective functioning of a market economy;

Ensuring social protection of those groups of the market society whose position in a particular economic situation becomes the most vulnerable.

Question 11. Who regulates and how cash flows in economics?

In a capitalist economy, capital flows from industries with lower rates of return to industries with higher rates of return through the financial instruments of stocks, bonds and equity participation in business, as well as through direct real investment.

The state indirectly regulates these flows through changes in the refinancing rate, government orders, etc.

Question 12. Why does the economy need a labor market?

The labor market is an economic environment in which, as a result of competition between economic agents, a certain amount of employment and wages are established through the mechanism of supply and demand.

The functions of the labor market are determined by the role of labor in the life of society. From an economic point of view, labor is the most important production resource. In accordance with this, two main functions of the labor market are distinguished:

Social function - is to ensure a normal level of income and well-being of people, a normal level of reproduction of the productive abilities of workers.

The economic function of the labor market is the rational involvement, distribution, regulation and use of labor.

The demand for labor is determined by the needs of employers to hire a certain number of workers with the necessary qualifications for the production of goods and services.

The demand for labor is in inverse relationship from the real rate wages, which is defined as the ratio of nominal wages to the price level. In a competitive labor market, the demand curve for labor has a negative slope: as the general level of wages rises, the demand for labor falls.

The supply of labor is determined by the size of the population, the share of the able-bodied population in it, the average number of hours worked by a worker per year, the quality of labor and the qualifications of workers.

The supply of labor depends on wages. The labor supply curve has a positive slope: with an increase in the general level of wages, the supply of labor increases.

Question 13. Why do countries have to trade with each other?

International trade is the exchange of goods and services between state-national economies. world trade is the aggregate of foreign trade of all countries of the world.

Countries are forced to trade with each other because they are forced to exchange with each other the missing resources and products of production.

MT determines what is more profitable for the state to produce and under what conditions to exchange the produced product. Thus, it contributes to the expansion and deepening of the MRT, and hence the MT, involving more and more states in them. These relations are objective and universal, i.e. they exist independently of the will of one (group) person and are suitable for any state. They can organize world economy, placing the states depending on the development of foreign trade (BT) in it, on the share that it (BT) occupies in international trade, on the size of the average per capita foreign trade turnover.

Question 14. What is the economic culture of the individual?

Economic culture is a system of values and motives for economic activity, a respectful attitude to any form of ownership and commercial success as a great social achievement, success, rejection of “leveling” moods, creation and development of a social environment for entrepreneurship, etc.

The basis of the economic culture of the individual is consciousness, and economic knowledge is its important component. This knowledge is a set of economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the impact of economic life on the development of society, about the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production, economic relations require a large and constantly growing amount of knowledge from the worker. Economic knowledge forms an idea of economic interrelations in the surrounding world, patterns of development of the economic life of society. On their basis, economic thinking and practical skills of economically competent, morally justified behavior, the economic qualities of a person that are significant in modern conditions, develop.

Question 15. How are economic freedom and social responsibility of economic participants interrelated?

Economic freedom is an opportunity for business entities to choose forms of ownership and the scope of application of their abilities, knowledge, opportunities, profession, methods of income distribution, consumption of material goods.

Social responsibility - the conscious attitude of the subject social activities to the requirements of social necessity, civic duty, social tasks, norms and values, understanding the consequences of ongoing activities for certain social groups.

20. Economic culture. Godbaz10, §14.

20.1. Economic culture: essence and structure.

20.2. Economic relations and interests.

20.3. Economic freedom and responsibility.

20.4. The concept of sustainable development.

20.5. Economic culture and activity.

20.1 . Economic culture: essence and structure.

Cultural development involves the selection of a cultural standard (sample) and consists in following it as much as possible. These standards exist in the field of politics, economics, public relations, and so on. It depends on a person whether he chooses the path of development in accordance with the cultural standard of his era or simply adapts to life circumstances.

Economic culture of society- this is a system of values and motives of economic activity, the level and quality of economic knowledge, assessments and actions of a person, as well as the content of traditions and norms that regulate economic relations and behavior.

Economic culture of personality there is an organic unity of consciousness and practical activity.

The economic culture of the individual can correspond to the economic culture of the society, get ahead of it, but it can also lag behind it, hinder its development.

Structure of economic culture:

1) knowledge (a set of economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods) and practical skills;

2) economic thinking (allows you to know the essence of economic phenomena and processes, operate with learned economic concepts, analyze specific economic situations);

3) economic orientation (needs, interests, motives of human activity in the economic sphere);

4) ways of organizing activities;

5) the norms governing relations and human behavior in it (thrift, discipline, wastefulness, mismanagement, greed, fraud).

20.2 . Economic relations and interests.

Not only the development of production, but also the social balance in society, its stability depends on the nature of economic relations between people (relationships of property, exchange of activities and distribution of goods and services). The economic interests of people act as a reflection of their economic relations. Thus, the economic interests of entrepreneurs (getting the maximum profit) and the hired worker (selling their labor services more expensively and getting a higher salary) are determined by their place in the system of economic relations.

Economic interest- this is the desire of a person to receive the benefits necessary for him to provide for his life and family.

The main content of the economic life of society is the interaction of the economic interests of people. Hence, an important task is to develop ways of optimal combination of their interests, their harmonization. History shows us two levers of influence on people in order to achieve greater productivity - violence and economic interest.

One of the ways of economic cooperation of people, the main means of struggle against human egoism has become the mechanism of the market economy. This mechanism made it possible for humanity to put its own desire for profit into a framework that allows people to constantly cooperate with each other on mutually beneficial terms (Adam Smith on the "invisible hand" of the market).

In search of ways to harmonize the economic interests of the individual and society, various methods of influencing people's consciousness were also used: philosophical teachings, morality, art, religion. This led to the creation of a special element of the economy - business ethics, the observance of which facilitates the conduct of business, the cooperation of people, reducing distrust and hostility. A civilized understanding of entrepreneurial success today is associated, first of all, with moral and ethical, and then with financial aspects => "Being honest is profitable."

20.3 . Economic freedom and responsibility.

Economic freedom includes the freedom to make economic decisions, freedom of economic action. Economic freedom without the regulation of property rights by law or tradition turns into chaos, in which the right of force triumphs. Therefore, state regulation of the market economy often acts as a tool to accelerate its development. The economic freedom of the individual is inseparable from social responsibility. There is contradiction in the nature of economic activity. On the one hand, the desire for maximum profit and selfish protection of private property interests, and on the other hand, the need to take into account the interests and values of society.

Responsibility – a special social and moral-legal attitude of the individual to society as a whole and to other people, which is characterized by the fulfillment of one's moral duty and legal norms. Initially, social responsibility was associated primarily with the observance of laws.

!!! Then, anticipation of the future became its necessary sign (creation of "tomorrow's consumer", ensuring environmental safety, social, political, social stability, raising the level of education and culture). The social responsibility of participants in economic activity today is immeasurably increasing due to the breakthrough of science and technology into the deepest levels of the universe. The aggravation of environmental problems has led to a change in the attitude of entrepreneurs towards the environment.

20.4 . .

In the 1980s, they began to talk about eco-development, development without destruction, the need for sustainable development of ecosystems. On the necessity of transition to "development without destruction". on the need for "sustainable development" in which "meeting the needs of the present does not undermine the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

The concept of sustainable development- such a development of society that allows you to meet the needs of the present generation, without prejudice to future generations to meet their needs.

World Bank experts identified sustainable development as a process of managing a set (portfolio) of assets, aimed at preserving and expanding the opportunities available to people. Assets in this definition include not only traditionally counted physical capital, but also natural and human capital. To be sustainable, development must ensure growth - or at least non-diminishment - over time of all these assets (and not just economic growth!). In accordance with the above definition of sustainable development, the main indicator of sustainability developed by the World Bank is the “true savings rate (rate)” or “true investment rate” in the country. Current approaches to measuring wealth accumulation do not take into account the depletion and degradation of natural resources such as forests and oil fields, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, investment in people - one of the most valuable assets of any country.

The emergence of the concept of sustainable development has undermined the fundamental basis of the traditional economy - unlimited economic growth. Conventional economics argues that profit maximization and consumer satisfaction in a market system is compatible with the maximization of people's well-being, and that market failures can be corrected by public policy. The concept of sustainable development believes that short-term profit maximization and the satisfaction of individual consumers will eventually lead to the depletion of natural and social resources on which the well-being of people and the survival of biological species is based.

In one of the main documents of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) "Agenda for the 21st Century", in chapter 4 (part 1), devoted to changes in the nature of production and consumption, the idea is traced, that it is necessary to go beyond the concept of sustainable development, when it is said that some economists "question the traditional notions of economic growth", and the search is proposed for "patterns of consumption and production that meet the essential needs of mankind."

In fact, it may not be about the immediate cessation of economic growth in general, but about the cessation, at the first stage, of the irrational growth in the use of environmental resources. The latter is difficult to implement in a world of growing competition, the growth of such current indicators of successful economic activity as productivity and profit. At the same time, the transition to the "information society" - the economy of intangible flows of finance, information, images, messages, intellectual property - leads to the so-called "dematerialization" of economic activity: already now the volume of financial transactions exceeds the volume of trade in material goods by 7 times. The new economy is driven not only by a scarcity of material (and natural) resources, but increasingly by an abundance of information and knowledge resources.

20.5 . Economic culture and economic activity.

The level of economic culture of the individual affects the success of the social roles of the producer, owner, consumer. Under the conditions of the transition to a new, information-computer mode of production, the worker is required not only a high level of training, but also high morality, a high level of general culture. Modern work requires not so much externally supported discipline as self-discipline and self-control. The Japanese economy can serve as an example of the dependence of the effectiveness of economic activity on the level of development of economic culture. There is a rejection of selfish behavior in favor of behavior based on rules and concepts such as "duty", "loyalty", " good will» contributed to the achievement of individual and group efficiency and led to industrial progress.

Cultural development involves the selection of a cultural standard (sample) and consists in following it as much as possible.

These standards exist in the field of politics, economics, social relations, etc. It depends on a person whether he chooses the path of development in accordance with the cultural standard of his era or simply adapts to life circumstances. But he cannot evade his own choice. To make the choice more conscious in such a field of activity as the economy, acquaintance with economic culture will help you.

The economic culture of a society is a system of values and motives for economic activity, the level and quality of economic knowledge, assessments and actions of a person, as well as the content of traditions and norms that regulate economic relations and behavior. The economic culture of the individual is an organic unity of consciousness and practical activity. It determines the creative direction of human economic activity in the process of production, distribution and consumption. The economic culture of the individual can correspond to the economic culture of society, get ahead of it, but it can also lag behind it, hinder its development.

In the structure of economic culture, the most important elements can be identified: knowledge and practical skills, economic orientation, ways of organizing activities, norms governing relations and human behavior in it.

The basis of the economic culture of the individual is consciousness, and economic knowledge is its important component. This knowledge is a set of economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the impact of economic life on the development of society, about the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production, economic relations require a large and constantly growing amount of knowledge from the worker. Economic knowledge forms an idea of economic interrelations in the surrounding world, patterns of development of the economic life of society. On their basis, economic thinking and practical skills of economically competent, morally justified behavior, which are significant in modern conditions, develop economic qualities of the individual.

A person actively uses the accumulated knowledge in everyday activities, therefore, economic thinking is an important component of its economic culture. It allows you to learn the essence of economic phenomena and processes, to operate with learned economic concepts, to analyze specific economic situations. Knowledge of modern economic reality is an analysis of economic laws (for example, the operation of the laws of supply and demand), the essence of various economic phenomena (for example, the causes and consequences of inflation, unemployment, etc.), economic relations (for example, employer and employee, creditor and the borrower), links of economic life with other spheres of society.

The choice of behavioral standards in the economy, the effectiveness of solving economic problems largely depend on the socio-psychological qualities of participants in economic activity. Among them, it is necessary to single out such an important element of economic culture as the economic orientation of the individual, the components of which are the needs, interests and motives of human activity in the economic sphere. The orientation of the personality includes a social attitude and socially significant values. Thus, in the reformed Russian society, social attitudes are being formed to study
modern economic theory (this is required by the transition to new, market conditions of management), active participation in the management of production (this is facilitated by the provision of economic freedom to business entities and the emergence of enterprises based on private ownership), participation in solving various economic problems. The system of value orientations of the individual has also been developed, including economic freedom, competition, respect for any form of ownership, commercial success as a great social achievement.

Social attitudes play an important role in the development of the economic culture of the individual. A person who, for example, has a mindset for creative work, participates in activities with great interest, supports innovative projects, introduces technical achievements, etc. A formed mindset for a formal attitude to work will not give such results. (Give examples of the manifestation of various attitudes to work known to you, compare the results of their action.) If a person has a social attitude to consume more than to produce, then he subordinates his activity only to hoarding, acquisitiveness, etc.

The economic culture of a person can be traced through the totality of his personal properties and qualities, which are a certain result of his participation in the activity. Such qualities include diligence, responsibility, prudence, the ability to rationally organize one's work, enterprise, innovation, etc. The economic qualities of a person and the norms of behavior can be both positive (thrift, discipline) and negative (waste, mismanagement, extortion, fraud ). Based on the totality of economic qualities, one can assess the level of economic culture of an individual.

ECONOMIC RELATIONS AND INTERESTS

Economic relations are an important manifestation of economic culture. The nature of economic relations between people (relationships of property, exchange of activities and distribution of goods and services) determines not only the development of production, but also the social balance in society, its stability. Their content is directly related to the solution of the problem of social justice, when each person and social group gets the opportunity to enjoy social benefits depending on the social usefulness of their activity, its necessity for other people, society.

The economic interests of people act as a reflection of their economic relations. Thus, the economic interests of an entrepreneur (maximizing profits) and a hired worker (selling their labor services at a higher price and getting a higher salary) are determined by their place in the system of economic relations. (Think about how the economic interests of a doctor, scientist, farmer are determined by the content and place in existing economic relations.) Economic interest is the desire of a person to obtain the benefits he needs to provide for his life and family. Interests express ways and means of satisfying people's needs. For example, making a profit (which is the economic interest of the entrepreneur) is the way to satisfy the personal needs of a person and the needs of production. Interest is the direct cause of human actions.

The need to resolve the contradiction between the natural human desire to save own forces and the satisfaction of growing needs forced people to organize the economy in such a way that it encouraged them to work intensively and through labor to achieve an increase in their well-being. History shows us two levers of influence on people in order to achieve greater labor productivity (and, accordingly, greater satisfaction of their needs) - this is violence and economic interest. Centuries-old practice has convinced mankind that violence is not the best way of economic cooperation and increasing labor productivity. At the same time, there is a need for such ways of organizing joint life that would guarantee the right of everyone to act according to their own benefit, realizing their own interests, but at the same time their actions would contribute to the growth of the well-being of everyone and not infringe on the rights of other people.

One of the ways of economic cooperation of people, the main means of struggle against human egoism has become the mechanism of the market economy. This mechanism has made it possible for humanity to put its own desire for profit into a framework that allows people to constantly cooperate with each other on mutually beneficial terms. (Remember how the invisible hand of the market works.)

In search of ways to harmonize the economic interests of the individual and society, various forms impact on people's minds: philosophical teachings, morality, art, religion. They played big role in the formation of a special element of the economy - business ethics, revealing the norms and rules of conduct in economic activity. These norms are an important element of economic culture, their observance facilitates the conduct of business, the cooperation of people, reducing mistrust and hostility.

If we turn to history, we will see that, for example, the Russian school of economic thought was characterized by the recognition of the priority of the common good over individual interest, the role of spiritual and moral principles in the development of initiative and entrepreneurial ethics. So, the Russian scientist-economist, professor d. i. Pikhto called the cultural and historical forces of the people one of the factors of production influencing economic development. He considered the most important of these forces to be morals and customs, morality, education, the spirit of enterprise, legislation, the state and social system of life. Academician I. I. Yanzhul, who published in 1912 the book “The Economic Significance of Honesty (Forgotten Factor of Production)”, wrote in it that “none of the virtues that create greatest wealth in a country, has no such great importance as honesty ... Therefore, all civilized states consider it their duty to ensure the existence of this virtue with the most stringent laws and require their implementation. Here of course: 1) honesty
as the fulfillment of a promise; 2) honesty as respect for someone else's property; 3) honesty as respect for other people's rights; 4) honesty as respect for existing laws and moral rules.

Today, in countries with developed market economies, the moral aspects of economic activity are given serious attention. Ethics is taught in most business schools, and many corporations adopt codes of ethics. Interest in ethics stems from the understanding of the harm that unethical, dishonest business behavior causes to society. A civilized understanding of entrepreneurial success today is also associated primarily with moral and ethical, and then with financial aspects. But what makes an entrepreneur, who seems to be interested only in making a profit, think about morality and the good of the whole society? A partial answer can be found in the American automobile manufacturer, entrepreneur G. Ford, who put the idea of serving society at the forefront of entrepreneurial activity: “Doing business on the basis of pure profit is an extremely risky enterprise ... The task of an enterprise is to produce for consumption, for profit and speculation ... It is worthwhile to realize to the people that the manufacturer does not serve them, and the end of it is not far off. Favorable prospects for every entrepreneur open up when the basis of his activity is not just the desire to "make big money", but to earn it, focusing on the needs of people, and the more specific this orientation is, the more success this activity will bring.

An entrepreneur must remember that unscrupulous business will receive a corresponding reaction from society. His personal prestige, the authority of the company will fall, which, in turn, will call into question the quality of the goods and services he offers. Ultimately, his profits will be at stake. For these reasons, in a market economy, the slogan “Being honest is profitable” is becoming increasingly popular. The practice of management itself educates a person, focusing on the choice of a standard of behavior. Entrepreneurship forms such economically and morally valuable qualities of a person as responsibility, independence, prudence (the ability to navigate in an environment, correlate one’s desires with the desires of other people, goals - with the means to achieve them), high efficiency, creativity to the point, etc.

However, the social conditions that prevailed in Russia in the 1990s - economic, political, social instability, the lack of experience of economic amateur activity among the majority of the population - made it difficult to develop a civilized type of economic activity. Real moral and psychological relations in entrepreneurship and other forms of economic activity are still far from ideal today. The desire for easy money, indifference to public interests, dishonesty, promiscuity are quite often associated in the minds of Russians with the moral character of modern business people. There is reason to hope that the new generation, who grew up in conditions of economic freedom, will form new values related not only to material well-being but also with ethical principles of activity.

ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The word “freedom”, already familiar to you, can be considered with different positions: protection of a person from undesirable influence, violence; the ability to act of one's own free will and in accordance with a perceived need; availability of alternatives, possibility of choice, pluralism. What is economic freedom?

Economic freedom includes the freedom to make economic decisions, the freedom of economic action. The individual (and only he) has the right to decide which type of activity is preferable for him (employment, entrepreneurship, etc.), which form of proprietary participation seems more appropriate to him, in which area and in which region of the country he will show his activity. The basis of the market, as you know, is the principle of economic freedom. The consumer is free to choose a product, manufacturer, forms of consumption. The manufacturer is free to choose the type of activity, its scope and forms.

The market economy is often referred to as a free enterprise economy. What does the word "Free" mean? The economic freedom of an entrepreneur, according to scientists, implies that he has a certain set of rights that guarantee autonomy, independent decision-making on the search and choice of the type, form and scope of economic activity, methods of its implementation, the use of the produced product and the profit received.

Human economic freedom has gone through an evolutionary path. Throughout history, its ebb and flow has occurred, various aspects of human bondage in production have been exposed: personal dependence, material dependence (including the debtor from the creditor), the pressure of external circumstances (crop failure, unfavorable economic situation on the market, etc.). Social development, as it were, balances between, on the one hand, greater personal freedom, but with a high degree of economic risk, and, on the other hand, greater economic security, but with vassalage.

Experience shows that the principle of "nothing beyond measure" applies to the ratio of different aspects of economic freedom. Otherwise, neither freedom of creativity nor guaranteed well-being is achieved. Economic freedom without the regulation of property rights by law or tradition passes into chaos, in which the right of force triumphs. At the same time, for example, a command-administrative economy that claims to be exempt from the power of chance and limits economic initiative is doomed to stagnation in development.

The boundaries within which economic freedom serves the efficiency of production are determined by specific historical circumstances. Thus, a modern market economy, as a rule, does not need systematic, brutal violence, which is its advantage. However, the restriction of market freedom for the sake of strengthening the economic situation is practiced in our time. For example, state regulation of a market economy often acts as a tool to accelerate its development. (Remember what methods of regulation the state uses.) The growth of production ensured in this way can become the basis for strengthening the sovereignty of the individual. After all, freedom also needs a material basis: for a hungry person, self-expression means first of all the satisfaction of hunger, and only then its other possibilities.

Responsibility is a special social and moral-legal attitude of an individual to society as a whole and to other people, which is characterized by the fulfillment of one's moral duty and legal norms. The idea of corporate social responsibility, for example, became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States and then in other countries. It assumes that an entrepreneur should be guided not only by personal economic interests, but also by the interests of society as a whole. Initially, social responsibility was associated primarily with the observance of laws. Then its necessary sign was the anticipation of the future. Specifically, this could be expressed in the formation of the consumer (American manufacturers set the goal of business to create "tomorrow's consumer"), ensuring environmental safety. Social, political stability of society, raising the level of education and culture.

The ability of participants in economic activity to consciously fulfill the moral and legal requirements of society and be responsible for their activities today immeasurably increases due to the breakthrough of science and technology into the deep levels of the universe (the use of intra-atomic and other energies, the discovery of molecular biology, genetic engineering). Here, every careless step can become dangerous for humanity. Remember the catastrophic consequences of man's invasion of the natural environment with the help of science.

For many years, industrial activity in most countries was characterized mainly by the unsustainable use of raw materials and a high degree of environmental pollution. There was a very widespread opinion in the world that entrepreneurship and environmental protection are incompatible. Profit-making was tied to the merciless exploitation and destruction of natural resources, and environmental improvements led to lower incomes for entrepreneurs and higher prices for consumer goods. Therefore, it is not surprising that the reaction of business to the requirements to comply with environmental standards was often negative, and the implementation of these requirements was not voluntary (with the help of laws, administrative control). However, the strengthening of the global environmental movement, the development of the concept and principles of sustainable development contributed to a change in the attitude of entrepreneurs towards the environment. Sustainable development is the development of a society that satisfies the needs of the present generation without compromising future generations to meet their needs. An important step in this direction was the creation of the Business Council for Sustainable Development at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, which included representatives of many of the world's largest transnational companies. These companies and individual entrepreneurs who have adopted the principles of sustainable development are effectively using improved production processes, striving to meet environmental requirements (prevention of pollution, reduction of production waste, etc.) and make the best use of market opportunities. Such companies and businessmen gain advantages over competitors who do not use new approaches to entrepreneurial activity. As world experience shows, a combination of entrepreneurial activity, economic growth and environmental safety is possible.

In modern Russia, the level of environmental consciousness in the business environment is still quite low. Thus, by mid-1995, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, only about 18,000 of the 800,000 registered small and medium-sized enterprises provided for environmental activities in their charters. And only 20% of them act in this direction. Improving the quality of life of Russians largely depends on how the economy and the environment will complement each other. To do this, it is necessary to combine legal and control methods with economic mechanisms and self-control of entrepreneurs, increasing their social responsibility. Using world experience, Russian entrepreneurs need to develop standards of conduct for national firms in the field of environmental protection and the transition to a sustainable development model.

CONNECTION OF ECONOMIC CULTURE AND ACTIVITIES

Practice proves the close relationship and interdependence of economic culture and economic activity. Ways of organizing activities, the fulfillment by a person of such basic social roles as a producer, consumer, owner, influence the formation and development of all elements of economic culture. In turn, the level of economic culture of the individual undoubtedly affects the effectiveness of economic activity, the success of fulfilling social roles.

One of the most important social roles of the individual is the role of the producer. Under the conditions of the transition to a new, information-computer, technological mode of production, the worker is required not only a high level of educational and professional training, but also high morality, a high level of general culture. Modern work is increasingly filled with creative content, which requires not so much discipline supported from the outside (boss, foreman, product controller), but self-discipline and self-control. The main controller in this case is conscience, personal responsibility and other moral qualities.

The level of development of the main elements of economic culture, in turn, determines the nature and effectiveness of economic activity. An example of this is the Japanese market economy. There, the systematic progression from selfish behavior towards behavior based on rules and concepts such as "duty", "loyalty" and "good will" proved to be crucial for achieving individual and group effectiveness and played essential role in industrial progress.

in Russian society in the 1990s. the ongoing changes led to the rejection of the social and ethical values that had developed under the conditions of the command-administrative system, the destruction of past experience. Creative work often began to be replaced by consumer aspirations and the struggle for survival. Making sense of experience transition period shows that the liberal thinking prevailing in economic policy contributed to the development of a market economy, but at the same time caused unjustified social stratification, an increase in poverty, and a decrease in the quality of life. Many experts believe that this process of liberalization was accompanied by the formation of a new value system, where "everything is decided only by money."

This shift in values confirms the fact that during the transition to the market in our country, fraud took on a large scale. This phenomenon is many-sided, but at the heart of any of its varieties (theft, embezzlement, forgery, forgery of documents, fraud, etc.) lies the malicious appropriation of someone else's property, regardless of the form in which it appears: money (for example, the activity of financial pyramids ), other material values, intellectual developments, etc. In 1998 alone, about 150 thousand economic crimes were revealed in Russia. The state is forced to take measures to ensure changes in the legal and economic conditions that are favorable for business, to establish public control over the activities of economic entities within the boundaries of the “legal field”, to look for ways to protect the population from financial fraudsters, protect savings, and the very institution of private property.

The process of forming the values of the new economy in Russia continues, which is illustrated by the following two polar judgments in relation to the market economy. The first of them reads: “The principle of utility destroys the conscience, dries up the moral feelings of a person. Private property binds a person to itself in such a way that it separates him from other people. The market, with its deification of economic freedom, is incompatible with true equality, and therefore the entire market society is inherently both anti-democratic and anti-people.” The second states: “Under civilized market relations, the seeming incompatibility of “interest” and “ideal”, material abundance and spirituality is overcome. It is privatized property that makes a person independent, serves as a reliable guarantor of his freedom. The requirements of the market establish immutable standards of honesty, integrity and trust in the quality mandatory conditions efficiency business relations. Competition is a harsh thing, but it is a struggle according to rules, the observance of which is vigilantly controlled by public opinion. The secret of democracy lies above all in freedom - economic, political and intellectual. And equality in poverty inevitably leads to a crisis of public morality.” Which of the judgments is more reasonable - you decide.

The changes taking place in the country have put a person and society before a choice options development. This choice takes place not only in politics and economics, but also in the socio-cultural sphere, on which the direction of life, its value orientations, and the stability of any human community largely depend.

PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS

1 When engaging in a particular practical economic activity, use economic knowledge and the norms of economic culture to make the right choice and make a decision that is optimal for the success of your business.

2 Expand your economic outlook, follow the socio-economic changes taking place in society, which will help you fulfill your responsibilities as a citizen. As a voter, by participating in elections, you will be able to influence economic policy states.

3 Determine your position in relation to such negative phenomena as the cult of profit, money, deception and embezzlement of other people's property, unfair competition.

4 Try to refuse from uncivilized forms of participation in economic life, from "playing against the rules." When making a decision, not only weigh it on the scales of the mind, but also listen to the natural judge - conscience.

5 Cultivate economically significant qualities that will help you gain greater resilience and competitiveness: efficiency and enterprise, initiative and independence, the need to achieve success and social responsibility, creative activity.

Document

From the work of the Russian statesman, doctor of economic sciences E. S. Stroev "State, society and reforms in Russia".

IN turning points, like the current one, it is extremely dangerous to stop, limit ourselves to ... a dump filled with various fragments of political, economic and former socio-cultural accumulations.

Pitirim Sorokin drew attention to this phenomenon long ago: “... Any people, society or nation that cannot create a new socio-cultural order instead of the one that has collapsed, ceases to be the leading “historical” people or nation and simply turns into “economic human material”. that will be absorbed and used by other, more creative societies and nations."

This provision is a warning for Russia and other countries that are part of the area of its interests, since now science, culture, education, morality, ideology here are increasingly reminiscent of a "historical dump" of heterogeneous, incompatible socio-cultural types, and the energy of creative transformations to some extent resides in stagnation.

Questions and tasks for the document

1. What does the author warn the Russian society about? What choice should it make and why?
2. Does Russia need a new socio-cultural order?
3. What past cultural accumulations associated with the command economy could be sent to the “historical dustbin”?
4. Based on the text of the paragraph, suggest the values of the "new economy", which would become significant elements of the economic culture of the 21st century.

SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS

1. What are the main elements of economic culture?
2. What is the significance of the economic orientation and social attitudes of the individual?
3. Is self-interest the only basis for economic choice?
4. What determines a person's choice of the standard of economic behavior?
5. Should economic freedom be restricted?
6. Is a “voluntary marriage” between economy and ecology possible?
7. What is the essence and significance of economically competent and morally valuable human behavior in the economy?
8. What are the challenges facing the new economy in Russia?

TASKS

1 What words do you associate with market relations in Russian economy: anarchy, economic
efficiency, barbarity, honesty, social partnership, deceit, stability, justice, legality, profit, rationality? Illustrate with examples and justify your choice.

2. These lines are from a letter from your peer to the editorial office of the newspaper: “Only the mind, only a sober calculation - that's what you need in life. Rely only on yourself, then you will achieve everything. And believe less in the so-called feelings, which also do not exist. Rationalism, dynamism - these are the ideals of our era. What can you agree or disagree with the author of the letter?

3. “Freedom can be preserved only where it is conscious and where responsibility for it is felt,” says the German philosopher of the twentieth century. K. Jaspers. Can we agree with scientists? Give examples to support his idea. Name the three main, in your opinion, values of a free person.

4. International experts rank Russia 149th in the world in terms of investment reliability. So, according to domestic experts, more than 80% of Russian businessmen believe that it is better not to break the law. But in practice, more than 90% are faced with optional partners. At the same time, only 60% of them feel guilty. How do you feel about the existence of two morals among the participants in economic relations - for yourself and for a partner? Is it possible to create in the country a system of protection and support for economic behavior that is characterized as reliable, predictable and credible? What would you suggest to do for this?

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Lesson in social science on the topic "Economic culture"

Purpose: to consider the features of economic culture.

Subject: social science.

Date: "____" ____.20___

Teacher: Khamatgaleev E.R.

Message about the topic and purpose of the lesson.

Activation of educational activities.

Does every person need an economic culture? Economic freedom: anarchy or responsibility? Where are the limits of economic freedom? Is it good to be honest? Is Don Quixote Modern?

Presentation of the program material.

Storytelling with elements of conversation

Economic culture: essence and structure

Culture is an attribute of a person, it reflects his development in society. This process of creation by a person of himself takes place in the course of direct activity, through the growth of his material and spiritual equipment. The impact on a person of this activity is different. So, for example, work can not only elevate a person; in conditions when work is of a routine nature, it sucks all the forces - such work leads to the degradation of a person. Culture acts as the result of the confrontation of various, including anti-cultural, tendencies in society.

Cultural development involves the selection of a cultural standard (sample) and consists in following it as much as possible.

These standards exist in the field of politics, economics, social relations, etc. It depends on a person whether he chooses the path of development in accordance with the cultural standard of his era or simply adapts to life circumstances. But he cannot evade the choice itself. To make the choice more conscious in such a field of activity as the economy, acquaintance with economic culture will help you.

The economic culture of a society is a system of values and motives for economic activity, the level and quality of economic knowledge, assessments and actions of a person, as well as the content of traditions and norms that regulate economic relations and behavior. Economic culture of personality represents an organic unity of consciousness and practical activity. It determines the creative direction of human economic activity in the process of production, distribution and consumption. The economic culture of the individual can correspond to the economic culture of the society, get ahead of it, but it can also lag behind it, hinder its development.

The basis of the economic culture of the individual is consciousness, and economic knowledge - its important component. This knowledge is totality economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the impact of economic life on the development of society, about the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production, economic relations require a large and constantly increasing amount of knowledge from the worker. Economic knowledge forms an idea of economic interrelations in the surrounding world, patterns of development of the economic life of society. On their basis, economic thinking and practical skills of economically competent, morally justified behavior, the economic qualities of a person that are significant in modern conditions, develop.

A person actively uses the accumulated knowledge in everyday activities, therefore an important component of its economic culture is economic thinking. It allows you to learn the essence of economic phenomena and processes, to operate with learned economic concepts, to analyze specific economic situations. Knowledge of modern economic reality is an analysis of economic laws (for example, the operation of the laws of supply and demand), the essence of various economic phenomena (for example, the causes and consequences of inflation, unemployment, etc.), economic relations (for example, employer and employee, creditor and the borrower), the links of economic life with other spheres of society.

The choice of standards of behavior in the economy, the effectiveness of solving economic problems largely depend on the socio-psychological qualities of participants in economic activity. Among them, it is necessary to single out such an important element of economic culture as economic focus personality, the components of which are needs, interests And motives human activity in the economic sphere. Personal orientation includes social attitude And socially significant values. So, in the reformed Russian society, social attitudes are being formed to study modern economic theory (this is required by the transition to new, market economic conditions), to active participation in the management of production affairs (this is facilitated by the provision of economic freedom to economic entities and the emergence of enterprises based on private ownership). ), to participate in solving various economic problems. Received its development and the system value orientations personality, including economic freedom, competition, respect for any form of ownership, commercial success as a great social achievement.

Social attitudes play an important role in the development of the economic culture of the individual. A person who has formed, for example, an attitude towards creative work, participates in activities with b O with great interest, supports innovative projects, introduces technical achievements, etc. Such results will not be achieved by a formed attitude towards work. (Give examples of the manifestation of various attitudes to work known to you, compare the results of their action.) If a person has a social attitude to consume more than to produce, then he subordinates his activity only to hoarding, acquisitiveness, etc.

The economic culture of a person can be traced through the totality of his personal properties and qualities, which are a certain result of his participation in activities. Such qualities include diligence, responsibility, prudence, the ability to rationally organize one's work, enterprise, innovation, etc. The economic qualities of a person and norms of behavior can be both positive (thrift, discipline) and negative (waste, mismanagement, extortion, fraud ). Based on the totality of economic qualities, one can assess the level of economic culture of an individual.

Economic relations and interests

An important manifestation of economic culture are economic relations. Not only the development of production, but also the social balance in society, its stability depends on the nature of economic relations between people (relationships of property, exchange of activities and distribution of goods and services). Their content is directly related to the solution of the problem of social justice, when each person and social group gets the opportunity to enjoy social benefits depending on the social usefulness of their activity, its necessity for other people, society.

The economic interests of people act as reflection their economic relations. Thus, the economic interests of an entrepreneur (maximizing profits) and a hired worker (selling their labor services more expensively and receiving a higher salary) are determined by their place in the system of economic relations. (Think about how the economic interests of a doctor, a scientist, a farmer are determined by the content and place in existing economic relations.) Economic interest - This is the desire of a person to receive the benefits he needs to provide for his life and family. Interests express ways and means of satisfying people's needs. For example, making a profit (which is the economic interest of the entrepreneur) is the way to satisfy the personal needs of a person and the needs of production. Interest is the direct cause of human actions.

The need to resolve the contradiction between the natural desire of a person to save his own strength and the satisfaction of growing needs forced people to organize the economy in such a way that it would encourage them to work intensively and through labor to achieve an increase in their well-being. History shows us two levers of influence on people in order to achieve greater labor productivity (and, accordingly, greater satisfaction of their needs) - this is violence and economic interest. Centuries-old practice has convinced humanity that violence is not the best way for economic cooperation and increasing labor productivity. At the same time, there is a need for such ways of organizing joint life that would guarantee the right of everyone to act according to their own benefit, realizing their own interests, but at the same time their actions would contribute to the growth of the well-being of everyone and not infringe on the rights of other people.

One of the ways of economic cooperation of people, the main means of struggle against human egoism has become the mechanism of the market economy. This mechanism made it possible for humanity to put its own desire for profit into a framework that allows people to constantly cooperate with each other on mutually beneficial terms. (Remember how the invisible hand of the market works.)

In search of ways to harmonize the economic interests of the individual and society, various forms of influence on people's consciousness were also involved: philosophical teachings, moral norms, art, religion. They played a big role in the formation of a special element of the economy - business ethics, revealing the norms and rules of conduct in economic activity. These norms are an important element of economic culture, their observance facilitates the conduct of business, the cooperation of people, reducing mistrust and hostility.

If we turn to history, we will see that, for example, the Russian school of economic thought was characterized by the recognition of the priority of the common good over individual interest, the role of spiritual and moral principles in the development of initiative and entrepreneurial ethics. Thus, the Russian scientist-economist, Professor D. I. Pikhto, called the cultural and historical forces of the people one of the factors of production influencing economic development. He considered the most important of these forces to be morals and customs, morality, education, the spirit of enterprise, legislation, the state and social system of life. Academician I. I. Yanzhul, who published the book “The Economic Significance of Honesty (Forgotten Factor of Production)” in 1912, wrote in it that “none of the virtues that create the greatest wealth in the country is of such great importance as honesty ... Therefore, all civilized states consider it their duty to ensure the existence of this virtue with the most stringent laws and require their implementation. Here it is clear: 1) honesty as the fulfillment of a promise; 2) honesty as respect for someone else's property; 3) honesty as respect for existing laws and moral rules.

Today, in countries with developed market economies, the moral aspects of economic activity are given serious attention. Ethics is taught in most business schools, and many corporations adopt codes of ethics. Interest in ethics is due to the understanding of the harm that unethical, dishonest business behavior causes to society. A civilized understanding of entrepreneurial success today is also associated, first of all, with moral and ethical, and then with financial aspects. But what makes an entrepreneur, who seems to be interested only in making a profit, think about morality and the good of the whole society? A partial answer can be found in the American automobile manufacturer, entrepreneur G. Ford, who put the idea of serving society at the forefront of entrepreneurial activity: “Doing business on the basis of pure profit is an extremely risky enterprise ... The task of an enterprise is to produce for consumption, speculation ... It is worthwhile to realize to the people that the manufacturer does not serve him, and his end is not far off. Favorable prospects for every entrepreneur open up when the basis of his activity is not just the desire to "make big money", but to earn it, focusing on the needs of people, and the more specific this orientation is, the more success this activity will bring.

An entrepreneur must remember that unscrupulous business will receive a corresponding reaction from society. His personal prestige, the authority of the company will fall, which, in turn, will cast doubt on the quality of the goods and services he offers. Ultimately, his profits will be at stake. For these reasons, in a market economy, the slogan “Being honest is profitable” is becoming increasingly popular. The practice of management itself educates a person, focusing on the choice of a standard of behavior. Entrepreneurship forms such economically and morally valuable qualities of a person as responsibility, independence, prudence (the ability to navigate the environment, correlate one’s desires with the desires of other people, goals - with the means to achieve them), high efficiency, creative approach to business, etc.

However, the social conditions that prevailed in Russia in the 1990s - economic, political, social instability, the lack of experience of economic amateur activity among the majority of the population - made it difficult to develop a civilized type of economic activity. Real moral and psychological relations in entrepreneurship and other forms of economic activity are still far from ideal today. The desire for easy money, indifference to public interests, dishonesty, promiscuity are quite often associated in the minds of Russians with the moral character of modern business people. There is reason to hope that the new generation, having grown up in conditions of economic freedom, will form new values associated not only with material well-being, but also with the ethical principles of activity.

Economic freedom and social responsibility

The word “freedom”, already familiar to you, can be considered from different positions: the protection of a person from undesirable influence, violence; the ability to act of one's own free will and in accordance with a perceived need; availability of alternatives, possibility of choice, pluralism. What is economic freedom?

economic freedom includes the freedom to make economic decisions, freedom of economic action. The individual (and only he) has the right to decide which type of activity is preferable for him (employment, entrepreneurship, etc.), which form of proprietary participation seems more appropriate to him, in which area and in which region of the country he will show his activity. The basis of the market, as you know, is the principle of economic freedom. The consumer is free to choose a product, manufacturer, forms of consumption. The manufacturer is free to choose the type of activity, its volume and forms.

The market economy is often referred to as the economy free enterprise. What does the word "free" mean? The economic freedom of an entrepreneur, according to scientists, suggests that he has a certain set of rights guaranteeing autonomy, independent decision-making on the search and choice of the type, form and scope of economic activity, methods of its implementation, the use of the produced product and the profit received.

Human economic freedom has gone through an evolutionary path. Throughout history, its ebb and flow has occurred, various aspects of human bondage in production have been exposed: personal dependence, material dependence (including the debtor from the creditor), the pressure of external circumstances (crop failure, unfavorable economic situation on the market, etc.). Social development, as it were, balances between, on the one hand, greater personal freedom, but with a high degree of economic risk, on the other hand, greater economic security, but with vassalage.

Experience shows that the principle of "nothing beyond measure" is applicable to the ratio of different aspects of economic freedom. Otherwise, neither freedom of creativity nor guaranteed well-being is achieved. Economic freedom without the regulation of property rights by law or tradition turns into chaos, in which the right of force triumphs. At the same time, for example, a command-administrative economy that claims to be exempt from the power of chance and limits economic initiative is doomed to stagnation in development.

The boundaries within which economic freedom serves the efficiency of production are determined by concrete historical circumstances. Thus, a modern market economy, as a rule, does not need systematic, brutal violence, which is its advantage. However, the restriction of market freedom for the sake of O cheniya economic situation is practiced in our time. For example, state regulation of a market economy often acts as a tool to accelerate its development. (Remember what methods of regulation the state uses.) The growth of production ensured in this way can become the basis for strengthening the sovereignty of the individual. After all, freedom also needs a material basis: for a hungry person, self-expression means, first of all, satisfying hunger, and only then its other possibilities.

The economic freedom of the individual is inseparable from his social responsibility. Theorists and practitioners of economics initially drew attention to the contradiction inherent in the nature of economic activity. On the one hand, the desire for maximum profit and the selfish protection of private property interests, and on the other hand, the need to take into account the interests and values of society, that is, to show social responsibility.

Responsibility - a special social and moral-legal relationship of the individual to society as a whole and to other people, which is characterized by the fulfillment of its moral duty And legal norms. The idea of corporate social responsibility, for example, became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s. in the US and later in other countries. It assumes that an entrepreneur should be guided not only by personal economic interests, but also by the interests of society as a whole. Initially, social responsibility was associated, first of all, with the observance of laws. Then its necessary sign was the anticipation of the future. Specifically, this could be expressed in the formation of the consumer (American manufacturers set the goal of business to create "tomorrow's consumer"), ensuring environmental safety, social and political stability of society, and raising the level of education and culture.

The ability of participants in economic activity to consciously fulfill the moral and legal requirements of society and be responsible for their activities today immeasurably increases in connection with the breakthrough of science and technology into the deep levels of the universe (the use of intra-atomic and other energies, the discovery of molecular biology, genetic engineering). Here, every careless step can become dangerous for humanity. Remember the catastrophic consequences of man's invasion of the natural environment with the help of science.

For many years, industrial activity in most countries was characterized mainly by the unsustainable use of raw materials and a high degree of environmental pollution. There was a very widespread opinion in the world that entrepreneurship and environmental protection are incompatible. Profit-making was tied to the merciless exploitation and destruction of natural resources, and environmental improvements led to lower incomes for entrepreneurs and higher prices for consumer goods. Therefore, it is not surprising that the reaction of business to the requirements to comply with environmental standards was often negative, and the implementation of these requirements was not voluntary (with the help of laws, administrative control). However, the strengthening of the global environmental movement, the development of the concept and principles of sustainable development contributed to a change in the attitude of entrepreneurs towards the environment. Sustainable development - it is such a development of society that allows you to meet the needs of the present generation, without prejudice to future generations to meet their needs. An important step in this direction was the creation of the Business Council for Sustainable Development at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, which included representatives of many of the world's largest transnational companies. These sustainable companies and individual entrepreneurs are effectively using improved production processes, striving to meet environmental requirements (prevention of pollution, reduction of production waste, etc.) and make the best use of market opportunities. Such companies and businessmen gain advantages over competitors who do not use new approaches to entrepreneurial activity. As world experience shows, a combination of entrepreneurial activity, economic growth and environmental safety is possible.

In modern Russia, the level of environmental consciousness in the business environment is still quite low. Thus, by mid-1995, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, only about 18,000 of the 800,000 registered small and medium-sized enterprises provided for environmental activities in their charters. And only 20% of them act in this direction. Improving the quality of life of Russians largely depends on how the economy and the environment complement each other. To do this, it is necessary to combine legal and regulatory methods with economic mechanisms and self-control of entrepreneurs, increasing their social responsibility. Using world experience, Russian entrepreneurs need to develop standards of conduct for national firms in the field of environmental protection and the transition to a sustainable development model.

Relationship between economic culture and activity

One of the most important social roles of the individual is the role of the producer. In the conditions of transition to a new, information-computer, technological mode of production, the worker is required not only a high level of educational and professional training, but also high morality, a high level of general culture. Modern work is increasingly filled with creative content, which requires not so much discipline supported from the outside (boss, foreman, product controller), but self-discipline and self-control. The main controller in this case is conscience, personal responsibility and other moral qualities.

The level of development of the main elements of economic culture, in turn, determines the nature and effectiveness of economic activity. An example of this is the Japanese market economy. There, the systematic advance from selfish behavior towards behavior based on rules and concepts such as "duty", "loyalty" and "good will" proved to be essential to the achievement of individual and group efficiency and played an essential role in industrial progress.

in Russian society in the 1990s. the ongoing changes led to the rejection of the social and aesthetic values that had developed under the conditions of the command-administrative system, the destruction of past experience. Creative work often began to be replaced by consumer aspirations and the struggle for survival. Comprehending the experience of the transition period shows that the liberal thinking prevailing in economic policy contributed to the development of a market economy, but at the same time caused unjustified social stratification, an increase in poverty, and a decrease in the quality of life. Many experts believe that this process of liberalization was accompanied by the formation of a new system of values, where "everything is decided only by money."

This shift in values confirms the fact that during the transition to the market in our country, fraud took on a large scale. This phenomenon has many faces, but at the heart of any of its varieties (theft, embezzlement, forgery, forgery of documents, fraud, etc.) lies the malicious appropriation of someone else's property, regardless of what form it takes: money (for example, the activity of financial pyramids ), other material values, intellectual developments, etc. In 1998 alone, about 150 thousand economic crimes were revealed in Russia. The state is forced to take measures to ensure changes in the legal and economic conditions that are favorable for business, to establish public control over the activities of economic entities within the boundaries of the “legal field”, to look for ways to protect the population from financial fraudsters, protect savings, and the very institution of private property.

The process of forming the values of the new economy in Russia continues, which is illustrated by the following two polar judgments in relation to the market economy. The first of them reads: “The principle of utility destroys the conscience, dries up the moral feelings of a person. Private property binds a person to itself in such a way that it separates him from other people. The market, with its deification of economic freedom, is incompatible with true equality, and therefore the entire market society is inherently both anti-democratic and anti-people.” The second asserts: “Under civilized market relations, the seeming incompatibility of “interest” and “ideal”, material abundance and spirituality is overcome. It is privatized property that makes a person independent, serves as a reliable guarantor of his freedom. Market requirements establish immutable standards of honesty, integrity and trust as prerequisites for the effectiveness of business relations. Competition is a harsh thing, but it is a fight according to rules, the observance of which is vigilantly controlled by public opinion. The secret of democracy lies, above all, in freedom - economic, political and intellectual. And equality in poverty inevitably leads to a crisis of public morality.” Which of the judgments is more reasonable is up to you.

The changes taking place in the country have put a person and society in front of a choice of possible development options. This choice takes place not only in politics and economics, but also in the socio-cultural sphere, on which the direction of life, its value orientations, and the stability of any human community largely depend.

Practical conclusions.

When engaging in this or that practical economic activity, use economic knowledge and the norms of economic culture to make the right choice and make a decision that is optimal for the success of your business.

Expand your economic outlook, follow the socio-economic changes taking place in society, which will help you fulfill your responsibilities as a citizen as well. As a voter, by participating in elections, you will be able to influence the economic policy of the state.

Determine your position in relation to such negative phenomena as the cult of profit, money, deceit and misappropriation of other people's property, unfair competition.

Try to refuse uncivilized forms of participation in economic life, from "playing by the rules." When making a decision, not only weigh it on the scales of the mind, but also listen to the natural judge - conscience.

Cultivate in yourself economically significant qualities that will help you gain O greater resilience and competitiveness: efficiency and enterprise, initiative and independence, the need to achieve success and social responsibility, creative activity.

Document.

From the work of a Russian statesman, Doctor of EconomicsE. S. Stroeva "The State, Society and Reforms in Russia".

At turning points like the current one, it is extremely dangerous to stop, limit ourselves to ... a dump filled with various fragments of political, economic and former socio-cultural accumulations.

Pitirim Sorokin drew attention to this phenomenon long ago: “... Any people, society or nation that cannot create a new socio-cultural order instead of the one that has collapsed, ceases to be the leading “historical” people or nation and simply turns into “economic human material”, which will be absorbed and used by other, more creative societies and peoples.

Questions and tasks for the document

Does Russia need a new socio-cultural order?

What past cultural accumulations associated with the command economy could be sent to the "historical dustbin"?

Based on the text of the paragraph, suggest the values of the “new economy” that would become significant elements of the economic culture of the 21st century.

Questions for self-examination.

What are the main elements of economic culture?

What is the significance of the economic orientation and social attitudes of the individual?

Is self-interest the only basis for economic choice?

What determines a person's choice of the standard of economic behavior?

Should economic freedom be restricted?

Is a “voluntary marriage” between economy and ecology possible?

What is the essence and significance of economically competent and morally valuable human behavior in the economy?

What difficulties is the new economy of Russia going through?

Tasks.

What words do you associate with market relations in the Russian economy: anarchy, economic efficiency, barbarism, honesty, social partnership, deceit, stability, justice, legality, profit, rationality? Illustrate with examples and justify your choice.

These lines are from a letter from your peer to the editor of the newspaper: “Only the mind, only a sober calculation - that's what you need in life. Rely only on yourself, then you will achieve everything. And believe less in the so-called feelings, which also do not exist. Rationalism, dynamism - these are the ideals of our era. What can you agree or disagree with the author of the letter?

“Freedom can only be preserved where it is conscious and where responsibility for it is felt,” says the German philosopher of the 20th century. K. Jaspers. Can we agree with the scientist? Give examples to support his idea. Name the three main, in your opinion, values of a free person.

International experts put Russia in 149th place in the world in terms of investment reliability. So, according to domestic experts, more than 80% of Russian businessmen believe that it is better not to break the law. But in practice, more than 90% are faced with optional partners. At the same time, only 60% of them feel guilty.

How do you feel about the existence of two morals among the participants in economic relations - for yourself and for a partner? Is it possible to create in the country a system of protection and support for economic behavior that is characterized as reliable, predictable and credible? What would you suggest to do for this?

Thoughts of the wise.

"The system of private property is the most important guarantee of freedom, not only for the owners of property, but also for those who do not have it."

F. A. Hayek (1899-1992), Austrian political scientist, economist

Final part.

Evaluation of student responses.

Economic culture of society- this is a system of values and motives for economic activity, the level and quality of economic knowledge, assessments and actions of a person, as well as the content of traditions and norms that regulate economic relations and behavior.

The economic culture of the individual is an organic unity of consciousness and practical activity. It determines the creative direction of human economic activity in the process of production, distribution and consumption. The economic culture of the individual can correspond to the economic culture of society, get ahead of it, but it can also lag behind it, hinder its development.

In the structure of economic culture, the most important elements can be identified: knowledge and practical skills, economic orientation, ways of organizing activities, norms governing relations and human behavior in it.

The basis of the economic culture of the individual is consciousness, and economic knowledge is its important component. This knowledge is a set of economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the impact of economic life on the development of society, about the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production, economic relations require a large and constantly growing amount of knowledge from the worker. Economic knowledge forms an idea of economic interrelations in the surrounding world, patterns of development of the economic life of society. On their basis, economic thinking and practical skills of economically competent, morally justified behavior, which are significant in modern conditions, develop economic qualities of the individual.

A person actively uses the accumulated knowledge in everyday activities, therefore, economic thinking is an important component of its economic culture. It allows you to learn the essence of economic phenomena and processes, operate with learned economic concepts, analyze specific economic situations. . Knowledge of modern economic reality is an analysis of economic laws(for example, the operation of the laws of supply and demand), essence of various economic phenomena(for example, the causes and consequences of inflation, unemployment, etc. .), economic relations(e.g. employer and employee, lender and borrower), connections of economic life with other spheres of society.

Social attitudes play an important role in the development of the economic culture of the individual. A person who, for example, has a mindset for creative work, participates in activities with great interest, supports innovative projects, introduces technical achievements, etc.

The economic culture of a person can be traced through the totality of his personal properties and qualities, which are a certain result of his participation in activities. Such qualities include diligence, responsibility, prudence, the ability to rationally organize one's work, enterprise, innovation, etc. Economic qualities personalities and norms of behavior can be both positive(thrift, discipline), so and negative(waste, mismanagement, greed, fraud). Based on the totality of economic qualities, one can assess the level of economic culture of an individual.

CONNECTION OF ECONOMIC CULTURE AND ACTIVITIES
Practice proves the close relationship and interdependence of economic culture and economic activity. Ways of organizing activities, the fulfillment by a person of such basic social roles as a producer, consumer, owner, influence the formation and development of all elements of economic culture. In turn, the level of economic culture of the individual undoubtedly affects the effectiveness of economic activity, the success of fulfilling social roles.

Economic content of ownership

Own is a complex social phenomenon, which is studied from different angles by several social sciences (philosophy, economics, jurisprudence, etc.). Each of these sciences gives its own definition of the concept of "property".
In economics property is understood real relationship between people, emerging in the process of appropriation and economic use of property . The system of economic relations of ownership includes the following elements:
a) the relationship of appropriation of factors and production results;
b) relations of economic use of property

c) relations of economic realization of property.
Assignment called the economic bond between people, which establishes their relationship to things as if they were their own. There are four elements in assignment relations: the object of the assignment, the subject of the assignment, the assignment relations themselves, and the form of the assignment.
Assignment object- this is what is to be assigned. The object of assignment can be the results of labor, i.e. wealth and services, real estate, labor, money, securities, etc. Economic science attaches particular importance to the appropriation of material factors of production, since it is the one who owns them that also owns the results of production.
Subject of appropriation is the one who appropriates the property. The subjects of appropriation can be individual citizens, families, groups, collectives, organizations and the state.
Actually, appropriation relations represent the possibility of complete alienation of property by one subject from other subjects (methods of alienation may be different).

However, the assignment may be incomplete (partial).
Incomplete appropriation is realized through relations of use, possession and disposal.
Forms of appropriation of property may be different.