The economic sphere of society is represented by the concept of "economics". There are different approaches to defining the content of the economy:
Economy - all kinds of people's activities to ensure material living conditions. It has a multilevel character (microeconomics, maso-economics, macroeconomics, etc.).
Economy - a set of sectors and spheres of the national economy. There are spheres of material and non-material production. Material production lies at the basis of human society and is associated with the satisfaction of the material needs of people. It includes: industry, construction, freight transport, communications, consumer services, agriculture, forestry and water management. This also includes the production of material services, trade, catering, housing and communal services.
Intangible production includes the production of intangible goods and intangible services. Intangible benefits include: education, health care, science, scientific services, activities of public organizations, management. Intangible services include: passenger transport, communications for servicing the population, culture and art. Previously, intangible production was classified as a non-production sphere.
In modern conditions, the role of this "non-production sphere" is growing significantly. Its priority is the general pattern of socio-economic development of the advanced countries of the world. As a result, science becomes the main productive force of society, and education becomes the source of its formation, the science intensity and technology intensity of modern social production increases.
Economy - a set of productive forces and production relations (the economic basis of social production). The economic base together with the superstructure represents the socio-economic formation.
The productive forces express the attitude of people to nature, their impact on nature in order to adapt its elements to meet their needs. The productive forces include objects of labor, means of labor and labor power. Items of labor are raw materials, materials, semi-finished products, fuel, etc. The means of labor include machine tools, equipment, automation, robotics, etc. Labor power is the main element of the productive forces of society.
Production relations are a set of relations between people about production, distribution, exchange and consumption, material goods. The basis of industrial relations is property relations.
Economy is a sphere of social production. Distinguish between production in the narrow and broad sense. Production in the narrow sense is the interaction between man and nature, the process of labor, during which he adapts the substance of nature to meet his needs. Production in a broad sense includes production itself (in a narrow sense), distribution, exchange, consumption. In other words, this is reproduction associated with the renewal and repetition of the production process.
There are two levels of production - "individual" and "social".
Individual production is an activity on the scale of the main production unit (enterprise, firm). Social production means the entire system of production links between enterprises and their corresponding "production infrastructure", i.e. industries and enterprises that do not produce the products themselves, but ensure their technological movement (transport, communications, storage facilities, etc.).
Production is objectively inherent in the social division of labor - the totality of all currently existing types of labor activity.
Usually, three levels of division of labor are distinguished: within the enterprise (single), between enterprises (private), and also on the scale of society (general) i.e. division of labor into industrial and agricultural, mental and physical, skilled and unskilled, manual and machine.
At first glance, the division of labor only separates the producers, narrowing the sphere of their productive activity. It is customary to distinguish this "separating" aspect of the division of labor as the specialization of labor, i.e. it is the division of labor that divides producers at the same time and unites them. In other words, the deeper the specialization of labor, the stronger their interdependence - the cooperation of labor.
The dual content of the division of labor means that the law of "socialization of labor" is inherent in production: the deeper the specialization of labor, the higher its cooperation. There is a direct relationship between these two phenomena.
Socialization of labor is an objective law of production, since follows from the division of labor objectively inherent in production.
Deepening the specialization of labor knows no limits. There are three stages of labor specialization: “subject-by-subject”, “detailed” and “operational” (the top of the division of labor). Consequently, the socialization of labor is also boundless.
There are two types of development of production: "extensive" and "intensive": the first occurs due to the quantitative increase in the already used means of production; the second - due to the qualitative renewal of the means of production (as a result of the introduction of new, more efficient equipment and technology). In reality, these types are combined and therefore it is more correct to speak of "predominantly extensive" or "predominantly intensive" development of production.
In the course of production, enterprises experience two opposite tendencies: enlargement (concentration) and downsizing (deconcentration). At the same time, consolidation can occur not only through concentration, but also through centralization of production (unification both by force in the course of competition and by peaceful means).
The concentration of production is the concentration of the means of production and labor in large enterprises. It reduces the cost of production and makes the output of products highly efficient up to a certain production scale.
The concentration of production is carried out in various directions, such as: horizontal integration (unification of enterprises in the same industry), vertical integration (unification of enterprises by stages of technological processing) and diversification (unification of enterprises both vertically and horizontally).
Today, in developed market countries, there is a tendency opposite to concentration of production - disintegration: fragmentation of enterprises, separation of independent production units. This is due to the demonopolization and automation of production, the widespread development of the service sector on this basis, the expansion of non-material production, the growth of small enterprises characterized by high dynamism, mobility, and prompt response to changes in market conditions. Moreover, they are more economical in management costs.
More on topic 1. The economic sphere of society:
- 1.3. Modern problems of financing the social sphere
- Economic reforms and disciplinary spaces of Russian society
- Sustainable economic growth as a condition for stabilizing the economy
- 1.1. The essence and structure of shadow economic activity
- § 1. Personality, democracy, civil society, rule of law and social state
- 1. POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SOCIETY: CONCEPT, STRUCTURE, TYPES
- $ 4, Implementation of constitutional economic, social and cultural rights and freedoms of an individual entrepreneur
- § 1.1. The concept and general characteristics of civil society
- Formation of corporations in the USA and joint-stock companies in Russia
- § 2. Customs and legal policy as an integral part of the system of ensuring the economic security of the Russian Federation
- Copyright - Legal profession - Administrative law - Administrative process - Antitrust and competition law - Arbitration (economic) process - Audit - Banking system - Banking law - Business - Accounting - Real law - State law and management - Civil law and procedure - Monetary circulation, finance and credit - Money - Diplomatic and consular law - Contract law - Housing law - Land law - Electoral law - Investment law - Information law - Enforcement proceedings - History of state and law - History of political and legal doctrines -
From ancient Greek it is translated as "the ability to manage a household." Currently, the term "economy" is understood in two senses:
1) economics as a science;
2) the economy as an economy, the economic activity of people.
The objectivity of the influence of the economy on society gives rise to the need to study economic laws and develop economic theory. The role of economic theory is to understand economic laws in order to predict future economic processes for their correction.
Economic theory is the science of economics, which studies economic processes and relationships between people involved in economic activities (Fig.5.1 
).
Analyzes the economic activity of such subjects as households and firms, as well as the interaction of these subjects in the process of forming larger structures - markets, industries.
Studies the functioning of the economy, the economy of the country as a whole or its individual sectors - public, private, households.
This is a rationally organized activity of large groups of people who enter into relations of production, consumption, distribution and exchange of goods and services.
The process of creating economic goods and services, the starting point of economic activity.
The division of the produced product, income between the factors of production participating in its production, i.e. identification of the share of each factor in the produced product
The stage of reproduction, in the process of which the economic entity receives money or another product (barter) in return for the product produced.
The final phase of reproduction, in which the produced product is used (consumption of durable goods) or destroyed (for example, food consumption). In the process of consumption, the needs of people are met
The subjects of the economy are:
-
state.
households;
Entrepreneurs and households in their daily economic activities are faced with three fundamental economic issues.
What to produce and in what quantity? (What kind of goods and services should be offered to consumers).
For whom to produce? (Who will be able to claim to receive the goods and services produced in their ownership).
How to produce? (Which of the possible methods of manufacturing goods (services) should be applied).
The economy plays a huge role in the life of society.
First, because it provides people with the material conditions of their existence - food, clothing, housing and other consumer goods.
Secondly, because the economic sphere covers a wide area in the life of society, including the economy of enterprises, industries, the national economy as a whole, finance, money circulation.
Economic resources
Human society needs certain conditions and means of existence, without which life itself is impossible.
Everything that people need for life, what they need, is called in the economy needs... It is they who act as an internal stimulus for active human activity. The needs are categorized into primary (food, clothing) and secondary (cinema, theater, sports). Primary needs cannot replace one another, secondary ones can.
Means that satisfy the needs are called benefits... Some of them are available in unlimited sizes (for example, water, air), others are limited. They are called economic benefits.
Economic goods must be created, produced or purchased for money. Without the economic activity of people, it is impossible to obtain, to manufacture what is required for life. Therefore, a person cannot only be a consumer of economic goods, he is forced to produce them by participating in economic activity.
Everything that is needed to create the things people need is called economic resources (production factors).
Economic resources include:
The consumers of economic resources are mainly enterprises, since they are the direct producers of material goods.
It is an independent economic entity created in accordance with the procedure established by law. The enterprise is a legal entity and can be public and private
In terms of form, all enterprises are divided into three types.
It is the starting point and the first sign of economic activity.
The production is based on industry - This is the most important branch of the national economy, which has a decisive impact on the level of economic development of society.
The industry consists of two large sectors - mining and manufacturing.
In addition, the industry is subdivided into:
There is, first of all, a labor process. It consists of the following elements:
The means of production include:
The means of production, its technologies and people are called productive forces.
Production has two interconnected parties:
The production process usually uses cooperation of labor - unity, consistency of joint actions of individual workers, their collectives or national economies in the labor process. With the deepening of the division of labor, the need for labor cooperation grows, its forms develop and enrich. Thus, the international division of labor has led to the emergence of new forms of labor cooperation. One of the modern forms of labor cooperation is the economic integration of different countries.
Production efficiency is measured in terms of profitability.
This is the ratio of profit to cost.
These are the costs of factors of production. There are fixed and variable costs.
Fixed costs - these are the costs that do not depend on the volume of production (rental costs, interest on a loan).
Variable costs - these are costs that depend on the volume of production (cost of raw materials, fuel, energy, payment of salaries to employees).
This is a set of funds received from the sale of products.
Respectively, profit is the difference between income and costs.
Any manufacturer strives to maximize profits by reducing costs and increasing income.
The economic growth
The economic growth - the result of the interaction of economic, political, social and other phenomena in society. The economic growth - this is such a development of the national economy in which the volume of goods and services created over a certain period increases.
The main goals of economic growth are to maintain national security and increase the material well-being of the population by increasing the average per capita income, improving the quality and expanding the range of manufactured goods, increasing free time, increasing the efficiency of the distribution of national income, increasing investment in human capital, ensuring the safety of working and living conditions. , social security of the unemployed and the disabled.
Factors of economic growth those phenomena and processes that affect its efficiency and quality are named. According to the method of influencing economic growth, direct and indirect factors are distinguished.
increase in the number and quality of labor resources;
introduction into production of the results of scientific and technological progress;
increasing the quantity and quality of natural resources involved in circulation;
growth of entrepreneurial abilities in society.
reducing the degree of market monopolization;
lower prices and tax rates;
growth in government spending and expansion of exports.
Direct factors:
Indirect factors:
Economic growth can be carried out in extensive and intensive ways. Extensive path involves expanding the scale of production (increasing the area of \u200b\u200bsown areas, building new factories, etc.). Economic growth in this case is achieved by increasing the number of factors of production involved in production on the same technical basis. Intensive way presupposes the use of more efficient means of production, technologies and processes (improving the quality of the labor force, using the results of scientific and technological revolution in production, etc.). This means that economic growth is achieved as a result of improved utilization of factors of production.
Economic growth is never constant and sustainable. Economic development is carried out in the form of cycles - periods of ups and downs, which alternate over several years. Economic Cycles differ significantly from each other in duration and intensity, but all have the same phases.
The peak is the upper phase of the cycle. There is full employment in the economy, production is working at full capacity, incomes in society are growing. During this phase of the cycle, demand exceeds supply, causing prices to rise. The economy is in a state of full employment of resources.
Recession (crisis) is a period of slowdown in production and sales growth. This leads to a decrease in employment and a decrease in total income in society. Along with income, demand falls, and hence the price. Large enterprises are adapting to new conditions. By lowering production costs, they continue to profit. Small and medium-sized businesses often go bankrupt.
Revitalization. In this phase, the level of production rises, manufacturers receive new orders, equipment is updated, and additional jobs appear. This leads to a reduction in unemployment, a slight increase in prices, and credit expansion.
Rise - investment and consumer spending increases, which contributes to an increase in demand and additional production growth.
Economic cycles vary in depth and duration. Along with periodic cycles, called short waves, caused by deviations of demand from supply, there are so-called long waves with a frequency of 40-60 years, which are associated with a change in generations of technology and technology, the introduction of scientific and technological progress (STP).
Distinguish the following reasons for the cyclical development of the economy:
transition to an innovative way of development - scientific and technological revolution (causes economic growth);
political events - wars, revolutions, change of government (causing economic downturn).
changes in the pace of scientific and technological progress;
is a generalized indicator of the country's economic development. It is equal to GNP minus depreciation charges (equipment depreciation, indirect taxes). On the other hand, the national income can be defined as the sum of all income for the year in the form of wages, industrial and commercial profits, interest on capital invested and ground rent.test questions
What does economics study as a science?
What is the relationship between economic needs and economic resources?
What are the essence and goals of production?
What are the factors of the manufacturing process?
How is production efficiency assessed?
What are the reasons for the emergence of economic cycles?
What phases does the economic cycle consist of?
What is economic growth?
What are the drivers of economic growth?
External reasons:
Internal reasons:
Economic sphere public life is basic, defining in the life of society.
· Production;
· Distribution;
· Consumption of material goods.
The economic sphere exists in the following forms:
· Economic space - that in which economic life takes place;
· The method of production of material goods, which has two components;
· Activities of economic management institutions.
Productive forces - people with their knowledge, skills, labor skills and means of production. Means of production include everything with the help of which production is carried out: the subject of labor; means, tools of labor - machines, mechanisms, tools, equipment; raw materials and supplies; buildings and structures, transport, etc. Man is a creative principle and an active subject of labor. The role of man in production is associated not so much with his physical properties as with thinking and the division of labor.
Relations of production - relationships between people in the production process. These include:
· Property relations, especially for the means of production. This is a defining element of production relations - since the one who owns the means of production is in fact the master of the economy and dictates the conditions;
· Relations of exchange of activities based on the division of labor;
· Relations about the distribution of the material goods produced.
The importance of the economic sphere of society is that she:
· Creates the material basis for the existence of society;
· Contributes to the solution of problems facing society;
· Affects the social structure (social groups);
· Influences political processes and the spiritual sphere.
Although social life is not limited to the production of material goods, its main spheres are interconnected by a single material basis. Therefore, a change in the mode of production and property relations entails a change in the whole of society.
What is the specificity of the social sphere of society?
Social spheresocial life is a system of the internal structure of society (social groups, nations, nationalities), based on the division of labor, ownership of the means of production and the national factor. The social structure is objective in nature and cannot be established or abolished by decree of legislators. The basis of its development and change is production, ownership and distribution of material wealth. Each historically defined mode of production corresponds to a certain type of social structure of society.
The main elements the social structure of society are:
a) at the micro level:
1. social role - This is a behavior model focused on a specific status (dynamic side of the status);
2. social status - a certain position in the social structure, associated with other positions through the system of rights and obligations. Statuses may be:
· sociobiological (P ol (man or woman); age (child, youth, adult, elderly person); race (Negroid, Caucasoid, Mongoloid); nationality; health (hearing impaired, disabled WWII, etc.); marital status);
· proper social (territorial(citizen, migrant, homeless person, etc.); religious (believer, atheist, Christian, Muslim, etc.); political(party members, etc.); professional; economic(lender, usurer, landowner, etc.)
b) at the macro level:
1. classes (a defining element of the social structure of society: "aristocrats by blood", "new rich", the petty bourgeoisie, highly paid professionals, the middle class, etc.);
2. strata (social strata: poor, well-to-do, rich);
3. estates (social groups that have enshrined customs or law and inherited rights and obligations: nobility, clergy, merchants, handicrafts, peasantry).
The development trend of modern society is its transformation into more and more homogeneous, smoothing out contradictions, differences between strata, complication of the structure, fragmentation of strata to the micro level - the so-called "small groups".
Word "economy" translated from Greek literally means "the art of housekeeping." It was first used by the ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon.
The economy plays a huge role in the life of society.
First, it provides people with material living conditions: food, clothing, housing and other consumer goods.
Secondly, the economic sphere of society's life is a system-forming component of society, decisive in its life, determining the course of all processes taking place in society.
Economics is studied by many sciences, among which: the most important are economic theory,and social philosophy.Two levels of economic knowledge can be distinguished (sometimes speaking of two sections of economic theory): microeconomics (examines individual economic units - markets for specific goods and services, prices for them, the economy of a firm, family, etc.) and macroeconomics (studies fundamental problems of economic science at the level of the national economy as a whole, for example, the economic cycle, inflation, employment and unemployment, etc.). A relatively new science should also be noted - ergonomics(studies a person and his production activity, with the aim of optimizing tools, conditions and the process of labor).
Under the economy in a broad sense, they usually understand the system of social production, that is, the process of creating material goods necessary for human society for its normal existence and development. In other words, the economy is a sphere of human activity in which wealth is created to meet their various needs.
Organizing their economic activities, people pursue certain goals related to obtaining the goods and services they need. To achieve the set goals, first of all, it is necessary work force , that is, people with abilities and work skills. These people in the course of their labor activity use the means of production.
Means of productionare a set of objects of labor (that from which material goods are produced), tools and means of labor (what or with the help of which they are produced). The totality of the means of production and labor power is commonly called the productive forces of society. Production forces - these are people (human factor) who have production skills and carry out the production of material goods, the means of production created by society (material factor), as well as the technology and organization of the production process. The whole set of goods and services necessary for a person is created in two mutually complementary spheres of the economy.
IN non-productive spherespiritual, cultural and other values \u200b\u200bare created and similar services are provided (educational, medical, etc.). Services are understood as meaningful types of labor, with the help of which certain needs of people are satisfied.
IN material productionmaterial goods are manufactured (industry, agriculture, etc.) and material services are provided (trade, utilities, transport, etc.).
History knows two main forms of material social production - natural and commodity. Natural called a production in which the manufactured products are not intended for sale, but to meet the manufacturer's own needs. The main features of such an economy are isolation, conservatism, manual labor, slow rates of development, and direct links between production and consumption. Unlike natural , commodity production initially oriented towards the market, products are produced not for their own consumption, but for sale. Commodity production is more dynamic, since the manufacturer constantly monitors the processes occurring in the market, fluctuations in demand and supply for a particular type of product and makes appropriate changes to the production process.
The most important role in material production belongs to the equipment and technology used by the manufacturer.
Today the economic sphere occupies a leading place in the system of social relations, determines the content of the political, legal, spiritual and other spheres of society. The modern economy is a product of long historical development and improvement of various forms of organization of economic life. In most countries it is a market one, but at the same time it is regulated by the state, which seeks to give it the necessary social orientation. The economy of modern countries is characterized by the process of internationalization of economic life, the result of which is the international division of labor and the formation of a single world economy.
Thus , the economy is the most important sphere of society.
Spheres of society are a set of relations of a stable nature between various social objects.
Each sphere of society includes certain types of human activity (for example: religious, political, or educational) and the established relationships between individuals.
- social (nations, peoples, classes, gender and age groups and others);
- economic (productive relations and forces);
- political (parties, state, socio-political movements);
- spiritual (morality, religion, art, science and education).
Social sphere
The social sphere is a set of relations, enterprises, industries and organizations related to and determining the level and life of society and its welfare. This area primarily includes a range of services - culture, education, health care, physical culture, social security, public catering, passenger transport, utilities, communications.
The concept of "social sphere" has different meanings, but they are all interconnected. In sociology, this is a sphere of society that includes various social communities and close ties between them. In political science and economics, it is a set of industries, organizations and enterprises whose task is to improve the standard of living of society.
This area includes various social societies and the relationship between them. Taking a certain position in society, a person enters into different communities.
Economic sphere
The economic sphere is a set of relations between people, the emergence of which is due to the creation and movement of various material goods; it is the area of \u200b\u200bexchange, production, consumption and distribution of services and goods. The mode of production and distribution of material goods is the main factor that determines the specifics
The main task of this sphere of society is to solve such questions as: "what, how and for whom to produce?" and "how to harmonize the processes of consumption and production?"
The structure of the economic sphere of society's life consists of:
- - labor force (people), tools and objects of working life;
- production relations is the production of goods, their distribution, further exchange or consumption.
Political sphere
The political sphere is the relationship of people who are primarily connected directly with the authorities and are engaged in ensuring joint security. The following elements of the political sphere can be distinguished:
- political institutions and organizations - revolutionary groups, presidency, parties, parliamentarism, citizenship, and more;
- political communications - forms and connections of interaction between various participants in the political process, their relations;
- political norms - moral, political and legal norms, traditions and customs;
- ideology and political culture - ideas of a political nature, political psychology and culture.
Spiritual realm
This is the area of \u200b\u200bintangible and ideal formations that include various values \u200b\u200band ideas of religion, morality and art.
The structure of this sphere of society includes:
- morality is a system of ideals, moral norms, actions and assessments;
- religion - various forms of worldview, which are based on faith in the power of God;
- art - the spiritual life of a person, artistic perception and development of the world;
- education is a process of teaching and upbringing;
- law - norms that are supported by the state.
All spheres of society are closely interconnected
Independence is inherent in each sphere, but at the same time, any of them is in close interaction with the rest. The boundaries between spheres of society are transparent and blurred.
