Th e basis of this article is the report read at the All-Russian Scientifi c Conference of Moscow State University “Lev Tikhomirov: his time and creative legacy”, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Lev Alexandrovich Tikhomirov. Th e state, according to L.A. Tikhomirov, is the highest form of society and the inevitability of the state is a political axiom. Th e report is devoted to L.A. Tikhomirov’s political teachings on the royal prerogative, on the distribution of cases between the Supreme Power and subordinate authorities, on the national character of the royal power, on the ethical nature of Autocracy and on the monarch as an arbitrator of social clashes who formed the ideological core of his system of ethical monarchism.

Th is article is devoted to understanding the essence of Th e Great Game — the policy of containing the development of Russia by Anglo-Saxon elites and powers, dating back more than two centuries, by the classics of the Russian school of geopolitics. Th e author of the article considers the geopolitical concepts of the founders of the civilizational approach and civilizational geopolitics — N.Ya. Danilevsky, K.N. Leontyev, representatives of pan-Slavism (R.A. Fadeev, I.I. Dusinsky), military-strategic direction (D.A. Milyutina, A.E. Vandama, A.E. Snesareva), Eurasia (P.E. N. Savitsky), Y.S. Kartsova, V.P. Semenova-Tyan-Shansky, P.N. Durnovo.
Th e author emphasizes that the development of Russian geopolitical thought took place in the absence of a political order from the state, as well as political and economic elites to develop a geopolitical strategy for the development of Russia and the implementation of its foreign policy. Unfortunately, the author states, many ideas of the classics of the Russian school of geopolitics (in particular, in their understanding of the essence, content and dynamics of the Great Game) turned out to be unclaimed by the ruling circles and governments, among which there were many people, Anglophile orientation, promoting the ideas of allied relations with England, to the detriment of the national interests of Russia.
At the same time, the author of the article notes, the understanding of the essence and features of the development of the events of the “Great Game” by representatives of the Russian school of geopolitics was largely carried out fragmentally, oft en in the aspect of analyzing the centuries-old civilizational confrontation between Russia and the Romano-German cultural and historical type (Western European great culture, civilization), and not purely continentalist concepts.
Authors who comprehend the essence and signifi cant events of the “Great Game” in their works include: representatives of Pan-Slavism — N.Ya. Danilevsky, I.I. Dusinsky, R.A. Fadeeva; representatives of the military-strategic direction — A.E. Snesarev and A.E. Vandam; Y.S. Kartsov and P.N. Durnovo. Th e rest of the classics of the Rus sian school of geopolitics addressed this issue selectively, within the framework of other topics of interest to them

Th is article continues series of publications by the author dedicated to the nature and functions of lobbying in the modern world. Th e author considers lobbying as a multifaceted phenomenon that has gone through a long process of evolution. Th e author suggests looking at lobbying in a historical perspective to show how its genesis was integrated into the logic of the development of the modern state and the market, simultaneously demonstrating why the dysfunctional side of lobbying was always a natural side-eff ect. In the article, the author proposes an innovative periodization of the evolution of lobbying, thus fi lling the gap in Russian political comparative studies in general and in the study of lobbying in particular. Th e author, relying on the logic of Arthur Bentley, shows that lobbying in various forms was inherent in polities and states at diff erent times. However, as the structure of states changed and became more complex, the role of lobbying changed as well. At the same time, the author demonstrates why lobbying remains a largely shadow phenomenon that requires close attention both from the point of view of its further institutionalization and the risks it poses to society and the state. In the conclusions of the article, the author emphasizes that in order to transform lobbying from an informal and illegitimate phenomenon in the public consciousness into a civilized process of interaction between the state and society, the priority should be given to developing a lobbying culture. It is necessary to develop a system of ethical standards for both business and the state, create a professional standard for lobbyists, and continue to improve anti-corruption legislation. But the most important thing is to shift the focus from lobbying based on private interests to lobbying that would refl ect public interests. Only in such way will it be possible to cleanse lobbying of the aura of constant scandals and dishonesty, instead turning it into a normal element of the political process

The article is devoted to the consideration of education as a social institution and the peculiarities of institutional, social and managerial context, in which its features are manifested at the present stage.
The authors analyze diff erent formats of education, identify common patterns and specifi c factors that have determined its transformation. The authors distinguish two classes of education matrices — individual and group learning. The matrices of individual learning include: 1) self-education, 2) mentoring, 3) governess and tutoring, 4) tutoring; the matrices of group learning include: 1) mass education, 2) traditional education, 3) adult education, 4) the matrix of “turquoise” education. The article characterizes the components of institutional matrices in detail.
The authors believe that looking at the development of education in the context of changing institutional matrices is fundamentally important from the perspective of social management. The article, based on the consideration of the institutional context of the educational process, reveals the current problems of social management in the fi eld of education and proposes some directions of institutional transformation.
In particular, the authors consider the expansion of opportunities for individual education (tutoring and mentoring), active development of elder education in accordance with the concept of lifelong learning, equalization of the status of paid and free education, as well as the active use of information and communication technologies and AI in the educational process. The authors believe that the proposed measures will make it possible to supplement the traditional matrix of education, reducing its negative eff ects, which will serve to expand learning opportunities for all categories of the population and improve the quality of education in general

The article discusses the main scientifi c and educational activities of the Department of Sociology of Public Administration of the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University in recent years. The continuity and vector in the development of the department are indicated, aimed at combining sociological theory, practical sociology and management. Social practices in Russia and other countries have put forward a number of new phenomena and problems of social dynamics, which required a new approach to analyzing the role of the state, understanding and translating a new state consciousness into the educational process. Modernization of public administration, its compliance with the interests of society, the formation of medium- and long-term goals of social dynamics have become the logical directions of the department. The problems under consideration are actualized by modern world and Russian practice, discussions and disputes about the long-term trend of Russia’s social development.
The department trains students in the fi eld of sociology of public administration, social policy, and macro-regulation of social dynamics. Educational and scientifi c activities are based on topical issues of analyzing the principles and mechanisms of the functioning of the welfare state, strategic planning of social processes, institutions of sustainable development, and the formation of state digital platforms.
The interdisciplinary nature of the study of a number of problems of public administration is combined with the priority of sociological analysis of forms and methods of public administration and its impact on the quality of life of the population.

The article is devoted to the analysis of migration attitudes of Ukrainian citizens working in the Russian Federation. The empirical basis of the study was founded using the data from an all-Russian sociological study of foreign workers, conducted by the authors in 2023. Analysis of the survey results showed that labor migrants from Ukraine have formed migration plans to settle in the Russian Federation and obtain Russian citizenship. The main reason for labor migration from Ukraine is an extreme push factor — armed confl ict, which determines economic instability and social uncertainty in Ukraine in the long term. In this regard, migrants from Ukraine almost don’t have any return migration attitudes. The article concludes that currently the fl ow of labor migrants from Ukraine is a type of forced migration that uses the legal framework and mechanism for implementing temporary labor migration and has signifi cant potential for transformation into migration for permanent residence. The study also identifi ed the social portrait of Ukrainian workers, the characteristics of migrants’ attitudes, their orientation and formation factors

The modern labor market is a dynamic structure that off ers young professionals a wide range of opportunities and challenges. The behavior of applicants in the labor market is determined by various subjective and objective factors, such as values and orientations, as well as age, geographical location and others. The youth of the XXI century, who grew up in the era of information technology and globalization, come to the labor market with new values, expectations and ambitions. They seek self-actualization, development of labor potential and work that brings them satisfaction and meaning. The younger generation contributes a lot to the transformation of the labor market because it brings with it new practices and values that aff ect established approaches to work and employment. Th is is why youth research provides valuable material for fi nding and retaining young workers. Studies of recent years emphasize the fact that for modern youth the pleasure from work is one of the decisive factors in choosing a workplace.
The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the attitude of students of the Sociology Faculty of Moscow State University to employment. Sociology graduates fi nd themselves in a unique position. Their education provides them with a wide range of knowledge and skills in demand in various spheres of activity. They can choose careers in marketing, sociological and analytical research, PR and HR, and other fi elds that require an understanding of social processes. The study identifi es the key factors infl uencing students’ choice of fi elds of activity, job search methods and successful employment

Based on the analysis of primary sources, the article examines the problem of the role and importance of women in the development of culture in the works of the Russian sociologist of the XIX — early XX century Veniamin Mikhailovich Khvostov. The scientist devoted a large number of works to various aspects of the problem of women’s emancipation. The women’s issue, the problem of the status of women in society, and the emerging women’s movement became one of Khvostov’s subjects of scientifi c interest. His main idea is to affi rm the inevitable feminization of culture. The article shows the views of the Russian sociologist on transformations in the fi eld of culture, as well as the main forecasts for its further development, taking into account the intensifi cation of the women’s movement and the upcoming changes in the socio-political position of women. Khvostov proves that the intensity and completeness of cultural development depends on the involvement of all the diverse forces of the members of a given society, taking into account the abilities of each. The liberation of a woman will contribute to a qualitative change in culture, a change in her very character. The author of the article reconstructs the picture of the future created by a Russian classical sociologist. The result of the victory of feminism will be moral progress for both women and men. The struggle for women’s dignity for Khvostov means the struggle for human dignity in general. And it is precisely in the concept of human dignity that the fi nal solution to the women’s issue and many other social problems lies.

The article deals with the study of mental health of Russian youth in the context of digital mediatization. The authors note that, although this topic is widely represented in the scientifi c discourse, there is no consensus among researchers. An analysis of current approaches to studying the problem of the infl uence of new media on the mental health of the younger generation shows that there is a tendency to move from the concept of “demonization” to the search for positive aspects. Nevertheless, unambiguous assessments of this problem still seem limited. The paper proposes a diff erentiated approach consisting in the analysis of both vectors of the infl uence of digital mediatization on the mental health of young people, both positive and negative aspects. In this regard, the authors reviewed the results of an empirical study of the Russian segment of the blogosphere on mental health issues. Based on the data obtained, groups of blogs (the so-called “patient” and “mentoring”) were identifi ed, and the features of the discourse in them about mental health issues were studied. The paper also analyzes the main factors of mental health and proposes criteria for their classifi cation.

The article is devoted to the current issues related to the digital transformation of the People’s Republic of China. It presents a systematic analysis of the most important aspects of digital transformation in this country from various points of view. Digital transformation is, fi rst of all, a process and means of implementing the digital economy, and China is one of the leaders in this fi eld. Data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology show that the scale of China’s digital economy is increasing year by year, and in 2022 it reached 50,2 trillion yuan (about 7,27 trillion dollars), which is 41,5% of China’s GDP. However, the level of development of China’s digital economy is still insuffi cient — although China’s digital economy is large-scale and leads the world, its share in the overall structure of economic activity in this country is not high. The digital economy includes digital industrialization and industrial digitalization, the features of which, supported by specifi c data, are analyzed in detail in the article.
The author has proven that China’s digital transformation is uneven. There is a huge disparity in the penetration levels of the three main sectors of the economy. Digital transformation has the highest penetration rate in the service sector — 44,7%, followed by the industrial sector — 24,0% and the agricultural sector — 10,5%; coastal areas live better than inland areas, the southern ones are better than the northern ones. At present, China has basically completed the design and structure of building a digital government. However, there are many problems in the process of building a digital government, including the overlapping functions of digital and traditional government, changes in the original government structure, and the impact of new rules and systems on the current governance system, which are discussed in detail in the article.
The advantages of China’s digital economy are concentrated in new digital industries such as e-commerce, digital fi nance, cloud computing, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the photovoltaic industry. China not only promotes digital transformation in these areas of economic activity, but also carries out deep digital transformation in public services such as medical care, education, and security. At the same time, the characteristics of digital transformation have caused social problems such as digital inequality, the lack of reliable digital governance systems, and structural unemployment, which are analyzed in detail in the article. One of the eff ective means to solve these problems is digital trust