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The economic culture of modern man, which is part of the general culture, continues to develop and expand its sphere of influence, which is due to the growth of the world economy. IN modern times It is relevant to consider the moral aspect of economic culture. After all, morality and morality act as a limiter that does not allow the economic aspect of the activities of the human community to lead to a general catastrophe (for example, environmental).

Economic culture is a culture of appropriated material, formed on the basis of mastering the economic aspect of objects in the surrounding world (identifying their economic value). During the national historical process, bearers of various ethnic and religious identities created and implemented the most different ways management. That is why the economic culture of the Chinese, Russians, British, Italians is so different, based on Orthodox, Confucian, Protestant and Catholic and other traditions. Different management philosophies determined the uniqueness of ethnic management. Ancient traditions, while disappearing outwardly, continue to determine the peculiarities of perception by their carriers. different culture economic process. The economic culture of each society is unique, because it has only its own identical way of economic management, monetary unit, methods of organizing, conducting and managing economic activities. Although, undoubtedly, the phenomenon of globalization, the international language of communication ( English language) made it possible to internationalize and make the rules of doing international business clear to many. The existence of such organizations as the WTO and the World Bank suggests that the economic culture is united, although it draws from different ethnic and religious traditions, mentality, ways of thinking, and is a certain indicator of the globalization of the world. Currently, thanks to the phenomenon of globalization and transnationalization, there is an integrative interaction of some economic cultures with others, which has an impact positive influence and is considered a factor in the growth of the economies of nation states.

The economic culture of a person, society, and state evolves as the world economy develops and grows. Economic culture is developing at an accelerated pace with the decreasing role of the state in the economy and the expansion of the non-state sector. Denationalization of the economy, privatization of state property in order to increase the efficiency of its management - these external measures play a positive role in the development of the economic culture of an individual.

A person’s economic culture determines his thinking, actions, and actions in the economic sphere. Economic culture is the basis for the formation and testing of new economic ideas aimed at increasing the efficiency of this area. Positive indicators of the state of the economic culture of a person and society indicate their potential in the field of labor resources and in other economic spheres of activity. The achievements of the economic culture of mankind are reflected both in material (ultra-modern buildings, corporations, etc.) and in spiritual media (modern know-how, scientific and technical intellectual product).

Increasing the indicators of the economic culture of a person, society and the state increases the degree of competitiveness of business entities in the economic sphere, improves the quality of goods and services, optimizes the price-quality ratio, increases purchasing power and the well-being of citizens. The growth of the economic culture of the population has a beneficial effect on economic indicators that reflect the expectations of citizens. The centers for the cultivation of economic culture are undoubtedly institutions of secondary, higher, additional and postgraduate professional education. The younger generation, joining society from their student days, brings new models of economic culture, which are then tested in practice, changed, and adjusted. An important question in this sense is the economic identity of a person, society and state. To what extent the formed economic identity meets the challenges of modernity, how progressive, competitive, and strong in terms of traditions it is.

Bibliographic link

Kargapolov V.E. ECONOMIC CULTURE OF PERSON, SOCIETY AND STATE // Contemporary issues science and education. – 2006. – No. 3.;
URL: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=364 (access date: 03/30/2019). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"

Introduction

There can be many criteria, or grounds, for a cultural typology, for example: connection with religion; regional affiliation of culture; belonging to a historical type of society; sphere of society or type of activity; connection with the territory, etc.

When it comes to economic and political culture, experts call them either types of culture of a society or spheres of culture of a society.

There are various industries, types, types and forms of culture. But there are cultures that do not belong to any of the listed points. This is spiritual and material culture. They cannot be attributed either to industries or to forms, types or types of culture, since these phenomena combine all four classification features to varying degrees. It is more correct to consider spiritual and material culture as combined formations that stand apart from the general conceptual scheme.

Economic culture

Essence and functions

Economic culture includes the culture of production, the culture of distribution, the culture of exchange, the culture of consumption, the culture of management, and the culture of work.

Economic culture is an integral and important part of universal culture. A civilized person, first of all, is a person with a highly developed economic culture. All scientists define the essence of economic culture differently. But all these definitions boil down to one common opinion that economic culture can be considered both in the narrow and broad sense of the word.

IN in the broad sense of the wordEconomic culture -- this is a system of material and spiritual means created by society in production activities: cities, buildings, cars, roads, etc.; skills, abilities, economic knowledge and abilities, methods and forms of communication between people, economic intelligence.

In the narrow sense of the wordEconomic culture - this is the same type of economic thinking and activity of a group, people, and individuals. With its help, people get used to certain socio-economic conditions of their existence. Economic culture also includes a set of economic values, interests, skills, rules, norms and skills that regulate economic behavior. In other words, economic culture consists of behavioral stereotypes and economic knowledge.

An enterprise that produces defective products is considered an enterprise with low production standards. When the interests of the consumer in society are ignored, when the buyer cannot return or exchange in the store poor quality product or when sellers are rude, they talk about low consumption culture. Simply put, economic culture is a kind of tool, a “language” with the help of which people communicate with each other in the process of economic activity.

Each economic era is unique in its level and type of economic culture of the population. Moreover, it is natural to note that various population groups have significant differences in their levels of economic culture. So, for example, learned economists have a theoretical economic consciousness. Officials in government agencies, managers, directors, entrepreneurs have a culture of practical economic thinking.

In the modern world, economic culture increasingly coincides with the sociality and civilization of society. In it, the dominant role is given to taking into account the interests of not only individual, but also group ones. Traditional “ideals” in economic development (quantitative growth, profit) are being replaced by more “human” goals.

Today, the type of socially oriented and also economics is assessed from a more different perspective - as “puzzled”, “understanding”, “useful”, “expedient”, “reasonable”, more and more similar to the interests of each person. Now the foundations of a new economic culture are being laid, namely: the creation of social conditions that will provide the necessary social orientation for the behavior of business entities in general and separately - the behavior of decision makers; maintaining a mobile communication and information system; improving the level of advertising; organization of activities of economic and financial institutions (banks, banks, exchanges, audit services, insurance companies), etc.

Everything that is happening now should lead to the creation of an information and computer society, in which the diverse needs of people, the differences in their interests are the key to the development and success of the entire society, a condition for its improvement. A feature of such a society will be a variety of options for choosing economic decisions based on satisfying the diversity of interests, motives of various subjects of economic activity, as well as taking into account the diversity of factors and conditions: social, economic, economic-psychological and technical.

The main functions performed by economic culture:

• v cognitive
• v applied
• v educational, etc.

New knowledge in the economic sphere stimulates a reassessment of the old level of knowledge and awareness of trends in the development of society and the prospects for this development. Regarding application function, then the activity of participants in economic relations depends not only on their level economic knowledge, but also on the ability to apply them practically, i.e. economic consciousness people.

Subject: Economic culture

Lesson type: combined

Lesson objectives:Educational— Expand and deepen knowledge about the economy, economic culture, its essence and structure

Educational

Developmental— speech skills (the ability to express one’s point of view); ability to work with textbook text

Learning Tools: Textbook L.N.Bogolyubov, Yu.I.Averyanov. Social science. § 12

Lesson progress

1. Organizational moment.

2. Checking homework

1. What is economics? (this is an economic system that ensures the satisfaction of the needs of people and society by creating and using the necessary goods of life)

2. What is gross internal product? (total value of all final goods and services produced by a country in a year, divided by population)

3. What is the poverty level? (they call the normatively established level of a person’s monetary income for a certain period, which allows him to ensure his physical (physiological) subsistence level.)

3. Study a new topic

Culture is an attribute of a person; it reflects his development in society. This process of a person’s creation of himself occurs in the course of direct activity, through the growth of his material and spiritual equipment. The impact of this activity on a person varies. Cultural development presupposes the identification of a cultural standard (sample) and consists in maximum

following it.

Economic culture of society- this is a system of values ​​and motives for economic activity, the level and quality of economic knowledge, assessments and human actions, as well as the content of traditions and norms governing economic relations and behavior. Economic culture of the individual represents an organic unity of consciousness and practical activity.

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

The basis of the economic culture of the individual is consciousness, and economic knowledge - its important component. This knowledge represents totality economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the influence of economic life on the development of society, the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society.

The individual actively uses the accumulated knowledge in everyday activities, therefore an important component of his economic culture is economic thinking. It allows you to understand the essence of economic phenomena and processes, operate with acquired economic concepts, and analyze specific economic situations.

The choice of standards of behavior in the economy and the effectiveness of solving economic problems largely depend on the socio-psychological qualities of participants in economic activity. Among them it is necessary to highlight such an important element of economic culture as economic orientation personality, the components of which are needs, interests And motives human activity in the economic sphere. Personality orientation includes social attitude And socially significant values. So, in the reformed Russian society social attitudes are formed towards the study of modern economic theory, towards active participation in the management of production affairs, and towards participation in solving various economic problems.

The economic culture of a person can be traced through the totality of his personal properties and qualities that are a certain result of his participation in the activity.

An important manifestation of economic culture is economic relations. Not only the development of production, but also the social balance in society and its stability depend on the nature of economic relations between people (property relations, exchange of activities and distribution of goods and services). Economic interests of people act as reflection their economic relations. Thus, the economic interests of the entrepreneur (obtaining maximum profit) and the employee (selling their labor services at a higher price and receiving a higher salary) are determined by their place in the system of economic relations.

Economic interest - This is a person’s desire to obtain the benefits he needs to provide for his life and family.

Interests express ways and means of meeting people's needs.

The need to resolve the contradiction between the natural human desire to save own strength and satisfying 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 productivity - violence and economic interest.

In the search for ways to harmonize the economic interests of the individual and society, various forms of influence on people’s consciousness were used: philosophical teachings, moral standards, 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 business activities. These norms are an important element of economic culture; their observance facilitates the conduct of business and cooperation of people, reducing mistrust and hostility.

Reading page 141 ( Explain in your own words how you understood what you read. )

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

Economic freedom includes freedom to make economic decisions and freedom of economic action. An individual has the right to decide which type of activity is preferable for him, 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 market, as is known, is based on the principle of economic freedom.

A market economy is often called an economy free enterprise. What does the word "free" mean? The economic freedom of an entrepreneur, as scientists believe, presupposes 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, use of the product produced and the profit received.

Human economic freedom has gone through an evolutionary path. Throughout history, there have been ebbs and flows, different 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 in the market, etc.). Social development seems to be balancing between, on the one hand, greater personal freedom, but with a high degree of economic risk, and, on the other, greater economic security, but with vassal dependence.

Sustainable development - it is the development of society that allows the needs of the present generation to be met without harming future generations to meet their needs.

Practice proves the close relationship and interdependence of economic culture and economic activity. Ways of organizing activities, fulfillment by an individual 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 an individual undoubtedly affects the effectiveness of economic activity and the success of fulfilling social roles.

One of the most important social roles of an individual is the role of a producer. In the context of the transition to a new, information-computer, technological method of production, workers are required not only to have a high level of educational and professional training, but also to have high morality, high level 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 rather self-discipline and self-control. The main controller in this case is conscience, personal responsibility and other moral qualities.

When engaging in any practical economic activity, use economic knowledge and norms of economic culture to make the right choice and make decisions that are optimal for the success of your business. Expand your economic horizons, follow the 2 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 the economic policy of the state.

4. Homework § 13

Traditionally, culture has been the subject of research in philosophy, sociology, art history, history, literary criticism and other disciplines, and the economic sphere of culture has been practically not studied. The identification of economics as a special sphere of culture will seem justified if we look at the origin of the term “culture” itself. It is directly related to material production, agricultural labor.

On initial stages development of human society, the term “culture” was identified with the main type of economic activity of that time - agriculture. However, the social division of labor, which was the result of the process of development of productive forces, the delimitation of the spiritual and material-productive spheres of activity, created the illusion of their complete autonomy. “Culture” gradually began to be identified only with manifestations of the spiritual life of society, with the totality of spiritual values. This approach still finds its supporters, but at the same time, the dominant point of view is that culture is not limited exclusively to aspects of the superstructural nature or spiritual life of society.

Despite the different quality and heterogeneity of the components (parts) that make up the culture, they are united by the fact that they are all connected with some specific method human activity. Any type or method of activity can be represented as a combination of material and spiritual components. From the point of view of the social mechanism of human activity, they are means of activity. This approach allows us to highlight the criterion of phenomena and processes of the cultural class - to be a socially developed means of human activity. These could be, for example, tools, skills, clothing, traditions, homes and customs, etc.

At the initial stages of studying economic culture, it can be defined through the most general economic category “mode of production”, which is consonant with the definition of culture as a method of human activity. In the usual political economic interpretation, the mode of production is the interaction of productive forces that are at a certain level of development and corresponding to a given type of production relations. However, keeping in mind the object of research, it is necessary to highlight the cultural aspect of the analysis of production forces and production relations.

It is appropriate to pay attention to negative impact long time the dominant technocratic interpretation of economics influenced the development of the theory of economic culture. Primary attention was paid to technological relations, natural-material indicators and technical specifications production. The economy was viewed as a machine, where people are cogs, enterprises are parts, industries are components*. In reality, the picture looks much more complicated, because the main agent of the economy is man, especially since ultimately the goal of socio-economic development is the formation of man as a free, creative personality. In the process of production, as K. Marx rightly noted, the diverse abilities of a person are improved, “the producers themselves change, developing new qualities in themselves, developing and transforming themselves through production, creating new forces and new ideas, new ways of communication, new needs and a new language."

Modern society, focusing on managing the economy as a machine through various types of expense norms, technical and economic indicators, coefficients, levels, with enviable consistency, did not show interest in knowledge about the personal mechanisms of economic motivations, was not focused on studying the economic activity and entrepreneurship of a person who itself is a complex system in which all types of relations intersect: economic, political, ideological, legal and others. Such a simplified approach to understanding the essence and content of economics, of course, cannot be constructive in terms of studying economic culture.

From the point of view of the cultural approach, the historically developed properties and abilities of subjects of activity to work, production skills, knowledge and abilities are socially developed means of activity and, according to the selected criterion, belong to the class of phenomena of economic culture.

Economic culture must include not only production relations, but also the entire public relations, influencing the technological method of production, material production, and man as its main agent. Thus, in a broad sense, economic culture is a set of material and spiritual socially developed means of activity with the help of which the material and production life of people is carried out.

The structure of economic culture

The structural analysis of economic culture is dictated by the very structure of economic activity, the successive succession of phases of social reproduction: production itself, exchange, distribution and consumption. Therefore, it is legitimate to talk about a culture of production, a culture of exchange, a culture of distribution and a culture of consumption. In the structure of economic culture, it is necessary to highlight the main structure-forming factor. Such a factor is human labor activity. It is characteristic of the entire variety of forms, types of material and spiritual production. Due to its importance for maintaining basic life processes, labor is highlighted as the basis for the development of other elements and components of economic culture. Each specific level of economic labor culture characterizes the relationship of man to man, man to nature (it was the awareness of this relationship that meant the emergence of economic culture), and the individual to his own working abilities.

The first level is productive-reproductive creative ability, when in the process of labor it is only repeated, copied and, only as an exception, by chance, something new is created.

The second level is generative creative ability, the result of which will be, if not a completely new work, then at least an original new variation.

The third level is constructive-innovative activity, the essence of which is the natural emergence of something new. This level of ability in production is manifested in the work of inventors and innovators.

Thus, any work activity is associated with the disclosure creativity manufacturer, but the degree of development of creative moments in the labor process is different. The more creative the work, the richer the cultural activity of a person, the higher the level of work culture. The latter, ultimately, is the basis for achieving a higher level of economic culture as a whole. It should be noted that labor activity in any society - primitive or modern - is collective, embodied in joint production. And this, in turn, finds expression in the fact that, along with work culture, it is necessary to consider production culture as an integral system.

Work culture includes skills in using tools of labor, conscious management of the process of creating material and spiritual wealth, free use of one’s abilities, and the use of scientific and technological achievements in work activities. The production culture consists of the following main elements. Firstly, it is a culture of working conditions, which has a complex of components of an economic, scientific, technical, organizational, social and legal nature. Secondly, the culture of the labor process, which is expressed rather in the activities of an individual employee. Thirdly, the production culture, which is determined by the socio-psychological climate in the production team. Fourthly, management culture, which organically combines the science and art of management, reveals the creative potential and realizes the initiative and entrepreneurship of each participant in the production process, is of particular importance in modern production.

Trends in the development of economic culture

economic culture

Exists general trend increasing the economic cultural level. This is reflected in the use of the latest technology and technological processes, advanced techniques and forms of labor organization, the introduction of progressive forms of management and planning, development, science, knowledge in improving the education of workers.

However, a logical question arises: is it legitimate to consider economic culture as an exclusively positive phenomenon? Is it possible to imagine the path of its development as a straight line on the axis of progress, directed upward, without deviations or zigzags?

In our everyday understanding, “culture” is associated with a certain stereotype: cultural means progressive, positive, bearer of good. From a scientific standpoint, such assessments are insufficient and not always correct. If we recognize culture as an integral system, then it becomes necessary to consider it as a dialectically contradictory formation, which is characterized by positive and negative, humane and inhumane properties and forms of manifestation.

For example, one cannot evaluate the laws of functioning of the capitalist economic system as bad or good. Meanwhile, this system is characterized by crises and upsurges, confrontation and struggle between classes, and such phenomena as unemployment and a high standard of living coexist in it. These trends include both positive and negative; their natural existence and intensity of manifestation reflect the level of economic culture at the achieved stage of development of social production. At the same time, these trends are not typical for other levels of production development.

The objective nature of the progressive development of culture does not mean that it occurs automatically. The direction of development is determined, on the one hand, by the opportunities contained in the totality of conditions that set the boundaries of economic culture, on the other hand, by the degree and ways of realizing these opportunities by representatives of various social groups. Changes in sociocultural life are made by people, and therefore depend on their knowledge, will, and objectively established interests.

Depending on these factors within the local historical framework, recessions and stagnation are possible both in individual areas and in economic culture as a whole. To characterize the negative elements of economic culture, it is legitimate to use the term “low culture,” while “high economic culture” implies positive, progressive phenomena.

The progressive process of development of economic culture is determined, first of all, by the dialectical continuity of methods and forms of activity of generations. In general, continuity is one of the most important principles of development, for the entire history of human thought and activity is the assimilation, processing of what is valuable and the destruction of what has become obsolete in the movement from the past to the future. K. Marx noted that “not a single social formation will perish before all the productive forces have developed... and new, higher relations of production never appear before the material conditions of their existence have matured in the depths of the old society itself.”

On the other hand, the progressive development of economic culture is associated with the introduction into people's lives of innovations that meet the requirements of the maturity stage of the socio-economic structure of society. In fact, the formation of a new quality of economic culture is the formation of new productive forces and new production relations.

As already noted, progressive trends in the development of economic culture are ensured, on the one hand, by the continuity of the entire potential of achievements accumulated by previous generations, and on the other, by the search for new democratic mechanisms and their economic foundations. Ultimately, in the course of cultural development, conditions are created that encourage a person to be active. creative activity in all areas public life and contribute to its formation as an active subject of social, economic, legal, political and other processes.

For a long time, the theory and practice of economic development in our country was dominated by a specific approach that ignored man and his individuality. While fighting for progress in the idea, we received opposite results in reality*. This problem faces our society very acutely and is discussed by scientists and practitioners in connection with the need to develop market relations, the institution of entrepreneurship, and the democratization of economic life in general.

Human civilization does not yet know a more democratic and effective regulator of the quality and quantity of products, a stimulator of economic, scientific and technological progress, than the market mechanism. Non-commodity relations are a step backward in social development. This is the basis for unequal exchange and the flourishing of unprecedented forms of exploitation.

Democracy grows not on the basis of slogans, but on the real basis of economic laws. Only through the freedom of the producer in the market is democracy realized in the economic sphere. Continuity in the development of democratic mechanisms is a normal and positive thing. There is nothing wrong with using elements of bourgeois-democratic experience. It is interesting that the motto of the Great French Revolution of 1789-1794. “freedom, equality, fraternity” was interpreted in the following way by market relations: freedom is the freedom of private individuals, freedom of competition of isolated masters, equality is the equivalence of exchange, the cost basis of purchase and sale, and fraternity is the union of “enemy brothers”, competing capitalists.

World experience shows that for the successful functioning of the market and the economic mechanism, a well-thought-out interconnection of legal norms, competent and effective government regulation, and a certain state of public consciousness, culture and ideology are necessary. The country is now going through a period of rapid lawmaking. This is natural, because no democratic system can exist without legal basis, without strengthening law and order. Otherwise, it will have a flawed appearance and a low degree of resistance to anti-democratic forces. However, it is necessary to recognize the limits to the effectiveness of legislative activity. On the one hand, decisions made in legislative bodies are not always prompt and do not always correspond to economically more rational approaches. On the other hand, we can talk about the strengthening of legal nihilism. Many of the problems we face are not fully resolved through the legislative process. Serious transformations of production, organizational and managerial relations and structures are needed.

For a long time, the state of economic culture was “described” in the strict framework of the praise of socialism. However, as the main tendency of all economic indicators to decrease (the rate of growth of production and capital investment, labor productivity, budget deficit, etc.) was revealed, the inoperability of the economic system of socialism became obvious. This forced us to rethink our reality in a new way and begin searching for answers to many questions. Are being done practical steps towards the market, democratization of property relations, development of entrepreneurship, which, undoubtedly, is evidence of the emergence of qualitatively new features of the economic culture of modern society.

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

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

Economic culture is a system of values ​​and motivations for economic activity, respect for any form of ownership and commercial success as a great social achievement, success, rejection of “equalizing” sentiments, 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 prohibited items, 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 fields society (subsystems of society) threatens the country with big problems, including falling into the background, that is, the loss of its leading position in the world, as well as such an unstable position threatens the Russian people with exploitation by other more developed countries.

Question 2. Does Russia need a new sociocultural order?

It is undoubtedly needed now, because we have recently 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 previous cultural accumulations associated with the command economy could be consigned to the “historical dustbin”?

Each person should receive according to his abilities, otherwise talented people simply will not have an incentive for self-development, and this again threatens stagnation. Secondly, the emphasis is on fulfilling the plan (quantity), and not on quality - hence the same result - stagnation, excess production (no one takes low-quality products).

Question 4. Based on the text of the paragraph, propose the values ​​of the “new economy” that would become significant elements of the economic culture of the 21st century.

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

Improving the innovation environment by strengthening the innovative component in all areas national politicians and their integration;

Stimulating market demand for innovation and using the concept of “leading” markets, which involves supporting markets that are most receptive to innovation;

Stimulating innovation in the public sector, overcoming the bureaucratic conservatism of the public administration;

Strengthening regional innovation policy and expanding cooperation.

SELF-TEST 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 human actions, as well as the content of traditions and norms governing economic relations and behavior. The economic culture of an 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 an individual may correspond to the economic culture of society, advance it, but may also lag behind it.

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

The basis of an individual’s economic culture is consciousness, and economic knowledge is its important component. This knowledge represents a set of ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the influence of economic life on the development of society, the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production and economic relations require the employee to have a large and constantly increasing amount of knowledge.

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

A person actively uses the accumulated knowledge in everyday activities, therefore an important component of his economic culture is economic thinking. It allows you to understand the essence of economic phenomena and processes, operate with acquired economic concepts, and analyze specific economic situations.

The effectiveness of solving economic problems largely depends on the socio-psychological qualities of participants in economic activity. Among them, it is necessary to highlight 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. Personality orientation includes social attitudes and socially significant values. Thus, in Russian society, attitudes towards the study of modern economic theory and participation in solving various economic problems are being formed. A system of individual value orientations has been developed, including economic freedom, competition, respect for any form of property, and commercial success as a social achievement.

Social attitudes play an important role in the development of an individual’s economic culture. A person who has, for example, developed an attitude towards creative work, participates in activities with great interest, supports innovative projects, introduces technical achievements, etc. Such results will not be achieved by a formed attitude towards a formal attitude towards work.

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

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

In most cases, yes, because a person cannot be forced to do something 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 a person’s choice of standard? economic behavior?

The choice of a standard of economic behavior depends on the quality of the factors influencing it and on personal economic viability. The choice of standards of behavior in the economy and 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. Personality orientation includes social attitudes and socially significant values.

Question 5: Should economic freedom be limited?

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

The limits within which economic freedom serves production efficiency 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, restriction of market freedom for the sake of strengthening the economic situation is still practiced in our time. For example, government regulation of a market economy often acts as a tool to accelerate its development.

The economic freedom of the individual is inseparable from its social responsibility. Theorists and practitioners of economics initially paid attention to the inherent contradiction in the nature of economic activity. On the one hand, the desire for maximum profit and selfish protection of private interests, and on the other, 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 economics and ecology possible?

For many years, industrial activity was characterized by irrational use raw materials and a high degree of environmental pollution. There was an opinion that business activity and environmental protection are incompatible. However, the strengthening of the global environmental movement and the development of the concept and principles of sustainable development have contributed to a change in the attitude of entrepreneurs towards the environment. Sustainable development is the development of society that allows us to meet the needs of the present generation without harming 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 world's largest transnational companies. These companies and individual entrepreneurs, who have adopted the principles of sustainable development, effectively use more advanced production processes, strive to meet environmental requirements (preventing pollution, reducing production waste, etc.) and in the best possible way take advantage of market opportunities. Such companies and businessmen gain advantages over competitors who do not use new approaches to business. 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 literate and morally valuable human behavior in the economy?

One of the most important social roles of an individual is the role of a producer. In the context of the transition to an information-computer, technological method of production, a worker is required not only to have a high level of educational and professional training, but also to have high morality and 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 inspector), but rather self-discipline and self-control. The main controller in this case is conscience, personal responsibility and other moral qualities.

Depending on how property is acquired (legally and morally permissible methods or criminal) and how it is used, the social significance of the owner can manifest itself either with a “plus” sign or with a “minus” sign. You probably know examples of such manifestations.

In the process of a person realizing himself as a consumer, either healthy needs (sports, tourism, cultural leisure) or unhealthy ones (the need for alcohol, drugs) are also formed.

The nature and effectiveness of economic activity, in turn, depends on the level of development of the basic elements of economic culture.

Question 8. What difficulties is the new economy in Russia experiencing?

Firstly: an almost huge part of the Russian economy depends on prices for energy resources and minerals on world markets; as a result, if their prices decrease, the Russian economy will not receive quite a significant amount of money.

Secondly: there is a significant stratification of society. The formation of the “middle class” is happening at an extremely slow pace, despite the fact that many people have good incomes, many of them are not confident in the future.

Third: corruption continues in Russia

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 a poor person in such a society is much freer than a person with a much better financial situation in a different type of society.” Do you agree with this statement?

A person with low material income is much more mobile. Nothing holds him back. He can give up everything and leave at any moment (since he has nothing to give up). A rich person is chained to his source of wealth, he is vulnerable to external changes. A rich person needs to work much harder to maintain and increase his wealth. Stopping capital growth will lead to poverty.

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

We 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 life requires more than just intelligence. 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. Relying only on oneself always invigorates a person.

Question 3. “Freedom can be preserved only where it is conscious and where responsibility for it is felt,” says the German philosopher of the 20th century. K. Jaspers. Can you agree with the scientist? Give examples to support his idea. Name the three main values ​​of a free person, in your opinion.

Freedom is associated with the presence of human free will. Free will imposes responsibility on a person and assigns merit to his words and actions. Freedom gives rise to responsibility, first of all, for oneself, for one’s actions, thoughts and deeds. Responsibility gives a person freedom: a simple example - when a person is held accountable for his activities, then the Criminal Code is not scary 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 place Russia in 149th place in the world in terms of investment reliability. Thus, 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 non-obligatory partners. At the same time, only 60% of them feel guilty. How do you feel about the existence of double morality among participants in economic relations - for yourself and for your partner? Is it possible to create in a country a system of protection and support of economic behavior that is characterized as reliable, predictable and trustworthy? What would you suggest doing about this?

Often, Russian businessmen's negative economic qualities (wastefulness, mismanagement, greed, fraud) outweigh the positive ones. A system of protection and support for economic behavior may be possible, but first of all, it is necessary to instill moral principles in future entrepreneurs so that immediate gain is not a priority. It is necessary to raise the level of ethics and economic culture of the individual. The state must provide economic freedom, but with real legal regulation. Participants in economic activities must consciously fulfill the moral and legal requirements of society and bear responsibility for their activities. What can you offer? To form the correct moral and ethical standards from childhood; 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 incentives 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 misdeeds), and the inability to evade responsibility.

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTER 1

Question 1. How are the economy and other spheres of public life interconnected?

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

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 various relationships with each other and with the product - production relations. Production relations and productive forces together constitute the economic sphere of society: productive forces - people (labor), tools, objects of labor; production relations – production, distribution, consumption, exchange.

Spheres of public life are closely interconnected. In the history of 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 from all spheres are combined. For example, the nature of economic relations can influence the structure social structure. Place in social hierarchy forms certain Political Views, opens appropriate access to education and other spiritual values. 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, on various stages historical development the influence of any sphere may increase.

Question 2. What does economics study?

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

Economics is a social science. It studies a certain aspect of social life and as such is closely related to other 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 regulating the activities of economic entities at both the micro and macro levels. At the same time, the very need for appropriate legal norms generated by changes occurring in the economic life of society.

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

Economic activity (economy) plays a huge role in the life of society. Firstly, it provides people with the material conditions of existence - food, clothing, housing and other consumer goods. Secondly, the economic sphere of society is a system-forming component of society, a decisive sphere of its life, determining the course of all processes occurring 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 this comparative new science, like ergonomics, it studies man and his production activities, with the goal of optimizing tools, conditions and labor processes.

Question 4. How can producers and consumers make rational economic choices?

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 a manufacturer to make the right choice, he must check the market demand for a specific product in the place where he plans to sell it. Also check the solvency of the population in this 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 the national economy over a certain period of time (usually a year).

Economic growth refers to the development of the national economy in which the real volume of production (GDP) increases. The 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 labor productivity in society. When GDP growth outpaces growth in the number of people employed in manufacturing, strong growth occurs. Intensive economic growth is the basis for increasing the well-being 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 trade, entrepreneurs must compete, which has a positive effect on the price of the product, sooner or later it decreases. Just like in a real market or bazaar.

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

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

Question 7. How to make production efficient?

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

Production efficiency consists of the efficiency of all operating enterprises. Enterprise efficiency is characterized by the production of a product or service at the lowest cost. It is expressed in its ability to produce the maximum volume of products of acceptable quality with minimal costs and sell these products at the lowest costs. The economic efficiency of an enterprise, in contrast to its technical efficiency, depends on the extent to which its products meet market requirements and consumer demands.

Question 8. What is necessary for success in business?

In modern society, a successful business requires start-up capital.

You need to set a goal, make a plan and start implementing it. To succeed in business, you must have certain personal qualities: the ability to communicate with people, connections (the support of influential people is necessary), 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 business activities?

Regulatory legal acts regulating business activities 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 activities in the Russian Federation, carried out in the form of capital investments”;

Federal Law of the Russian Federation dated August 8, 2001 No. 128-FZ “On licensing individual species activities";

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

Federal Law of December 30, 2007 No. 271-FZ “On retail markets and on amendments to Labor Code Russian Federation";

Federal Law of May 2, 2006 No. 59-FZ “On the procedure for considering appeals from citizens of the Russian Federation”;

Federal Law of August 8, 2001 No. 129-FZ “On state registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs”;

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

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

State regulation of the economy is a set of measures and actions used by the state to make corrections and establish basic economic processes.

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

To the main goals government regulation economies include:

Minimizing the inevitable negative consequences market processes;

Creation of financial, legal and social preconditions effective functioning of a market economy;

Security social protection those groups of a market society whose position in a specific economic situation becomes most vulnerable.

Question 11. Who regulates cash flows in the economy and how?

In a capitalist economy, capital flows from industries with lower rates of profit to industries with higher norm profits through financial instruments: 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 through the mechanism of supply and demand, a certain volume of employment and wage level are established.

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, there are two main functions of the labor market:

Social function - is to ensure normal level income and well-being of people, the 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.

Labor demand is determined by employers' hiring needs a certain amount workers with the necessary qualifications to produce goods and services.

The demand for labor is inversely related to the real rate wages, which is defined as the ratio of nominal wages to the price level. In a competitive labor market, the labor demand curve has a negative slope: with increasing general level wage demand for labor falls.

Labor supply is determined by the size of the population, the share of the working-age population in it, the average number of hours worked by workers per year, the quality of labor and the qualifications of workers.

The supply of labor depends on the wage. The labor supply curve has a positive slope: as the general wage level rises, the supply of labor increases.

Question 13: Why are countries forced to trade with each other?

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

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

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 MRT, and therefore MT, involving more and more states in them. These relations are objective and universal, that is, they exist independently of the will of one (group) person and are suitable for any state. They are able to systematize the world economy, arranging states depending on the development of foreign trade (FT), on the share that it (FT) occupies in international trade, on the size of the average per capita foreign trade turnover.

Question 14. How does the economic culture of an individual manifest itself?

Economic culture is a system of values ​​and motivations for economic activity, respect for any form of ownership and commercial success as a great social achievement, success, rejection of “equalizing” sentiments, creation and development of a social environment for entrepreneurship, etc.

The basis of an individual’s economic culture is consciousness, and economic knowledge is its important component. This knowledge represents a set of economic ideas about the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of material goods, the influence of economic life on the development of society, the ways and forms, methods that contribute to the sustainable development of society. Modern production and economic relations require a large and constantly increasing amount of knowledge from the employee. Economic knowledge forms an idea of ​​economic relationships in the surrounding world, the patterns of development of the economic life of society. On their basis, economic thinking and practical skills of economically literate, morally sound behavior, significant in modern conditions economic qualities of the individual.

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

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

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