The humanities and social science

The article focuses on different approaches to the definition of the legal state nature that has existed over time. The research is aimed at identifying the modern frames of the legal state that functions as a necessary counterbalance to the state monopoly on power and governance. The cope of research methodology is very wide, including the dialectic method of cognition, the methods of analysis and synthesis, and formally logical, historical legal and comparative legal methods. The result of the research that has been undertaken shall be the definition of the legal state, which is based on the rule of law, the recognition of law, the respect of law and the civil compliance with the law, as well as on the government’s ensuing the individual rights and freedoms.

The article justifies the need to clarify the true content of such a fundamental legal category as the “form of government”, since, so far, neither scientifically nor at the practical level, there hasn’t been given any unambiguous interpretation. The authors point to one of the typical conceptual errors in elucidating the content of this category, admitted by some legal theorists: the essence of the “form of government of the presidential republic” concept is interpreted with descriptors of a political state regime.

The article investigates the phenomenon of rent-seeking and rent-oriented behavior in the sphere of culture and arts. The author describes the specific features of the cultural production. It is shown that, the supply of cultural goods is characterized by the different level of rarity and consists from creative production, services of the institutions of culture and art, antiques, reproductions of works of art. Given the demand the cultural goods are structured in compliance with inquiries of its dealers, traders, collectors, adherents of prestigious consumption, real connoisseurs of art, consumers of entertainments. The article claims that the sphere of culture is divided into two sectors according to rental factors. In the first sector (primary market) production of the specific rent is possible (rent of talent, rents for rarity, marketing quasirent) that promotes rent-seeking behavior. In the second sector (services of the institutions of culture and art, art-object markets) rent-focused behavior is possible (capital rent, tourist rent, status rent, administrative rent). Political quasirent is the object of rent-seeking and rent-oriented behavior.

The characteristics of the gross regional product (GRP) play a crucial role in assessing the level and pace of regional development. Given the economic and statistical research of analytical material covering 1995 - 2016,the article compares the dynamics and structure of the GRP of the Kaliningrad region to the corresponding indicators of the aggregate GRP of the Russian Federation subjects. Changes in the regional GRP are linked to the specifics of the regional economic development in different years. The achieved level and structure of the Kaliningrad regional GRP is shown to reflect the post-industrial nature of its economy and are comparable with those of other subjects of the Russian Federation being average in development. A special regional feature is fluctuations in volume and branch structure of the GRP of the Kaliningrad Region, which are more significant than the average for Russia, due to its small size and, most importantly, the exclave geographic location.

The region's mechanical engineering contributes most to the rapid and efficient transition from the previous to the subsequent technological level and it was chosen as the object of the current research. The authors identify technological safety within more general scope of national security typology. The article reflects on the empirical data on the scale of mechanical engineering development in industrialized countries. The analysis of import flows of the North-Western subjects of the RF revealed that regional enterprises significantly lack technologically innovative machines and equipment. It brings about the conclusion that the local industry must be more focused on some import replacing productions. The authors propose a method and calculation of the share of imports and the balance of export-import flows in mechanical engineering products of the Kaliningrad region to its consumption. Such methodology makes it possible to determine the optimal import-replacing proportion of mechanical engineering in the region, which corresponds to a value of ≥ 50%. The established import-replacing share of regional engineering industry can be achieved due to a mechanism for ensuring the spatial and economic collaboration between import replacing entities of the regional economic system.

The author examines the image of the Frenchman in Russian quality journals published between the Napoleonic and Crimean wars. In many Russian journals, the emphasis was laid on creating a positive image of some social strata of French society. The author identifies the reasons for this phenomenon. The image of a ‘good Frenchman’ reveals the attitude of Russian press towards acute political and social issues of the time.

The article describes the formation of the national territory of Lithuania during the interwar period. The author compares factors, which affected the formation of the Lithuanian statehood, analyses the country’s relations with the neighbouring states and describes the Soviet-Polish and the Soviet- German relations. A high degree of dependence on external influence and numerous internal weakness of the country influenced the establishment of the geographical borders of Lithuania.

The article considers the geographical aspect of voting in general presidential elections in the Kaliningrad region in 2018. Two voting features, bipolar and fragmented, have been identified through the electoral analysis. There are a number of geographical factors which have a significant impact on the voting: the power of friends and neighbors and the power of the election campaign itself. Voting results are visualized in the work by means of cartographic method.

The article focuses on the book "Utopias of the Age of Enlightenment" by A. V. Chudinov. Analyzing this work, the author reflects on the contradictions and paradoxes of the Enlightenment: the utopian ideals of the Enlightenment, aimed at achieving universal happiness and prosperity, in practice were often associated with terror and violence.

The review examines a new edition of the book “Sawinkow” by a Polish researcher A. S. Kowalczyk which is devoted to a famous politician and terrorist B. V. Savinkov. It coincides with the anniversary of the Russian Revolution and the fact that one of the streets in Warsaw was named after Boris Savinkov. The book is structured chronologically and covers the entire life of Boris Savinkov. Despite the fact that the information in it is mostly correct, there is a number of inappropriate simplifications and factual errors. The review features the text composition, its strengths and weaknesses.

The article analyses one of the largest synoptic publications in the field of history and theory of state and law, published in Russia. The author describes many methodology research schools of Russian jurisprudence and explores their differences and similarities with international research tradition.

The review analyzes the academic monograph which examines a wide range of issues in constitutional and political history of Britain in the years 1832—1835. The reviewed book is characterized by the conceptual innovation, a sound historiographical background, thoroughness and a variety of theoretical and methodological features.