2011 Issue №6

The theoretical and methodological approaches to forecasting political processes are considered. The relevance of forecasting knowledge for contemporary political management and designing is grounded. The methods and implements for forecasting are evaluated not only within the context of the forecast function of political science but also as a means to cognize political
reality. The advantages and disadvantages of various methods and approaches are compared; the constraints of political forecasting are demonstrated.

The author proves that any image formed within political discourse is, in terms of its meaning, a mental object. It is claimed that, within discourse, the image of politics and the institutional practices of its formation are rather of psychological nature as well as that discourse register affects our perception of social objects of the world.

This paper examines notions used in studying the phenomenon of lobbying. The authors believe that the notion of lobbying should be distinguished from similar but not equivalent terms – advocacy, governmental relations, public relations and public policy. They suggest defining lobbying as pressure exerted by NGO representatives on central and local governments with the aim of forcing them to take (or not to take) decisions to the benefit of interest groups.

This work is an attempt to develop a social theory of uncertainty. The author carries out an analysis of social phenomena (personality, organizations and institutions) on the basis of anthropological presuppositions about the nature and features of uncertainty. The analysis rests on the concepts of multiple forms of capital, different orders of value, and field and habitus theory.

This article analyses the results of a sociological study conducted at the “Yantar” shipyard. The authors focus on the principal aspects of social management of a work collective and identify the basic problems faced by workers in the modern conditions.