Plan

9.1 Social policy of the state: essence, content, functions.

9.2 Main directions of social state policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

9.3 Labor policy and labor market.

9.4 State policy in the field of education: main directions and features of implementation.

9.5 State policy in the sphere of cultural development.

 

9.1 Social policy of the state: essence, content, functions

Social policy – is the activity of the state, public organizations and charitable foundations, which is aimed at meeting the needs of the population and is implemented through the social sphere.

There are various definitions of the concept of «social policy» in the scientific literature.

Social policy is an «integral system of state and public activities», none of which can be cut off or ignored without prejudice to the development of the country^[103].

Social policy is «the interaction of groups, during which their position relative to each other is formed, including in terms of access to the economic resources of society^[104]».

Interaction is determined by the institutions of power and is carried out through the representation of group interests in its structures, which is assumed by segments of the relevant groups close to the elite. By its very nature, social policy presupposes a permanent multi-pronged dialogue, formalized within the relevant institutions and conducted in the public opinion space.

Social policy is a system of measures implemented by the state, public organizations, local self-government and enterprises on a wide range of issues related to public well-being, as well as the decision-making process itself^[105].

Social policy in the narrow sense is the government's actions aimed at distributing and redistributing the income of various members and groups of society.

Social policy in a broad sense is one of the areas of macroeconomic regulation designed to ensure the social stability of society^[106].

The goal of the social state policy is «to create conditions for human life in the amount corresponding to the level of development of society»^[107].

At the same time, it should be noted that the social policy of the state, which acts as an integral part of the measures taken by the state to regulate the conditions of social production in general, is closely related to the general economic situation in the country. Through state social policy in a market economy, the principle of social justice is implemented, which implies a certain measure of equalization of the situation of citizens, the creation of a system of social guarantees for all segments of the population.

The core objective of social policy is to enhance the standard and quality of life for citizens by promoting employment and economic participation. It seeks to create conditions in which every able-bodied individual can support their family through work or entrepreneurship. At the same time, the state maintains its social responsibilities toward vulnerable populations, including pensioners, persons with disabilities, and large families^[108].

Subjects of social policy carry out activities aimed at its formation and implementation in relation to a certain object. Subjects of social policy include representatives and institutions of civil society that actually actively interact in the social sphere. These can include individuals and social groups, as well as legislative and executive authorities at various levels, employers in the state and non-state sectors of the economy, public organizations, and other structures that influence the development and implementation of state social policy.

The main place among all subjects belongs to the State represented by its representative, executive and judicial bodies operating at the republican, regional and local levels. They formulate a general concept, determine the main directions of social policy, its strategy, tactics, form the social information field, provide a legislative and legal basis, and implement specific provisions on the ground.

The state is not the only subject of social policy. Its role is largely reinforced by the role of many civil society institutions, to which the State delegates a wide range of functions. However, the peculiarity and uniqueness of the role of the state lies in its responsibility for social stability in society, the stability of the social status of citizens, families, social groups, and the implementation of a policy of progressive development of society. This is due to the very nature of the state as the only political and legal entity that has the full range of power.

Social activities of other subjects of social policy (political, trade union and public associations, charitable and voluntary organizations, enterprises, etc.) are carried out within relatively narrow limits, corresponding to their competence, and are of great importance in solving the problems of certain categories of the population. This is explained by the fact that such actors are most closely related to the needs of a particular person and therefore are able to respond more sensitively to them, with greater diversity than the state, and solve problems related to finding social balance and distributing social justice among groups and strata of society.

The object of social policy as a whole is society, which is very heterogeneous in its structure and composition. This makes it necessary to differentiate the objects of social policy, which can be implemented on various grounds. For example, the basis can be people's ability to work, standard of living, health status, age, and other social and demographic characteristics. There should be uniform principles and minimum social guarantees for each member of society. At the same time, targeted social policies should be implemented (i.e. targeted at specific groups of the population), first of all, poorly protected segments of the population.

The objects of social policy are: the position of classes and social groups, nations and nationalities, the individual family, the position of a person in society, and all aspects of the people's welfare. It follows that social policy is a broad concept. In a broad sense, it should cover all aspects of people's lives: improvement of working and living conditions, implementation of the principle of social justice, social protection and guarantees of the population, employment problems, satisfaction of material and spiritual needs of people, improvement of national relations, etc.^[109]

The main goal of social policy is to improve the level and quality of life of citizens by stimulating labor and economic activity of the population, providing every able-bodied person with conditions that allow their work and entrepreneurship to ensure the well-being of the family. At the same time, the state fully preserves its social obligations to pensioners, disabled people, large families, and disabled citizens.

Social policy is designed to guarantee the population a minimum income, socially protect the population from diseases, disability, unemployment, and old age. At the same time, the state's provision of minimum living conditions applies only to those who cannot do it on their own. The system of social services (health, education, vocational training, employment services) relies on the public sector of social infrastructure sectors, although each of them has private enterprises, the state participates in the financing, production and distribution of social services, thereby increasing their accessibility to the population.

The social state policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan is aimed at ensuring the welfare of citizens, protecting their rights and improving the quality of life. One of the key aspects of such a policy is the cultural and educational development of society, since education and culture form social values, the level of literacy and the overall development of the country.

Content of social policy.

The content of the state's social policy includes:

- social protection guarantees – measures to provide citizens with a minimum level of income, allowances and social benefits;

- development of the healthcare system – accessibility of medical services, prevention of diseases, improvement of medical infrastructure;

- employment policy – creating jobs, improving the level of professional training, and regulating the labor market;

- demographic policy – support for the birth rate, programs to help families with children, and promotion of reproductive health;

- educational policy – development of the education system, modernization of educational programs, professional development of teachers.

The implementation of social state policy concerns every person and citizen. The most ambitious task in the market economy of Kazakhstan is the social protection of all segments of society and the development of an effective social policy strategy. The form of its implementation is the actual course of action of the state, embodied in social policy, which covers all areas of economic relations in the country. All this is currently becoming particularly relevant due to the acceleration of the process of property differentiation of citizens, excessive polarization of income, which in turn has indicated the social stratification of society. In these circumstances, there is an urgent need to strengthen the social orientation of the state's policy.

According to Article 1 of the Constitution of our country: «The Republic of Kazakhstan asserts itself as a democratic, secular, legal and social state, whose highest values are the individual, his life, rights and freedoms»^[110]».

Characteristics of the welfare state:

- recognition of the state's responsibility for the social situation of its citizens;

- guarantee of free education and medical care to all citizens;

- bringing the minimum wage, scholarships and allowances in line with the real subsistence level;

- guarantee timely payment of salaries to public sector employees, pensions, scholarships and other social benefits;

- prevention of mass unemployment, retraining and advanced training of the released labor force;

- support for families, motherhood and childhood, veterans and disabled people 55.

Social policy covers the following main sectors of society:

- demography (natural reproduction of the population);

- labor (labor market, employment, training and retraining, personnel, labor conditions and safety, social partnership);

- personal income (wages, pensions, allowances, etc.);

- social infrastructure (housing, schools, preschool institutions, health and cultural institutions, etc.).

Objectives of social state policy:

- rapid growth of human potential as a condition for helping the productive life of members of society;

- formation of a new middle class as the defining social force of society and the main carrier of the nation's human potential;

- development of civil society and the rule of law as an indispensable condition for the expanded reproduction of human potential.

- social protection of a person and their basic socio-economic rights;

- creating conditions for improving the well-being of each individual and society as a whole:

- maintaining a certain status of various social groups and relations between them, forming and reproducing the optimal social structure of society;

- development of social infrastructure (housing and communal services, transport and communications, education, healthcare, information);

- formation of economic incentives for participation in public production;

- creation of conditions for the comprehensive development of a person, satisfaction of his needs and the possibility of realization in free labor.

Social policy should be based on the following principles: concreteness; transparency and transparency; purposefulness; multi-subjectivity; multilevel, differentiation of competence and interaction of all levels of government; partnership; subsidiarity; independence; generational solidarity; non-discrimination based on gender, age, etc.; balance; social justice; social and personal responsibility; self-actualization; security; differentiated versatility. Following these principles makes social policy more focused and active.

Social policy functions.

In the social sphere, the dominant position is occupied by the public sector, in contrast to the economy, where the main functions are performed by market structures. Depending on the size of the public sector in a particular country, social policy has its own characteristics. An expanded social policy means that social programs are generally accessible, that social payments are universal, and that the state's redistributive activities are comprehensive. Restrictive social policy means reducing it to a minimum, to the function of complementing traditional institutions of the social sphere.

Main functions of the social policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

- regulatory function – development and implementation of regulatory acts regulating social relations and resource allocation;

- protection function – providing support to socially vulnerable categories of the population (low-income, large families, pensioners, disabled people, etc.);

- economic function – creating conditions for the growth of living standards, stimulating employment and increasing incomes of the population;

- civilizing function-prevention of social tension, strengthening of social stability and harmonization of societies and relations;

- motivational function – creation of conditions for self-realization of citizens, their involvement in economic and social activities;

- integration function-ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens, development of inclusive programs and social adaptation;

- development function-support of the education system, health care and cultural development, promotion of innovations in the social sphere.

Thus, social policy, as a regulator of the diverse interests of various social groups, is effective only if it takes into account not only the diversity of interests, but also takes into account their hierarchy in accordance with the number and place in the system of social production of a particular social group. Citizens themselves should be more actively involved in solving issues affecting their interests, take the initiative, and improve their professionalism. Only with the joint efforts of the authorities and the dedication of citizens will social policy contribute to the stability of society in the conditions of innovative reconstruction of the national economy.

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^[103] Korobov, M. L. Russia’s Policy as a Social State. // Population Studies. – 2002. – No. 2. – P. 110.

^[104] Jakobson, L. Social Policy: Guardianship or Solidarity? // Social Sciences and Contemporary World. – 2008. – No. 1. – P. 69.

^[105] Romanov, P. V., Yarskaya-Smirnova, E. R. Social Policy and the Sociology of the Body: Possible Intersections // Social Sciences and Contemporary World. – 2005. – No. 5. – P. 167.

^[106] Aszhina, M. A. Fundamentals of Economic Theory. – Moscow: Dashkov & Co. Publishing House, 1996. – P. 70.

^[107] Roshchina, I. Principles of Forming an Effective Social Policy // Man and Labor. – 2005. – No. 10. – P. 26..

^[108] State Regulation of the Economy. Textbook. Retrieved from https://vasilievaa.narod.ru/gu/stat_rab/book/GRE_Zheltov/g11.htm (Accessed: March 2, 2025).

^[109] State Regulation of the Economy: Textbook. Retrieved from https://vasilievaa.narod.ru/gu/stat_rab/book/GRE_Zheltov/g11.htm (accessed March 2, 2025).

^[110] Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K950001000