The article describes the social policy on the definition of poverty, highlights several concepts of the criterion of poverty based on sociological research. It also considers programs to decrase poverty in Kazakhstan. At present, Kazakhstan has already made the transition from socialist technologies for managing the development of the social sphere to others characteristic of a market society, and social policy being formed as a social institution. The processes of formation of the normative and value base of social policy are intensively developing; its organizational structures formed. Separate social programs related to the reform of sectors of the socio-economic sphere, such as social security, education, health care, and required appropriate social reforms, since it was obvious from the example of other countries that the successful functioning of a welfare state is possible only on the basis of a highly developed economy, which should be effective in order to become socially oriented and serve the interests of all sectors of societ In Kazakhstan, a special vision of the modernization process is being developed, with the priority of economic development over other spheres of societ Usually a modernizing society during the transitional period acts as the main initiator of economic and political reforms.
The essence and structure of poverty is based on sociological research data: at first, is the poverty of a person or a family, first of all, an economic phenomenon, since in the mass consciousness of the population poverty is seen as the impossibility of having the material means that families with high incomes have. . In addition, the concept of "resource" (wages, pensions, allowances, etc.) identified with family income.
Secondly, poverty is a political phenomenon, because the material lack of a person or family leads to the deprivation of the possibility of their participation in the adoption of important decisions by the authorities. Therefore, deepening or aggravation of poverty can lead society at a certain level to social tension and destabilization.
Thirdly, if the material lack of a person or family, as a rule, leads to a low level of culture and morality, then this problem of poverty considered as a mental phenomenon, because the extremely poor in the struggle for survival do not notice a decrease in the level of education, culture, spirituality and behavior.
Fourthly, poverty is considered a special psychological condition, because a person who is unable to satisfy his material, mental, political needs becomes an individual with low self-esteem, feels unfree, does not receive proper pleasure from life, is deprived of honor and dignity, and does not deserve the respect of others. As a result, an inferiority complex develops in person’s life.
Defining the concept of "poverty" is a complicated problem. In world practice, there are official (objective) and unofficial (subjective) concepts (methods) for determining povert[1]
According to the first concept, poverty is determined at the state level based on official research (expert assessment), and according to the second, poverty is studied by polling public opinion.
In accordance with the first concept, the minimum consumer budget or the subsistence minimum (scientifically determined set of food and non-food goods and services in kind and value terms that provides a person with consumption at a level accepted by society as the minimum allowable at a given stage of its development) is adopted as a poverty criterion, norms and standards), according to which the scale of poverty (percentage of that part of the poor population), the threshold of poverty and the categories of the poor.
In order to decease poverty, the national program "Araket" (1998-2005) have been developed, in which the poor part of the citizens of the republic is conditionally divided into two categories [2].
If the first category of the poor made up of disabled citizens and other socially vulnerable groups of the population, the second group consists from families of able-bodied citizens - low-paid workers, some people with small plots of land and the unemployed.
In many countries, with a deep and versatile study of poverty, along with the official concept, also practiced an unofficial (subjective). In Kyrgyzstan, according to the subjective concept (data from a number of major sociological surveys in 1997, 1999, 2003-2010), was confirmed that poverty has become a social phenomenon that has penetrated into all spheres of a person’s life and radically changed his lifestyle.
The emergence of poverty in Kyrgyzstan is due to a number of reasons, which is becoming a mass phenomenon, If in the early years of Kyrgyzstan's sovereignty, respondents saw the main causes of poverty only in external factors, then later they tried to identify other real causes. For example, according to sociological surveys (World Bank, 1999), respondents note that poverty is a product of the transitional stage, when society moves from one system to another, when there are objective factors (unemployment, high cost, late payment of pensions, benefits; reforms, omissions and shortcomings during privatization, etc.), as well as subjective factors (laziness, idleness, lack of initiative, dependency, alcoholism, excessive expenses in the implementation of national customs and traditions). Poverty is largely more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.
At present, the category of the poor covers the majority of the population. It includes the urban poor, families without housing, in need of money, unable to buy clothes, in need of food, often malnourished, unable to give proper upbringing and education to their children.
The rural poor have no livestock (some may have a cow, one or two sheep, a few chickens), live in dilapidated houses, are unable to cultivate their land, constantly lack food and clothing, children often miss classes or drop out of school altogether, as a result, conflicts arise in such families due to financial difficulties.
Poverty has a negative impact on the material, moral, psychological state of all family members, especially on the formation of teenage children, who, instead of revealing their potential, form an inferiority complex. Therefore, the goal of a democratic state is to reduce the number of poor people and solve the problem of overcoming povert
At present, Kazakhstan has already made the transition from socialist technologies for managing the development of the social sphere to characteristic of a market society, and social policy formed as a social institution. The processes of formation of the normative and value base of social policy are intensively developing; its organizational structures already formed.
At various stages of the development of society and the state, there are different conditions and factors that contribute to the formation and development of social interests, the satisfaction of social needs, the regulation of interactions between the state and society and its various subjects. The course of reform in Kazakhstani practice was associated with the implementation of an integrated approach, when institutions and subjects of reform were simultaneously changing; new principles of social policy were emerging. The transformation of various spheres of life during the transition period led to an understanding of the specifics of what is happening, and made it possible to choose priority goals and objectives for development. The importance of the theoretical and methodological analysis of changes turned out to be necessary for the effective management of socio-political, economic, and cultural processes.
In the justifications for the adoption of these programs, as well as in the process of developing measures for their implementation, the nature and extent of the social problems aimed at overcoming and taken into account. The process of comprehensive modernization itself should take place in the interests and with the direct participation of the entire population of the country, all strata and institutions of society [4]. Among such common interests of the population were those that affected the social aspects of the development of target groups: those who, in the conditions of the formation of the market, found themselves near the poverty line (senior persons, the disabled, large families, state employees); residents of villages and small towns who have experienced the depressing impact of economic restructuring; compatriots living abroad and wishing to return to their historical homeland in Kazakhstan, etc.
Particular social programs related to reform sectors of the socio-economic sphere, such as social security, education, health care, and required appropriate social reforms, since the example of other countries was obvious that the successful functioning of a welfare state is possible only on the basis of a highly developed economy, which should be effective in order to become socially oriented and serve the interests of societ
The state, preventing political instability in the face of a budget deficit, has begun the development and phased implementation of a number of state programs directly related to realization of social polic Its priority areas highlighted, such as the fight against poverty; proportional development of infrastructure (small towns, rural areas); assistance to residents of regions with an ecologically unfavorable environment, etc. As noted by I.N. Tasmagambetov, “the reform of the social sphere carried out in Kazakhstan is aimed at a radical change in the organizational, economic, regulatory, legal, structural, institutional and conceptual and programmatic foundations for the functioning of social sectors in order to bring them closer and adapt to market conditions” [5]. Thus, the reform of the social sphere has become a backbone in the process of Kazakhstan's modernization as a whole.
With regard to particular stages of the ongoing transformational period and even to several years for which one or another of the state documents is calculated, reflecting the directions of development of social policy, the priority of solving its certain tasks and directions established. As a special goal in the context of the transformation of the industrial structure in Kazakhstan, put forward the aim of solving at least to some extent such a specific problem for the new economic conditions as unemployment, curbing mass unemployment and mitigating its severe social consequences, including as passive measures ( payment of benefits), as well as active ones - the preservation and creation of new jobs, retraining of workers, etc. The same group of priorities and strategies includes solving problems related to the regulation of labor relations - labor protection, protection of labor rights of citizens, development and improvement of social partnerships, wage issues subject to the regulatory influence of social policy; some government documents highlight a set of measures aimed at developing human resources.
Rapid social stratification against the background of uneven regional development has become the main socio-political risk in Kazakhstan, that threatening instabilit Therefore, despite the course of market reforms, the importance of state regulation of socio-economic development has increased and the following have become increasingly relevant: the social orientation of reforms, the social responsibility of business, and the development of civil society institutions. Now, as time passes, it becomes more and more obvious that the speed of reform is by no means a sign of successful transformation. A resource of time is needed for a deep theoretical study of one or another institutional innovation, putting it into practice, monitoring the results, identifying and correcting shortcomings.
In Kazakhstan, a special vision of the modernization process developed, with the priority of economic development over other spheres of societ Usually a modernizing society during the transitional period acts as the main initiator of economic and political reforms.
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2. Employment and unemployment. Results of the integrated household survey in 2009 - Bishkek, 2011.
3. Bazarbayeva G.A. Formation of a welfare state in the Republic of Kazakhstan: Dis... Dr. polit.nauk / Almaty,
4. Nazarbaev N.A. New Kazakhstan in a new world. Message of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev to the people of Kazakhstan // Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. – 2007, March -
5. Tasmagambetov I.N. Social policy and political transformation. - Almaty: IRK, - 226 p.
Author: G. E. Kanafina
Tags: Poverty, International Relations, Social Protection, Social Work
Journal: Bulletin of KazNPU
Year: 2014
City: Almaty
Category: International relations
