This article discusses the state and developmental prospects of modern Russian elitology. Popular estimates of modern regional political elites provide an indicator reflecting the state of internal regional security. The analysis of the criteria of elitism, i.e., defining the set of personal and professional qualities of the people recruited into the elite, notes a discrepancy between the traditional meaning of elitism and the possession of real political power. The research of the features of the formation of the state elite in China has been done. The experience of the modernization of the American political elite ensuring the US withdrawal from the protracted social and economic crisis in the first half of the last century and the experience of the national elite reformatting in the South Korea, which was managed to bring the country out of a deep crisis in the postwar period was analyzed. This article is one of the first attempts to assess objectively the status and prospects of domestic elitology and regional elites in order to formulate recommendations for Russian elitologists.

The purpose of the study is a political science analysis of existing approaches to ensure food security in Russia, identifying food risks and threats to national security and determining the most effective model of agricultural policy for modern Russia. The research methodology was based on the toolkit of political science analysis, which made it possible to identify political problems of ensuring the food security of the Russian Federation. Interdisciplinary approach using historical and comparative elements contributed to a deep analysis of agricultural policy and the identification of effective models for ensuring Russian food security. The research is based on general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, as well as structural-functional and modeling method. Political science analysis of food security in the context of ensuring national security is carried out. The Russian agrarian potential in the conditions of the existing challenges and threats to the national security of Russia is investigated. The essence of state protectionism as a priority of agricultural policy in ensuring economic and national security is shown. The article describes the "Doctrine of food security of Russia" as an important tool for strategic planning and considers the essence and main features of the political and economic strategy for ensuring food security in the course of agrarian reforms.

No abstract

This article describes a sociological analysis of the staffing issues in municipal territories. The sustainability and stability that have been ensured in recent years in almost all spheres of life are critical for Russia, which is a multinational country with a complex federative structure and diversity of cultures. The sustainability of the national economy has substantially increased, although many unsolved problems remain. The issues of an ineffective system of state and municipal governance due to employees’ low professional level and corruptness are among these. This research examines the effective staffing in the municipal territories between June and August 2017. The territories are those of the Russian Federation republics of Karachay-Cherkess, Karelia, and North Ossetia-Alania; the oblasts of Volgograd, Rostov, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Kurgan, and Chelyabinsk; and krais of Krasnodar and Stavropol. Methods involve a sociological survey to assess the effectiveness of local economic policies and the proficiency of local governing bodies in securing qualified managers who are capable of innovative development. The research focuses on the effectiveness of manager rotation in the local governing bodies in the municipalities. The purpose of the research is to reveal the main obstacles to forming a staffing reserve for solving new tasks relevant to the high competitiveness of the municipal territories. It also assesses the personal qualities required of the officials in these local governing bodies and the measures needed to effectively implement investment potential and increase municipal territory competitiveness. The paper concludes with a summary of trends needed to increase the effectiveness of the municipal staff in the surveyed regions of the Russian Federation. Among the main trends are increasing the qualifications of management staff, introducing an effective staff policy, procuring a reserve of staff with the necessary qualifications, implementing effective information coverage of staff policy in the region and the municipal territories to reduce the risk of corruption, and identifying ways to motivate staff using economic incentives.

No abstract