Introduction. Monitoring of the social and professional well-being of teachers (in- cluding at the regional level) is conditioned by the need to assess the effectiveness of the ongoing social reforms, including the modernization of the Russian education system. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the content and dynamic characteristics of the manifestation of social and professional health indicators of teachers as a social and professional group at the level of the Republic of Mordovia, taking into account the historical changes in the state of the society. Materials and Methods. The materials used were sociological surveys conducted in the Republic of Mordovia among teachers of general education schools. To analyze the data obtained, traditional statistical methods (comparison, grouping, index method) were used, as well as methods for testing statistical hypotheses. Results. The specificity of the social and professional well-being of teachers in the Republic of Mordovia has been studied. It has been proved that over the past 25 years the level of social well-being of teachers in the Republic has increased significantly: the interviewed teachers have shown a higher level of satisfaction with personal se- curity, material prosperity, living standards of their families, entertainment, leisure, housing and working conditions. A high level of satisfaction with the profession of the teacher and its relationship with the experience of pedagogical work, as well as with the place of residence, has been revealed. Discussion and Conclusions. A high level of professional identity is inherent in more teachers with longer work experience, but the problem of age changes makes the professional recruitment of personnel into the school system urgent. The results obtained may serve as a stimulus for a more extensive study of the regional issues of modern teaching, including its ‘social portraits’, and may also be useful to the regional authorities dealing with the elaboration of education development programs.

Introduction. Many foreign students study at universities in the provincial regions of Russia. At the same time, research into criteria and factors that influenced the choice of a Russian regional university among foreign students have not been carried out until now. The main purpose of the study is to identify the criteria and factors of the attractiveness of a university located not in the capital region, but on the periphery of Russia, according to foreign students. Materials and Methods. Stages of the research: analysis of statistics on the number of foreign students in Russia, analysis and generalization of literary sources in the field of identifying the motives of applicants when making a decision to study at a foreign university, a sociological survey of foreign students studying at universities in the Volga Federal District, processing and generalization of the survey results, development of recommendations to increase the attractiveness of Russian higher education for foreign applicants. Results. According to the results of a sociological survey among foreign students studying at universities of the Volga Federal District, the attractive factors of choosing Russia as a country for higher education, as well as repulsive (negative) factors in their native country, were revealed. The reasons and goals of admission to the Russian university, the sources of information about Russia and the university, the criteria for choosing a Russian university were analyzed, the strategic goals of foreign students after graduation were identified. Discussion and Conclusion. The conclusions made by the authors contribute to the development of theoretical approaches and methodological tools for studying the choice of foreign universities by foreign students for their studies, identifying the motives and factors that influenced this choice. The materials of the article will be useful to scientists and researchers dealing with such problems, as well as to federal and regional governments, ministries of education, regional universities in developing programs to increase the international competitiveness of higher education in Russia and attract an international contingent of students.

Introduction. Promotion of volunteerism plays an important role in the formation of civil society in Russia. The animal welfare movement is one of the areas of such socially significant activities. Studies in this field are of relevance and practical significance, since the development of the animal welfare movement is a kind of social marker of the moral state of society. The study is aimed at identifying the organizational forms of the animal welfare movement in Russia as well as the motivation for people to participate in this activity, and at drawing up a sociological portrait of the Russian animal welfare activist. Materials and Methods. The article presents the results of two sociological studies: a survey of animal welfare activists (2017) done using the method of informal guided (semi-structured) interviews and an online survey of members of animal welfare groups on social networks (2019) conducted using ‘snowball sampling’ technique. Results. A portrait of a typical representative of the animal welfare movement in Russia has been done. The main achievements and problems of the animal welfare movement in Russia have been identified. The social composition of the animal welfare movement has been revealed as well as the activists’ motivation for participation in volunteering. An assessment of the level of development of the animal welfare in Russia as a whole and in the home regions of the animal welfare activists has been presented. Discussion and Conclusion. The animal welfare movement is represented at the regional and federal levels, the degree of its development being a certain marker of the state of public morality and the level of maturity of civil society. However, the effectiveness of animal welfare activities is constrained by a number of factors: legal, organizational, financial, and informational ones. Overcoming these barriers depends on a sustainable dialogue between the authorities and civil society, especially at the regional level. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results by the authorities and volunteer movements for the implementation of civil initiatives and their legislative support at the federal and regional levels.

Introduction. Memories of past events often become objects of political manipulation, when the interpretation of events that are significant for Russian history turns out to be dependent on the political preferences and attitudes of public actors. Manipulations are aimed primarily at schoolchildren and university students, them being the most active part of society with significant protest potential. The article, based on the study conducted, systematizes the representations of past events in the collective memory of young people in the multiethnic regions of the Volga Federal District (Russia) to evaluate the influence of alternative ethnic and regional narratives on the state and potential development of the ethno-confessional situation in the regions under examination. Materials and Methods. The study was based on the materials of a mass sociological survey conducted among students (n = 1,246, October 2020), in the Republic of Mordovia, Chuvash Republic and the Republic of Tatarstan. First- and second-year students of the largest universities of the republics were interviewed. To identify regional differences, respondents who came from other countries and regions were excluded from the data obtained. Results. The results of the mass survey conducted among young people in the Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Tatarstan and the Chuvash Republic have revealed the fragmented perception of Russian history. In the historical memory of the youth living in the ethnic regions of the Volga Federal District, significant events of the Soviet past have dominated, although in some cases they have been perceived and reconsidered through the prism of ethno-confessional practices. At the same time, alternative ethnic and regional narratives that could negatively affect the socio-political situation in the republics have practically not been captured in the historical consciousness of the youth. Discussion and Conclusion. At the present stage, the regional symbolic memory policies of all three republics do not fundamentally contradict the memory policies of the federal center. The results of the study will be useful to social scientists, as well as public figures engaged in youth policy.

The relevance of the study is determined by the expansion of theoretical findings in the field of sociology of work, in particular, in the study of job satisfaction of arbitration managers under the State Duma’s consideration of the draft law No. 1172553-7 “On Amendments to the Federal Law ‘On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)’ and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”. To assess the level of job satisfaction of arbitration managers, the authors conducted an analysis of the features of their professional activities with an expert survey - to reveal their opinions on the state of the institution of insolvency (bankruptcy), its upcoming reform, and the level of their job satisfaction. Unlike most studies in this field, in which the emphasis is made on the social-legal status of arbitration managers, the authors consider the main social-psychological criteria for their job satisfaction, including remuneration, additional benefits and working conditions in the field of insolvency. The information base of the study includes a secondary analysis of the statistics of insolvency procedures in 2016-2020 and an expert survey (25 active arbitration managers with more than three years of experience were interviewed). The authors conclude that arbitration managers have a low level of job satisfaction, which is explained, first of all, by the extremely high workload and responsibility (including the risk of disqualification for three years for committing formal offenses that do not pose a danger to public relations and do not lead to violations of the rights of creditors, the debtor and society), conflict of procedures, lack of sociallabor guarantees, the variability of legislation, and several ‘control centers’ with opposing interests. These factors reduce interest in the profession of arbitration manager, which may lead to a crisis in the insolvency industry due to a shortage of highly qualified specialists.