Social Protection: Terminological Definition, Fundamentals and Management Tools

Changes in social and economic relations that are rapidly occurring under the influence of various types of risks are causing the emergence of new challenges in the relations of the population with state and public entities. The importance of social institutions that are designed to provide material and psychological assistance to segments of the population different in age, gender and professional level is increasing. In the conditions of partial or sometimes complete loss of income by the citizens of the country, narrowing of the sphere of employment and consumption of socially important services, considerable attention is paid to the social protection of the population. The main purpose of this institution is to promote the maximum possible support of the quality of life, especially for the least protected sections of the population. At the same time, from an economic point of view, the importance of social protection is inseparable from its role in achieving an effective balance between the social and economic components of society, which imposes a certain responsibility on its social obligations and, therefore, an adequate understanding of functional boundaries. However, in the economic literature and in practice, social protection appears to be very simplified and, as a rule, is characterized by parametric indicators of assistance to the population. At the same time, the functional content of social protection as a systemic category, its connection with other social categories, in particular with social security, as well as with the budgetary, financial and economic instruments of society, escape the attention of researchers. In this regard, it should be considered relevant to specify the system of functions of the modern multi-subject management model and its inherent implementation mechanisms. The purpose of the paper is to determine the categorical essence of social protection of the population, its functional features among other segments of state social policy; substantiating the feasibility of using a multi-subject form of managing social processes that are important for the life of citizens. Novelty of the article lies in the classical understanding of the concept of social protection of the population. Its connection with the category of social security and the general process of social development of the population is revealed. The concept of multisubject management is structured as a system of interrelated measures to determine “centers of influence” on priorities, goals and fulfillment of tasks of social development of the population in the face of the onset of corresponding risks.