Volunteerism as a Socio-Political Phenomenon in the Dynamics of Scientific Publications (1991-2023)

The purpose of the article is to analyze the publication activity of Russian scientists in the study of such a phenomenon as volunteering for the period from 1991 to 2023. To do this, the concepts of “volunteerism” and “volunteering” were analyzed from the positions of various sociological and political science theories. The main characteristics of this activity were identified: volunteerism, gratuitousness and social orientation, and the subjects of volunteering are individuals, formal and informal social groups and movements. The main values of their activity are assistance and support to those in need, protection of their rights and interests, creative and positive moral attitude. The scale of this phenomenon in Russian society is constantly growing. The hypothesis was tested that with the development of volunteerism, the publication activity of Russian researchers will also grow. The hypothesis was tested on the basis of data posted in the electronic library of eLibrary.ru using the method of content analysis using the search engine of this library. It has been revealed that scientific attention to the phenomenon of volunteerism/volunteering begins in the post-perestroika period from 1991 and continues to grow exponentially (1991 - 1 article, 2023 - 1232 articles and books). A total of 3,703 articles and books were published in scientific journals between 1991 and 2023. This fact can be considered as an indirect indicator of the active development of volunteerism in our country and at the same time as an indirect indicator of the growth of the resource base of civil society.