?
The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Springer, 2020.
Bondarenko D. M., Kowalewski S., Birch J., Claessen H. M., Kradin N., Nemirovsky A., Korotayev A., Hui V. T., Kim N., Small D., Shchavelev A., Marey A. V., Baskin K., Pozdnyakova A., Denisova T., Harris L., Dye D., Aleksandrov G., Beekman C., Stanish C., Roscoe P., Davletshin A.
Editor-in-chief: Bondarenko D. M., S. Kowalewski, D. Small
This book presents a novel and innovative approach to the study of social evolution using case studies from the Old and the New World, from prehistory to the present. This approach is based on examining social evolution through the evolution of social institutions. Evolution is defined as the process of structural change. Within this framework the society, or culture, is seen as a system composed of a vast number of social institutions that are constantly interacting and changing. As a result, the structure of society as a whole is also evolving and changing.
The authors posit that the combination of evolving social institutions explains the non-linear character of social evolution and that every society develops along its own pathway and pace. Within this framework, society should be seen as the result of the compound effect of the interactions of social institutions specific to it. Further, the transformation of social institutions and relations between them is taking place not only within individual societies but also globally, as institutions may be trans-societal, and even institutions that operate in one society can arise as a reaction to trans-societal trends and demands.
The book argues that it may be more productive to look at institutions even within a given society as being parts of trans-societal systems of institutions since, despite their interconnectedness, societies still have boundaries, which their members usually know and respect. Accordingly, the book is a must-read for researchers and scholars in various disciplines who are interested in a better understanding of the origins, history, successes and failures of social institutions.
Chapters
Bondarenko D. M., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 1 P. 1–25.
Introduction describes the main aim of the volume as to present a novel approach to the study of social evolution. This approach is based on a look at, and analysis of social evolution through the evolution of social institutions associated with the rise and development of social complexity. Evolution is defined as the process of ...
Added: August 31, 2020
Bondarenko D. M., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 3 P. 51–78.
Aside from complexity measured in levels of political integration, societies as systems of social institutions have another fundamental characteristic that can be called a “basic principle of societal organization.” The principle of organization a society embodies depends on the way its institutions are arranged with respect to one another. Two basic principles can be distinguished: ...
Added: August 31, 2020
Bondarenko D. M., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 15 P. 337–357.
The chapter provides an anthropological analysis of the sociopolitical system of the Benin Kingdom (in contemporary Southwestern Nigeria) from coming to power of the Second (Oba) Dynasty presumably in the mid-13th century till the British conquest in 1897. The course of formation of this system of institutions and its basic characteristic features are outlined. It ...
Added: August 31, 2020
Щавелев А. С., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 11 P. 283–292.
The key goal of the chapter is to summaries the most promising ideas and approaches to to the social organization of the people named the Rus’ of the 9th – 10th centuries and to the history of the Rurikid polity created by one of such groups around Kiev in the 10th century. This Rurikid local polity appeared circa 900. It was not ...
Added: October 30, 2020
Marey A.V., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 13 P. 293–309.
The author discusses the royal power theory as it was developed and accepted in the Castilian Kingdom of the mid-thirteenth–early fourteenth centuries. The central figure of the chapter is the king of Castile and Leon Alfonso X the Wise (1252–1284). Claiming his rights not only to the throne of Castile but also to the Holy ...
Added: October 31, 2020
Gleb V. Aleksandrov, , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. P. 471–494.
Added: November 23, 2020
Alexander A. Nemirovsky, , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. P. 133–159.
The chapter deals with main institutional and conceptual aspects of transition of Assyrian polity from city-state with a quite limited power of hereditary rulers to territorial state and Empire with royal autocracy and developed bureaucratic apparatus at the latter’s disposal. That process took place in the mid-fourteenth–early thirteenth centuries BCE. The situations before and after ...
Added: November 29, 2020
Davletshin A., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 27 P. 627–656.
Polynesian Outliers represent several independent migrations from Western Polynesia into Melanesia and Micronesia, which developed in significant isolation under the pressure of severe ecological constraints. Their typical size is a few hundred persons and it is well documented that some reduced to less than twenty persons in the nineteenth century. Surprisingly, these societies were complex, ...
Added: December 8, 2020
Korotayev A., , in: The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.: Springer, 2020. Ch. 7 P. 161–184.
In the late 1st millennium BCE, a relatively strong Ancient Sabaean state was transformed into the Middle Sabaean political system consisting of a weak state in its center and strong chiefdoms on its periphery. In the 1st millennium CE, the North-East Yemen political system consisting of a weak state in its center and strong chiefdoms ...
Added: February 2, 2021
Research target:
Sociology (including Demography and Anthropology
Language:
English
Publication based on the results of:
Ustyuzhanin V., Zinkina J. V., Korotayev A., / Series "SocArXiv". 2026.
“Leaderlessness” is widely held to be a defining feature of contemporary mass mobilization, yet the claim rests on a handful of recent cases. We offer the first systematic cross-national analysis of this phenomenon from 1791 to 2019. We show that the absence of leadership is real but older and more modest than claimed: the share ...
Added: August 29, 2026
Tikhomirova A., Professional Discourse & Communication 2026 Vol. 8 No. 3 P. 66–84
Given China’s rise as the world’s leading automotive producer and the radical
transformation of the Russian market, societal acceptance of new market entrants remains a dif
ficult communicative task. Against the backdrop of growing sales and persistent consumer am
bivalence, this study examines how Russian consumers discursively construct, challenge, and
renegotiate the legitimacy of Chinese automobile brands in online ...
Added: August 28, 2026
Kazun A., Девятников В. Ю., Белов М. Д., Вопросы теоретической экономики 2026 Т. 3 № 32 С. 115–135
Как понять, хорош адвокат или нет? В данной статье мы описываем методологию, позволяющую измерять качество юридической помощи через разницу между тем, что предсказывает модель машинного обучения по объективным характеристикам дела, и тем, чем дело закончилось в реальности. Мы исходим из предпосылки, что если у адвоката дела стабильно заканчиваются лучше ожидаемого, то он делает свою работу хорошо. ...
Added: August 28, 2026
Almakaeva A., Мониторинг общественного мнения: Экономические и социальные перемены 2026 № 1 С. 3–16
This paper examines the benefits and drawbacks of longitudinal (panel) studies. It highlights their enormous potential for researching social transformations, individual life course, causal links, and the outcomes of different social and policy initiatives. Significant drawbacks of this design cover organizational and financial costs, panel attrition, panel conditioning and seam effects. The text describes several ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Medushevsky A. N., Liberal.ru 2026
The Liberal Mission Foundation continues to introduce readers to new concepts of democracy and relevant publications. This discussion focuses on the challenges facing democracy in the era of globalization, as addressed in two recent books: *The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies* by S.C. Stokes (2025) and *Critical Theories and the Postsocialist Challenge: Race, ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Medushevsky A. N., Liberal.ru 2026
Today, more than ever before, the contribution of new technologies shapes the conditions of humanity's existence as a biological species, prompting a debate about its prospects for survival. This process of transformation—which spans every sphere of social and moral regulation, from family relations and child-rearing to the very meaning of life—is dividing public opinion between ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Medushevsky A. N., Сравнительное конституционное обозрение 2026 Т. 35 № 2 (167) С. 4–29
In the context of the rapid changes in the modern world associated with globalization, informatiza tion, and the revision of ethical standards of mass behavior, legal theory faces a number of problems — the loss of consensus in understanding global constitutionalism, growing disagreements regard ing its values and principles, and unclear prospects for the future. ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Medushevsky A. N., Сравнительное конституционное обозрение 2026 Т. 35 № 1 С. 53–77
Judges should be independent of politics, yet they are constantly ensnared by it. Politics haunts judges even where the full scope of constitutional guarantees for the separation of powers and an in dependent judiciary is in place, infiltrating the courtroom through variable interpretations of the val ues, principles, and norms of the constitution, the selection ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Kotelnikov M., Пути России. Журнал cоциальных и этнографических исследований 2026 Т. 4 № 3 С. 80–95
The article examines strategies for avoiding unwanted verbal interactions with dog owners while walking dogs. The study is based on the author’s autoethnographic expe-rience and interviews with “introverted” dog owners. The discussion focuses on five tactics aimed at reducing the level of social discomfort of the “introverted dog owner”: actively com-menting on your dog’s actions, ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Medushevsky A. N., Вопросы теоретической экономики 2026 № 2 С. 146–164
It is generally accepted that the basis of social and legal stability in any society is a consensus on vir tue — the fundamental values of proper behavior, ways of maintaining and reproducing them. And, conversely, the destruction of this consensus is a sign of the loss of stability and divergence of positions of social ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Medushevsky A. N., Сравнительное конституционное обозрение 2025 Т. 34 № 4 С. 135–166
The communist morality created in the USSR to form a “new man” was based on a code of moral values that replaced traditional religious ideas with the ideological postulates of a one-party dictator ship. The crisis and collapse of this ideology in post-Soviet Russia led to the emergence of an “ethi cal vacuum” — moral ...
Added: August 26, 2026
Lebedeva D., Journal of Consumer Culture 2026
Everyday routines are a key yet understudied mechanism by which young people embed pro-environmental concerns and values into their everyday lives. Drawing on structuration and practice theory, this paper examines how the routinization of environmental behaviour of modern youth occurs, that is, how and under what conditions it becomes a stable part of the everyday ...
Added: August 24, 2026
Алексеев А. И., Горохов С. А., Дмитриев Р. В. et al., Аспект Пресс, 2026.
Содержание учебника соответствует структуре учебного курса «География населения с основами демографии». В учебнике освещены следующие базовые темы: история географии населения, переписи населения, естественное воспроизводство, рынок труда, расовая и этническая структура. Завершают учебник главы, посвященные расселению. Во всех разделах учебника значительное место отведено теоретическим вопросам и понятийнотерминологическому аппарату. Учебник предназначен для преподавателей и студентов высших учебных ...
Added: August 18, 2026
Субъективное благополучие россиян через призму реализации жизненных целей: динамика и дифференциация
Mareeva S., Slobodenyuk E., Социологические исследования 2026 № 7 С. 3–15
Based on survey data from the Institute of Sociology FCTAS from 2003–2024, the article examines Russians’ life goals, their inclusion in life plans, and perceived attainability, as well as the relationship between these characteristics and both objective and subjective well-being. It is shown that the structure of life goals is stable and has not undergone ...
Added: August 12, 2026
Papushina I. O., Shenkman E., Социологические исследования 2026 № 7 С. 31–43
The external shocks of 2022 have altered the operating environment for Russian
companies and the demand for skilled workers. This study examines how demand has responded for
different categories of professionals in the fashion industry, where the departure of international brands
has simultaneously increased uncertainty and opened up market niches for Russian manufacturers.
The empirical basis of the research ...
Added: August 7, 2026
Брюхно А. С., Telitsyna A., Journal of Social Policy Studies 2026 Vol. 24 No. 1 P. 143–158
This article examines grassroots digital volunteerism as a form of civic self-organization in the context of s large-scale socio-economic disruption, using the 2022 refugee crisis in Russia as an empirical case study. It focuses on the mutual aid networks that emerged on the VKontakte social network and the Telegram messenger, analyzing their organizational characteristics, modes ...
Added: August 1, 2026
Nefedova A., Marinina E. I., Antonova E. et al., М.: ИСИЭЗ ВШЭ, 2026.
В работе отражены результаты масштабного социологического исследования возможностей по реализации индустриальной аспирантуры, выполненного Институтом статистических исследований и экономики знаний Национального исследовательского университета «Высшая школа экономики» (ИСИЭЗ НИУ ВШЭ)
при поддержке Минобрнауки России. Рассмотрена международная практика применения подобного формата подготовки научных кадров высшей квалификации. Приведены мнения представителей университетов и компаний о востребованности и перспективах индустриальной аспирантуры в нашей стране, а также суждения ...
Added: July 28, 2026
Pashkov S., Chepurenko A., Социологический журнал 2026 Т. 32 № 2 С. 32–44
This article discusses the methodological possibilities and specific features of constructing chain indices based on longitudinal sociological data. The relevance of the study stems from the shortage of diverse socio-economic indicators for promptly tracking fluctuations in the expectations and intentions of small business owners under heightened uncertainty. The authors show that the chain index methodology ...
Added: July 27, 2026
Scientific publishing house Infinity, 2026.
These Conference Proceedings combine materials of the conference –
research papers and thesis reports of scientifi c workers. They examine technical,
juridical and sociological aspects of research issues. Some articles deal
with theoretical and methodological approaches and principles of research
questions of personality professionalization. ...
Added: July 24, 2026
Bondarenko D. M., Диалог со временем 2026 № 95 С. 36–49
The article explores contemporary African Americans’ perspectives on the Revolution and its legacy, and in particular their understanding of the social, political, and cultural foundations of their country laid during that era and the results achieved on those foundations, both for American society as a whole and for its Black community. Assessments of the past, ...
Added: July 24, 2026
Adeola Oluwatobi Oyewole, Savinskaya O., Journal of Social Policy Studies 2026 Vol. 24 No. 2 P. 353–368
This study uses structuration theory to examine gendered dynamics within student-led STEM research groups at a Nigerian university. While gender disparities in STEM are well-documented, comparatively little attention has been given to the micro-level interactional processes through which gender inequalities are reproduced, negotiated, and occasionally challenged, particularly in non-Western educational settings. Drawing on semi-structured interviews ...
Added: July 23, 2026
Kravtsova M., Musaev A. U., Welzel C., / Series "SSRN Working Paper Series". 2026.
Elaborating on Welzel et al.'s "Cool Water Theory," our study zooms into the more limited (albeit still varied) framework conditions of Russia's huge territory. Within Russia's confines, we examine how the combination of moderately cool seasons with steady rain (i.e., Cool Water) affects sub-national areas' contemporary societal progress in two modernization indicators: material prosperity in ...
Added: June 3, 2026
Kudriavtseva E., / РЦИС. Серия № 0148-756-286. 2026.
The content of the work is the system is a system for identifying four types of written speech structures. A set of 11 calculated parameters, statistical standards, and semantic characteristics allows for the identification of a text's structure as the result of a specific cognitive schema (scene, event, story, evaluation). The method has been verified ...
Added: June 2, 2026
Vorchik A., / SSRN. Серия Social Science Research Network "Social Science Research Network". 2026.
This work is devoted to a theoretical explanation of the Easterlin paradox, according to which long-term economic growth does not make average level of people's happiness increasing. By happiness, we mean the intensity of emotions people experience while comparing their new income with its expected value, or the target income with its original value. In the first case, ...
Added: May 31, 2026