2006. Vol. 7. No. 5

This paper focuses on the term of market and suggests a non-traditional variant of its consideration from the point of view of market sociology as the leading field of contemporary economic sociology. The proposed approach is not against or instead of the contemporary economic theory. The approach suggests new additional variants that let us discuss the current markets under new conditions.

The end (see the beginning in Т. 7. № 4). The main goal of the paper is to analyze the advantages of incorporation of the sociological approach into economic analysis of institutional changes with the help of the definitions of recourse potential of economic actors. Special attention will be given to the difficulties and problems arising here. 

The current research is aimed at understanding and explaning of so called markets of esthetical goods. We take picture fashion in Sweden as an example. In order to understand and explain a market from the sociological point of view we need to disclose the way how the senses are constructed on this concrete market.  The actors construct the esthetical values on this market. On the basis of the relations between the producers and consumers the status identities are formatted. Camera operators chose their own author styles and the combination of status and style end up in market identity. The distribution of styles structures the prices. The conclusion of the paper is that the markets of esthetical goods could be defined as mechanisms of status identity creation. This also suggests that this approach towards markets of esthetical goods could be useful for study the other markets as well.

Poverty is the current Russian problem which became mass and constant phenomenon during the reforms years. The author gives the review of quantitative and qualitative approaches towards poverty estimation. The focus is placed on macro-economic aspects of poverty analysis and ways to prevent it. 

The research focus of the paper is the process of price formation which is the core element for any market. The author tries to show how the price is formatted in the real market practices with help of informal medical services. Is it really so that the price behavior of market agents is defined only by costs saving and income increase from the professional activity or another factors play role as well (values, norms, traditions, social attitudes, affects)? The main goal of the survey is to disclose the guidelines of price formation for the informal payment in state Moscow hospitals formulated by the dentists for each client. The empirical basis is the in-depth interviews with state dentists who take informal payments and the quantitative information of the patients (their social, demographic, clinical characteristics and the price of the given medical services). The basis was collected within 30 days observation that three dentists agreed to participate in state dentist hospitals of Moscow.