Sociotechnical systems: historical origins and contemporary relevance

Theoretical and methodological approaches to the formation of the concept of cybersocial innovation systems

The authors systematize the key tenets of existing approaches and develop a comprehensive methodological framework for constructing a concept for next-generation innovation systems that integrate cyber-physical spaces and social capital.

WORK IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

With the theme "The Functioning of Contemporary Society," this undergraduate scientific research project, conducted between September 2024 and August 2025 at the State University of Paraná (Universidade Estadual do Paraná – UNESPAR), Paranavaí campus, and funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), aimed to reflect on the functioning of contemporary society by taking labor relations within the capitalist system as its central analytical framework. The general objective was to contribute to the understanding of how current social dynamics are organized, using the historical development of capitalism as the starting point for analysis. The research was essentially bibliographic, based on books, articles published in academic journals, and searches conducted on specialized websites. The findings made it possible to relate labor to the functioning of capitalist society, which violates the human and social rights of the working class. Furthermore, technological advances and the phenomenon of globalization have intensified labor precarization, characterized by outsourcing, machinofacture (machine-based production), and platform-based work (uberization), exposing workers to increasingly arbitrary and complex working conditions.

Philosophy and Governance

Evolution of the economic paradigm and the formation of the economics of hybrid social-digital systems

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of the methodological foundations of economic science under the influence of the digital revolution. The paper substantiates the thesis that the fundamental premises of the neoclassical paradigm – representative agent, perfect rationality, equilibrium approach, diminishing returns, exogeneity of technologies – come into a systemic contradiction with the empirical realities of the digital economy: network effects, increasing returns to scale, the dominance of platform structures, data economy and fundamental uncertainty. The article critically analyzes the adaptive capabilities of the mainstream and concludes that they are limited. Complex economy, evolutionary economics, and K. Perez's concept of techno-economic paradigms are considered as promising areas for the formation of a new paradigm. Special attention is paid to ontological shifts that lead to the emergence of hybrid reality (fidgital), where the boundaries between the physical, digital, and social are blurred. The author proposes a model of the economy of hybrid systems, which includes a four-level architecture and a triple-spiral model of interaction between different spheres. The conclusion is substantiated that the new fundamental basis should be based on the principles of agent heterogeneity, endogenous innovation, non-equilibrium dynamics, network architecture, and the interpretation of information and data as a key production resource that changes the nature of economic processes.

The institutional-matrix approach as a potential metanarrative of cultural-historical originality

The article is dedicated to the characteristics of classical and contemporary approaches to the concept of cultural originality. The aim of the study is to rethink and supplement the main provisions of the theory of institutional matrices as a potential metanarrative. Via interdisciplinary analysis, including historical and economic research methods, the achievements and limitations of both geographical determinism and historical institutionalism are shown in terms of understanding the mechanisms of transmission of patterns of behaviour over long-lasting periods. The author considers the theory of institutional matrices in its’ application to historical-cultural studies to be a positive example of «economic imperialism», that allows not only to understand the mechanism of the emergence of distinctive features comprehensively, but also to evaluate possible scenarios for the further development of society in the situation of the coexistence of different socio-cultural systems. At the same time the disadvantages of using binary oppositions as characteristics of X and Y matrices are shown. It is concluded that in modern conditions of increasing instability and conflict potential of the system of international relations, the convergence of the X and Y matrices is theoretically possible. Thus, the article clarifies certain theses of the institutional-matrix approach and also provides a forecast for the formation of a promising Z-matrix. The author believes that a hybrid matrix can be constructed of liminal cultural, political, economic elements and unorthodox models of the structure of these subsystems, alternative both to the West and East.

НАУКОВО-ТЕОРЕТИЧНИЙ ЗМІСТ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА

The article provides comprehensive theoretical and methodological substantiation of the scientific and theoretical essence of an enterprise's economic security. It develops the conceptual foundations for the functioning of the organizational and economic mechanism for its provision under high market volatility. Based on an ontological analysis of the evolution of scientific schools, micro-level security is positioned as a complex dynamic state that combines the features of stability, self-regulation, and the capacity for active adaptation. Within the framework of systemic and structural decomposition, the key functional components of security – financial, intellectual-personnel, technical-technological, informational-cybernetic, physical, political-legal, and environmental – are detailed and systematized, with the target orientation defined and a system of key evaluation indicators validated for each component. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the application of a stakeholder-oriented approach to the classification of destructive factors, which allowed for moving beyond the traditional endogenous-exogenous dichotomy and for typifying specific forms of threat manifestation among key interested parties (owners, management, personnel, suppliers, clients, competitors, and creditors). It is proved that passive adaptation is ineffective, and the priority of an active adaptation strategy through proactive risk management is substantiated. The organizational and economic mechanism for ensuring security is formalized, structuring the analytical-diagnostic and instrumental blocks, and offering four strategic alternatives based on the environment's threat level. The decision-making process is reinforced by the author's mathematical model for minimizing total risk under tight budget constraints. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of shifting the corporate protection system toward objective risk management, thereby preserving business competitiveness amid global digital transformations and macroeconomic instability.