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The purpose of this chapter is to determine the essence of stagnating socio-economic systems through the prism of the theory of economic conflicts.

Comparative analysis of conceptual approaches to treatment of stagnation of socio-economic systems – the theory of cycles, the theory of economic growth, and the theory of economic conflicts – is performed. According to the theory of economic conflicts, signs of stagnation of socio-economic systems are determined with the help of methods of horizontal and trend analysis. The research objects are leading developed countries (major advanced economies – G7), which, according to the existing scientific and economic paradigm, should not stagnate, and countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which, in the contrary, may show signs of stagnation. The analyzed indicators are growth rate of GDP in constant prices, growth rate of GDP per capita in constant prices, and the level of unemployment rate. The research is performed in the period of post-crisis restoration of modern socio-economic systems, including the forecast period (2010–2022) based on the data of the International Monetary Fund.

As a result of the research, the essence of stagnation of socio-economic systems is determined, and the following characteristics are given: emergence after crisis, negative influence on economy, universal nature, and manageability.

The obtained conclusions show opposition of stagnation and sustainable development. Stagnation is absence of economic growth and development, regardless of social and ecological costs of economic activities. Contrary to it, sustainable development means stable economic growth with low social and ecological costs of economic activities. That’s why stagnation of economy is a negative phenomenon. Unlike crises, stagnation could and should be avoided with the help of the corresponding (anti-stagnation) measures of crisis management.

The purpose of the chapter is to study regional (in the global scale) peculiarities of the 2008 global economic crisis and to determine socio-economic systems that are in the phase of crisis (long recession).

The research objects are regional associations of countries according to the classification of the participants of the global economic system of the International Monetary Fund. The research is conducted by aggregation (the method of finding direct average) of the annual growth rate of GDP in constant prices by the selected categories of regional socio-economic systems. Timeframe of the research covers 2006–2018 and the forecast period of 2019–2022. The methodological tools of the research include the methods of horizontal and trend analysis.

It is determined that most developing countries – Commonwealth of Independent States, emerging and developing Asia and Latin America, and the Caribbean – are in a long recession and will overcome the consequences of the crisis only in the mid-term. Developing countries from the categories the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and sub-Saharan Africa faced a deep and long second wave of the crisis and will have a long recession until 2022. They will overcome it only in the long-term. The only category of developing countries – emerging and developing Europe – despite the general downward trend of GDP in constant prices – shows sustainable development and has already overcome the crisis.

The influence of the global economic crisis on the global economic system through the prism of the regional aspect is specified. It is shown that at present (2018) most regions of the global economic system are covered with crisis and will have long recession until 2022. Developing countries have faced the highest damage from the 2008 crisis, and most of them have the second or even the third wave of crisis.

This study aims to examine the consequences of the last great recession on the child protection system (CPS) in Spain, to estimate whether there is any kind of relationship between the conditions of socio-economic crisis and its protective activity.

Data on child protection legal measures issued by the CPS and socio-economic data from 8 of the 17 regions of the country were cross-checked. Using the chi-square test, it was possible to determine the significance and intensity of the relationship between the different variables in each of the regions of the study.

During the crisis, the number of recorded cases fell most sharply in those regions with the worst socio-economic indicators. The study shows that there is a significant relationship between the socio-economic conditions of the regions and families and the activity of the CPS in each of them, so that the worsening of the former reduces the protective activity of their protection system.

The results ask about the influence of the socioeconomic situation in the decision-making of the CPS in Spain and the need to deepen in its study.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study on the effects of the economic crisis on CPS activity in Spain.

The purpose of the research is to classify conflicts in socio-economic systems.

It is determined that the existing narrow classifications of conflicts in socio-economic systems within various conceptual approaches partially cross and sometimes contradict each other – so they have to be systematized. For that, the methods of structural and functional analysis and analysis of causal connections are used, with the help of which the author determines criteria of classification of conflicts and their forms for obtaining the most precise system of their classification.

The expanded classification of conflicts in socio-economic systems according to such criteria as form of manifestation of conflict, level of manifestation of conflict, character of causes of emergence of conflict, source of conflict sources, sphere of management of conflict, and expected dominating consequences of conflict is offered. Due to this, it is possible to determine the type of conflict and to select the corresponding managerial measures.

The offered classification possesses the following advantages, as compared to the existing narrow classifications of conflicts in socio-economic systems within conceptual approaches to treatment of the essence of conflict. The first is universal character: the offered classification cannot be used as to all socio-economic systems. Due to this, it will be in demand by systems of various levels – regardless of their specifics. The second is connection to management: the offered classification allows determining the type of conflict and offers recommendations for its management. Due to this, classification of conflicts will be in demand by subjects of conflict management, which will allow increasing effectiveness of this management.

This study aims to analyse the institutional changes in the Spanish labour market in the light of the measures introduced to support workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Applying the theoretical framework the authors’ hypothesis is that the labour policy response to the crisis provoked by COVID-19 in Spain has ranged from strategy of preservation of the social democratic coalition to the anti-bourgeois bloc coalition with a greater presence of social pacts and the support of the social partners.

Combining the institutional theory of liberalisation trajectories, the four ideal-typical reform strategies and the social pacts literature, the authors analyse the change in the labour market policy orientation during the COVID-19 economic crisis in Spain.

In comparison to the Great Recession labour policy response, short-time work schemes and new benefits have characterised the 2020 labour policy strategy. Then, the labour policy response has oscillated between, on the one hand, a strategy of preservation of the social democratic coalition, which is characterised by measures to protect workers on the margins of the labour market without affecting the discretionary power of employers. On the other hand, a strategy of the anti-bourgeois bloc coalition, reflected in the employment safeguard clause that attempts to limit both external numerical flexibility and the increase in unemployment. Finally, the authors have analysed whether the labour policies after the COVID-19 crisis constitute a new round of social pacts in Spain and how this took place. They conclude that the main measures approved in the area of employment protection have been supported by social pacts and the social partners (trade unions and employers), as reflected in the signing of the Social Agreement in Defence of Employment (ASDE).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a significant contribution as it is the first article to point out that the labour policy represents a change in the trajectory of liberalisation, limiting the discretionary power of employers and re-regulating the labour market. The main measure of (re)regulation has been to safeguard employment and to avoid objective or unfair dismissals, which is the traditional form of adjustment. In other words, internal numerical flexibility has been promoted over external flexibility, thus significantly modifying the orientation of labour policy. Finally, the authors have found that social pacts have allowed for greater institutional coherence between legal changes and the behaviour of employers and workers.

The study analyses the role that open social innovation (OSI) perspective played for Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus (FBAO), a food bank in Italy, in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. It answers the following research question: how does a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, stimulate the adoption of OSI practices to revamp the activities of FBAO and facilitate appropriate solutions to carry out its social mission?

This study employs a qualitative approach. It is based on a single case study.

The study shows how COVID-19 has stimulated the adoption of OSI practices to continue to meet the social mission, creating innovative projects or finding new ways to do the same things.

The study is based on a single case study.

The paper contributes insights into the literature on OSI, examining how inbound and outbound OSI mechanisms can modify business models and increase the adaptation capacity of food banks and their effectiveness. In addition, it provides a rich context in which the social value drivers provided by OSI are studied.

This paper applies the OSI to a food bank to evaluate what this action mode produces for the food bank during a health crisis. Specifically, this is the first paper that studies the COVID-19 crisis response of a food bank from the OSI perspective, focusing on the inbound and outbound OSI processes that characterized the entire network of relationships.

The purpose of the chapter is to determine specific and common features of social conflicts and economic crises and substantiate the necessity for their complex research within the theory of economic conflicts.

For determining the differences between social conflict and economic crisis, the authors use the methods of deduction and comparative analysis; for determining the common features of conflict and crisis of socio-economic system, the authors use the method of induction, synthesis, analysis of causal connections (logical analysis), and the methodology of the systemic approach. Also, the method of formalization (graphic presentation of authors’ conclusions) is used.

Comparative analysis of conflict and crisis of socio-economic system according to the existing scientific ideas is performed, and it substantiates that traditional differentiation of social conflicts and economic crises contradicts the scientific ideas on integrity of socio-economic systems in the integrity of the public and economic components. Based on the theory of systems, common features of conflict and crisis of socio-economic system are determined. It is shown that conflict is a wider notion than crisis, which is a private manifestation/example of conflict. An algorithm of conflict’s transition into crisis of socio-economic system is presented.

The universal scientific category should be “economic conflict,” which has the features of social conflict and economic crisis. The offered notion specifies the categorical tools of economics and provides a possibility to study previously neglected social effects of crises of economic systems as manifestations of conflicts in them. The obtained conclusions allowed for systematization of scientific knowledge in the sphere of contradictions of socio-economic systems. Due to this, it is possible to study cyclic fluctuations of these systems within multi-disciplinary studies at the joint of social and economic science and within the economic theory.

The purpose of the chapter is to develop methodological recommendations and to determine criteria of measuring “conflict character” of socio-economic system.

Due to large diversity of conflicts of socio-economic systems, the authors compile common methodological recommendations for all economic conflicts, but criteria of measuring “conflict character” of socio-economic system by the example of crisis as a manifestation/example of conflict for which statistical and information bases are available and its precise, objective, and authentic evaluation is possible are offered. The methodological tools of this work are based on the method of systematization, the method of classification, the method of comparative analysis, and the method of formalization of authors’ conclusions and recommendations.

Methodological recommendations and criteria for measuring the “conflict character” of socio-economic system are offered – they allow classifying “conflict” systems. As to the value of the index of conflict character, socio-economic systems with reduced conflict level, moderate conflict level, high conflict level, and very high conflict level are distinguished. They differ as to the capability to oppose internal crises, reaction to external crises, and the model of development of economic conflicts. According to the developed methodological recommendations and offered criteria, “conflict” level of socio-economic systems of developed countries – the USA and Germany, and developing countries – China and Russia is measured in the period of the 2008 global economic crisis.

Based on the offered classification, it is possible to forecast development and management of conflicts of various “conflict” socio-economic systems.

The purpose of the chapter is to determine common regularities and peculiarities of the influence of the 2008 crisis on development of socio-economic systems in view of developed and developing countries.

The methodology of this research includes the developed author’s conceptual model of conflict of socio-economic system as an analog of the model of economic cycle. As crisis is a manifestation/example of economic conflict, this model could be used for studying it. Also, the method of comparative analysis is used for comparing the influence of the 2008 crisis on development of socio-economic systems from various categories. The objects of the research are selections of countries according to classification of the International Monetary Fund – leading developed countries (advanced economies) and emerging market and developing economies. The studied indicator is annual growth rate of GDP in constant prices.

Modeling and analysis of the influence of the 2008 crisis on development of socio-economic systems of developed and developing countries are performed, with crisis considered as a wave of economic cycle. Apart from common regularities of the 2008 crisis in socio-economic systems – vivid and short negative reaction and double wave of crisis – we determined peculiarities of influence of this crisis on economies of developed and developing countries. These peculiarities are connected to the fact that the 2008 crisis was deeper in developed countries than in developing countries, but the crisis was developing according to the optimistic scenario (long waves) and was overcome in 2012. In developed countries, the crisis was developing according to the pessimistic scenario (short waves), and negative reaction renewed in 2012, with another one expected in 2021.

It is substantiated that insufficiently intensive and successful management of crisis in developing countries will probably become a cause of increase of differentiation of countries in the global economic system, which is expressed in growth of underrun of developing countries from developed countries.

The purpose of the chapter is to specify effects of crises and to evaluate their influence on growth and development of socio-economic systems.

The authors use the method of regression analysis, with the help of which dependence on growth of the global GDP of various indicators that reflect crisis effects is determined. The information and analytical basis of the research is statistical materials of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Timeframe of the research covers 2007–2016. The research is performed at the level of global economy on the whole for provision of representativeness of data and authenticity of results.

It is determined that influence of crisis on socio-economic system is expressed in short-term, mid-term, and long-term periods, including the next phase of economic cycle (phase of rise). Growth and development of economy after crisis are predetermined by its influence – crisis creates in a socio-economic system the environment that makes economic subject and state regulators cooperate and stimulate more active state support for society and business. Comprehensive study of the wave of economic cycle allows determining crisis as an impulse for development of economy, which expands its traditional negative treatment as a source of recession. It is also shown that crisis leads not only to financial (reduction of total savings in economy) but also social (growth of unemployment rate) and other – e.g., ecological (post-crisis increase of the share of renewable energy in the structure of production of electric energy) – effects in the economic system.

It is substantiated that influence of crises on growth and development of socio-economic systems is contradictory. On the one hand, crisis leads to temporary decline of GDP and slows down the development of socio-economic systems. On the other hand, crisis opens new possibilities for further growth and development of these systems, preventing their stagnation.