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The paradigm of a social market economy postulates that the evolution of a functional market economy, as the guarantor of freedom, human dignity and justice, cannot be left to chance but must be consciously guided along the “principles” of Eucken′s economic constitution. The moral problem of modern capitalism can be spelled out in terms of imbalances between economic and ethical norms in the public and private sectors, the influence of special interest groups and politicians to pursue measures detrimental to a competitive market economy, ideological prejudices about common welfare and a socially‐caring state, insufficient adherence to the fact that it is in everyone′s interest to be concerned about everyone′s welfare, and, to summarise, imbalances in the principle that “government should govern as little as possible but not do as little as possible” or between “as much centralisation as necessary with as much decentralisation as possible” in the economy.

Although markets prevail throughout the world, there are significant differences in the economic, social, political as well as legal institutions in which these markets function. Many of these variations can be attributed in part to differences in levels of economic development and in part to the differing consensus about the role of corporations and of governments in the various countries. The paper compares the models of private market economy and social market economy. An understanding of the rules underlying private market economy and those governing social market economy is important in the context of of the evoloving new global economic architecture.

This paper suggests that an adequate understanding of the notion of the social market economy, which has become a prominent aspect of debates on the social model of the European Constitution, is to be assessed in the context of the historist tradition in German economic and social thought.

The paper explores the intellectual history of the notion of the social market economy and its conceptual relevance for a dynamic European social model by highlighting Alfred Müller‐Armack's contributions to ordoliberalism and their relationship with German historism, in particular with Gustav von Schmoller's approach to Socialpolitik.

The paper finds that the decisive concern of the notion of the social market economy is the reconciliation of economic dynamism and social cohesion in a basic setting of legal rules and cultural values, reaching beyond common interpretations that focus more narrowly on institutional aspects of social policy.

By highlighting the interplay of economic, social and cultural dimensions, the paper suggests an extension of the conceptual horizon of current debates on the social model of the European Union, promoting policy implications that account for the possibilities of balancing conflicting social interests in the process of integration.

The paper applies a reconstruction of the intellectual history of the notion of the social market economy to the problem of designing a social order for the European Union with its underlying discourse on the constitutional status of a European social market economy.

With the aim of finding a balance between social and economic benefits, the social economy has reemerged in the crisis of the welfare state. The Fordist welfare state can be characterized by state-provided welfare, the mediation of paid work and welfare by the labor market and redistributive policies. Globally, neoliberalism and the market have given rise to social exclusion; in this context, the social economy is emerging as an alternative to the market domination of societies. This paper aims to construct a conceptual framework of welfare provision in an open innovation era.

The welfare state system between the Fordist welfare state and post-Fordist welfare state is different on provision and delivery of welfare service. To construct the conceptual relation among the social economy, the state and the market and welfare provision in the social economy, this study mainly used the literature review.

Attention should be paid to civil society at the local level to ignite social economy through open social innovation. Various social actors in the local community need to change and develop the social economy with collaborative entrepreneurship and collaborative economic mindsets.

This paper presents the welfare service model led by social economy and open innovation, as well as social change. To fill the shortage of welfare provision caused by crisis of the welfare state, social economy is considered as an alternative for neo-liberalism. This study emphasizes that endogenous local development is a prerequisite for social economy as a welfare supplier.

In the social economy, reciprocity, democracy, self-help and social capital at the local level are emphasized. Also, open innovation put emphasis on collaboration economy among the local community, firms and the public sector: this emphasis can be expected to affect the welfare provision system and the social relations surrounding welfare. To address social problem and social needs, the social economy can adapt and apply the open innovation model.

The previous researches on open innovation mainly deal with the business sector and the public sector, but this paper has a focus on the relation between provision of social welfare and social innovation. The social economy is likely to function properly on the foundation of open social innovation.

The purpose of the paper is to develop the scientific and methodological provision for measuring and managing the social effectiveness of the market economy and its approbation.

With foundation on the classical idea of effectiveness as a ratio of results to costs, and with acknowledgment of incompatibility and inequality of the elements of social effectiveness and the necessity of their ranking, the authors' formula for its evaluation is presented, and the methodology of its application is offered.

It is substantiated that the economic component of effectiveness of the market economy might have no connection with its social component, moreover, these two components could enter a vivid contradiction. This contradiction is especially vivid in countries with developed market economy. As the example of the USA shows despite the high global economy its market economy shows average statistical social effectiveness. While the experience of Russia shows that even with moderate global competitiveness of the market economy, it is possible to achieve its high social effectiveness. Advantages are achieved due to other social effects – active development of human potential and using the opportunities of the digital economy for social purposes. Social effectiveness of the Russian economy is assessed at 1.602.

The determined differences in the level of social effectiveness of developed and developing market economy predetermined the necessity for applying different measures to manage this effectiveness. A cyclic algorithm for managing the social effectiveness of developed and developing markets has been developed from the examples of the USA and Russia in 2019. It shows that perspectives of increasing the social effectiveness of certain market economies and leveling the disproportions of social effectiveness in the modern global economic system are connected to change of the measures of management with results and costs and for avoiding their mutual neutralization, the authors offer scientific and practical recommendations.

The purpose of the paper is to develop a risk-oriented approach to managing the social market economy.

The first task is to determine the differences in susceptibility to the risk of the social market economy as compared to “pure” market economy. The authors use comparative analysis, variation analysis and correlation analysis for determining the dependence between quality of life in 2020 and variation of quality of life in 2012–2020, as well as variation of gross domestic product per capita in 2012–2020. The second task is to determine the perspectives of risk management of the social market economy in view of the specifics of the risk component of its functioning and development. Regression analysis is used for determining the dependence of quality of life in top ten countries with the social market economy in 2020 in the key risk factors that are peculiar for market economy and that lead to its destabilization: globalization, innovations and digitization.

It is substantiated that the unique economic and social environment predetermines the specific influence of the factors that are peculiar for the modern market economy. It is proved – by the example of top ten social market economies in 2020 – that social factors are more important for provision of stability of the social market economy than economic factors.

A risk-oriented approach to managing the social market economy is developed; it takes into account the specifics of the risk component of its functioning and development. The offered approach showed that the social market economy requires indirect regulation of risks through correction of institutions.

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.

Eucken′s paradigm of a “social market economy” provides a framework for a functional free‐market mechanism, which not only accommodates development and change, but which also assures human dignity and freedom. Eucken places special emphasis on the integration of economics with “order” and “justice”. He holds that an unconstrained laissez‐faire economy does not assure a competitive economy but that it will degenerate into monopolistic practices. Eucken formulates his “structural” and “regulating” principles to facilitate a functionally competitive economy with a compatible social policy, to assure greater efficiency and to reduce poverty.

The purpose of the paper is to model and develop recommendations for regulating the development of social market economy under the influence of noneconomic factors.

The authors determine the existing examples of social market economies, in which quality of life clearly correlates with economic growth – and the research objects are thus determined. Then, the list of noneconomic factors, which could be quantitatively characterized based on the official statistics, is formed. The econometric model of dependence of the rate of economic growth of the selected noneconomic factors is created, and it is determined at which combination of these factors' influence it is possible to reach the target rate of economic growth of social market economy. Data are processed automatically by compiling the descriptive statistics and conducting regression analysis within the method of imitation modeling and multiparametric nonlinear optimization.

It is shown that, unlike the classical market economy (pure capitalism), in which economic factors dominate, social market economy (mixture of capitalism and socialism) is also influenced by noneconomic factors. This changes the view on economic growth as one of the most significant processes in the economic practice and one of the key research objects in economics. It is substantiated that there's a necessity not for micro- (as in the classical market economy) but for macroeconomic view on economic growth through the prism of factors that are external to entrepreneurship.

The results of imitation modeling allowed reducing the uncertainty and reflecting the specifics of economic growth of social market economy. The compiled model of multiple linear regression allowed narrowing down the circle and outlining four main noneconomic factors of economic growth of social market economy. The authors' recommendations for regulation of these factors are offered, and a mechanism of regulation of development of social market economy based on noneconomic factors management is offered.

To what extent Mikhail Gorbachev′s Glasnost and Perestroika anticipate the paradigm of a socialist market economy, is investigated. Gorbachev, like China′s Deng Xiaoping, realises that socio‐economic theories which abstract themselves from the observations and needs of daily life have little relevance. That is, a meaningful paradigm has to pay attention to society′s values, especially to the interrelationship of personal initiative, morality, law, government and public policy. Hence, Gorbachev advocates the establishment of more favourable socio‐economic conditions to lay the foundation for a “functional socialist social market economy”, however defined, in the Soviet Union.