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The purpose of the research is to generalize the most perspective ideas of modern researchers and to form the authors’ position on the problem of the notion of legal conflict from the point of view of its application in the practice of legal conflicts management. The methodology of the research consists of structural and functional approach that allows studying legal conflict as a complex system, each element of which performed a certain function. During formulation of the notion “legal conflict,” the formal and logical method of dieresis is used, which allows differentiating legal conflicts from other social conflicts and differentiating the notion from adjacent categories. The authors study the main directions of legal conflict in the modern science. Tendencies of development of ideas of legal conflict are determined. Conclusion on the necessity for formation of “flexible” definitions of the notion “legal conflict,” oriented at their application in the practice of conflict management, is substantiated. Criticism is applied toward the researchers that try to use the methods of conflict research for analysis of purely legal phenomena (legal collisions, gaps, arguments on competence, etc.). Definition of legal conflict is formed and it is shown how it is possible to build a system of diagnostics of legal conflict on its basis. It is concluded that definition of legal conflict always sets main directions of study of the phenomenon, due to which there are different definitions of the corresponding notion, depending on researcher’s orientation at studying the conflict or means of its solution. The key sign of legal conflict is the possibility of its regulation with legal means, which is realized by the conflict participants. It is necessary to view conflict as a space of opportunities – for participants and for legal bodies. It is necessary to form and develop a system of diagnostics of legal conflicts.

Purpose – To fill the gap between conflict theories and ethnographic methods. In fact, if one considers recent sociological production as a whole, one notes that, on the one hand, scholars belonging to the European Marxian and Weberian traditions have indeed centered their analytical interests on the theme of conflict and power, on the other hand they have studied them using the tools of macro-analysis and historical sociology, and therefore in more abstract and general terms. For their part, interactionists and ethnographers, especially American, have closely and efficaciously studied society at the elementary level of micro-interactions and everyday life; but they have often (with some felicitous exceptions) underestimated the weight and importance of conflicts and power.

Findings – The paper shows that the situation was different (better) in the 1950s and 1960s, and that recently, the field of conflict methodology (or critical ethnography) has been left almost entirely to brilliant investigative journalists. One of the causes of this has certainly been the spread, in recent decades, of an ethical regulation of research and of a deontological conception of the ethics of social research.

The paper calls for the discovery of a new ethical conception (utilitarian, ethics of responsibility) alternative to the dominant deontological approach and for the adoption, following the sociologist Jack Douglas, of an investigative method of social research. In the final part of the paper, some concrete research examples are provided and a final appeal for critical ethnography and the study of powerful organizations has been made.

The purpose of the chapter is to describe the concept of conflicts of socio-economic systems on the basis of the theory and methodology of the systemic approach.

The authors use the provisions of the systemic approach.

It is determined that dynamic socio-economic system is susceptible to conflicts, which, according to the Systemic approach, are bifurcation points. The features of conflict that allow defining it as a bifurcation point are its short duration, violation of sustainability of socio-economic system, uncertainty of consequences, influence on the system on the whole (cascade effect), and multiplicity of scenarios of development of socio-economic system after the conflict.

Studying conflict with the help of the theory and methodology of the systemic approach allowed determining the fact that conflict is a violation of order in a socio-economic system (which specifies definition of conflict and its essence) and could be evaluated through the measure of the system’s order (which specifies methodology of conflict evaluation). Moreover, conflict in a socio-economic system emerges not at once – it is accumulated under joint negative influences of internal and external factors. Further, the performed research allows specifying the classification of conflicts, which is offered in previous chapters – according to scenarios of development of socio-economic system after the conflict, normal (leading to normal change of system), abrupt (leading to abrupt change of the system), and attraction (all following states of the system are sustainable) conflicts are possible.

There is a substantial body of research on the calculation of the costs of conflict, but so far no satisfactory methodology has been proposed that is able to combine all potential channels in one single analysis. This chapter uses the existing literature and its problems to propose a methodology for doing so.

The specific problems addressed in this study include the measurement of welfare, the imputation of missing data, the validity of the econometric techniques used in the estimation of conflict costs, the differentiation of existing conflict databases, and the possibility of both direct and nondirect effects. These challenges are described in detail in this chapter and a comprehensive methodological road map is proposed to be able to estimate the global economic costs of conflict. This contribution is an important continuation of our research agenda with regard to the calculation of the global economic costs of conflict.

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 classify socio-economic systems from the positions of manifestation of conflicts in them and to substantiate the scientific and theoretical concept “conflict-free” as a characteristic of the process of development of socio-economic systems.

Methodology of the research includes dynamic modeling of the process of development of socio-economic systems. The author uses the conceptual model of conflict of socio-economic system as an analog of the model of economic cycle. Also, a complex of general scientific methods is used – induction, deduction, synthesis, and formalization.

Examples of “conflict-free” socio-economic systems of Turkey and Japan are analyzed through the prism of dynamics of their GDP in constant prices in 2006–2022, and features of their “conflict-free” nature are determined at different phases of the conflict.

It is substantiated that “conflict-free” nature is a capability of socio-economic systems to avoid conflicts (caused by internal causes) and, in the case of their emergence, to use conflicts in their own interests – for optimization of the model of development and intensification of economic growth in future. A socio-economic system is considered “conflict-free” only if it possesses all the corresponding characteristics at each phase of its conflict (through the prism of the economic cycle). An opposition to “conflict-free” socio-economic systems is “conflict” systems, which do not have the above characteristics and this cannot prevent conflicts, caused by internal reasons, and remain destabilized in case of a conflict (show stagnation and are subject to the second wave of the crisis).

Purpose: This chapter aims to study the modelling of conflict in the labour market in the conditions of automatization based on robots, Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI) from the position of countries’ inequality and conflict management.

Design/Methodology/Approach: It is determined that scientific literature has not formed the sufficient scientific and practical basis for determining the level of technological inequality of countries in the labour market in the conditions of automatization based on robots, Big Data and AI. The research objects are countries with the highest level of technological inequality from the position of automatization based on robots, Big Data and AI.

Findings: This chapter performs an overview of the factors of technological inequality of countries, which leads to the global conflict on the labour market in the conditions of automatization based on robots, Big Data and AI. It is supposed that using the technology and methods of the system of engineering knowledge within conflict management it is possible to find a non-standard solution, which ensures better optimization. A complex technical method proves its rationality and opens the perspectives for further development of the methodology and integration of the systems of knowledge on conflict management; still, from the position of conflict in the labour market in the conditions of automatization, there are not enough means of conflict management that could neutralize or partially solve such global conflict.

Originality/Value: It is proved that full automatization is a price paid by humans for prospering, while it is expected that new technologies will increase productivity and income. This will lead to the dismissal of certain employees and bankruptcy of the existing companies and productions, which is not that important for many large employers. For most employees, this is a conflict against the background of automatization, which leads to worse consequences for them.

The purpose of the work is to determine the signs of conflicts in social effects of crises of economic systems and to determine perspectives of studying crises on the basis of the concept of economic conflicts.

For determining the signs of conflicts in social effects of crises of economic systems, this work uses the method of qualitative break-even analysis, the methods of systemic, problem, and structural and functional analysis, and the method of formalization (table presentation of authors’ conclusions).

It is substantiated that social causes and social manifestations and consequences of crises of economic systems have signs of conflicts – violation of balance of socio-economic phenomena and processes and the following negative reaction of economic subjects. Causal connections of distribution of conflicts within social effects of crises of economic systems are determined and a preferable method of their regulation is offered.

A new method of state regulation of socio-economic system for overcoming its crisis and crisis management is offered. An advantage and essential difference of this method from the traditional one is influence on social cause of crisis (not on its economic and social consequences), due to which it is possible to quickly overcome the crisis and reduce the risk of its renewal.

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.

Purpose – The purpose of the chapter is to introduce an actor-centered conflict perspective into research on multinational company (MNC) coordination. We first develop a theoretical framework of conflictual processes in MNC coordination and then use an empirical study of a German MNC in Japan to illustrate how cultural coordination in MNC subsidiaries triggers conflict processes.

Methodology/approach – The chapter integrates conflict theory and models of MNC coordination. The empirical study is based on qualitative data.

Findings – Coordination programs in MNC such as cultural integration through shared values lead to substantial conflictual processes. Local actors apply micro-political tactics to resist, delay or adjust coordination instruments developed by MNC headquarters.

Originality/value of chapter – The chapter applies conflict theory to MNC coordination issues, a field of research which so far is dominated by contingency approaches.