Construction of Modern Social Problems: Discursive Strategies of Authorities and NGOs

Now we observe the transformation of familiar social problems and practices for solving them. Turbulent socio-demographic, economic, geopolitical, climatic, ecological changes are taking place. This gives rise to new forms of social inequality and new social problems. The solution of modern social problems is beginning to go beyond the framework of traditional institutions, and a intersection of assistance practices between key actors is emerging.

To analyze the strategy of constructing social problems and legitimizing new practices for solving them, we used the research strategy of P.Ibarra and J.Kitsuse, which measures the discourse of social problems in 4 dimensions of rhetoric: rhetorical idioms, counter-rhetoric, motifs and claims-making styles.

The empirical base consisted of 213 sources, including 111 publications of authorities rhetoric and 102 publications with NGOs rhetoric. The conducted analysis made it possible to identify the central terms in the rhetoric of the discourse, as well as to identify the dominant rhetorical idioms.

The NGOs discourse is characterized by the rhetoric of entitlement. This rhetoric has an anti-discriminatory nature. They emphasize their precarious position and insufficient support, often contrasting themselves with the authorities, focusing on the authorities' lack of interest in their activities. In the context of caring for their client groups, this rhetoric counteracts the ignoring of the needs and capabilities of clients.

The government discourse is characterized by the rhetoric of controlled endangerment. The authorities soften the catastrophic nature of the situation by demonstrating their own effectiveness in resolving it, and informing about their successes. This is a subtle rhetorical game that simultaneously demonstrates the significance of the problem and the success of government decisions.

In general, the authorities and NGOs construct different contexts of social problems and receive different responses from the masses in public arenas.

Prepared with the support of Russian Science Foundation (RNF), No. 24-18-00542