In connection with transformation of socio-economic life style of Russian people and exacerbation of environmental problems the concepts "health", "healthy mode of life", “self-protecting behavior" and some others have been adjusted on the basis of a number of sociological studies conducted by the author in the 1999-2009. Dominant forms and methods of leisure activities for adults and young citizens of the Urals affecting their health and socio-economic behavior have been considered in the paper.

In terms of crisis economic development, one of priority goals for the technical institutes of higher education is to train engineers who are competitive on the regional labour markets. The main root of the problem of low prestige of the engineering profession in Russia, the slippage in the personnel training in technical universities lies in the depreciation of engineering work, and reduction of its social and economic attractiveness. The gap between science, education and industry leads to aging of engineering staff at the manufactures and to migration of the most talented engineers into other fields of activity. This paper analyzes current problems of engineers training organization in the Urals. The causes of sharp decline of the engineering profession social status in Russia, the fall of interest of secondary school graduates to continuation of their studies in technical institutes of higher education are reviewed. The authors show that the formation of engineering competence as a defining personal and vocational quality of a specialist involves actualization of the student's motivation, one's active and purposeful adaptation to the educational process, increasing one's responsibility for mastering the curriculum. Conclusions and suggestions of the authors are based on the results of a comprehensive sociological research conducted by them in 2011 in five high schools of the Urals (Yekaterinburg, Nizhnevartovsk and Chelyabinsk). The survey showed that during the stage of young specialists' preparation, cooperation in the «university - enterprise» system is actually shifted to the interaction, in fact, between institute of higher education and young professionals who act as the sellers of their labour. The authors believe that it makes sense to roll over (or rather - to stimulate) the active engineering work of the most productive engineering professionals who have reached retirement age. Equally sharp and critical are the issues of reproduction and preservation of professors and teachers in the technical (and not just technical) universities. In this case, the refusal of the university to use the target distribution system for its graduates should not be associated with a complete removal of the responsibility of educational institutions for the future of young engineers in the labour market.

The article is devoted to the analysis of social risks and deviations related to family group in Ural, manifestations of these risks for a family way of life, socio-economic development of the region. The author emphasizes that today the dialectics of creation and destructions, risks and reliability, optimism and pessimism is illustrated in the various parts of the institute of family in Russia as a whole and, in particular, in the Ural region. In our modern age, there is no risk-free behavior. «Risk — safety» dichotomy means that there is no absolute reliability or safety. Whereas «risk — danger» dichotomy means that it is impossible to avoid risk, making any decisions. The author shows the identity of socio-economic health of the adult population of various regions of the Russian Federation throughout almost the whole quarter of a century on the basis of a number of research assignments conducted by sociologists of Institute of Economics of the UB RAS, in a monitoring mode. Division of the population on rather identical (on particular weight in the total number of the population) groups of the Russian society referred to the category of «rich», «medium people» and «poor people» is observed. At the same time, according to the author, the social inequality in principle has both positive, and negative consequences for functioning and society development. The author made an attempt of the problem analysis of «family — children», «fathers — children» from a perspective social risks. The special relevance of these processes in relation to family policy in Russia seeking to pass from depopulation tendencies to a favorable treatment of nation-expanded reproduction is emphasized. Altogether, the level of family wellbeing, first of all, is defined by the quality of the relations in the system of «parents — children». The intra-familial conflicts conduct to family trouble and so for children. In article, the author’s position concerning the tendencies, related to phenomena development of «family way of life», «women labor» in Russia and, in particular, in Ural is offered. In gener, 10 developed provisions are allocated. Results of a number of the complex sociological research conducted in 2003-2013 at the Institute of Economics of UB RAS under scientific management and with direct participation of the author are used.

In the article, relevant problems of social and professional health of teachers of the Ural higher education institutions are analyzed. The author recognizes that the higher education is created as an interaction between participants of educational process, each of which at the same time acts both as the subject pursuing the valid aims, and as object of orientation for other individuals of the environment of the immediate environment. On the basis of statistical data, the author shows that in socio-economic behavior of the vast majority of students of the Ural higher education institutions are inherent as common features of deviant subculture of youth (addiction to alcohol and drugs, violence manifestations, prostitution etc.), and special, connected with educational process (admissions of occupations, use of cribs, plagiarism when performing term papers, diplomas, roughness and tactlessness in relation to teachers, etc.). According to the author, the dominating deviant feautre of modern students — insufficiently developed diligence and unavailability to overcoming difficulties. Development of professional and personal qualities and competences of the expert assumes updating of motivation of students, their active adaptation to educational process, increase of their responsibility for assimilation of the training program and the social behavior accompanying it. The author assume that developen negative social well-being of professional group of teachers of the higher school is determined by low prestige of this profession in society, sharp differentiation of compensation on regions, an ambiguity of the purposes of reforming of the higher school, complication and ambiguity of their professional roles. Conclusions and offers of the article are based on results of a number of the complex sociological researche, which have been carried out in 2010-2013 in higher education institutions and comprehensive schools of Ural under the scientific management and with direct participation of the author.

The article is dedicated to transforming the economy of Russian regions to a green economy, which is an essential factor for the sustainable development. This is important not only for Russia but the whole world because our country has the great natural capital and provides important environmental services that support the planet biosphere. Based on the analysis of economic, social and ecological statistical data and Human Development Index (HDI) we have shown that the development of Russian Federal Districts is very unbalanced and each Russian region has its own way to new economic model. For instance, it is necessary to increase the well-being in the North Caucasus Federal District, it is important to reach higher life expectancy at birth in the Siberian and the Far Eastern Districts. It is necessary to move from the «brown» economy to a green one by using the human capital (building a knowledge economy), by applying Best Available Technologies (Techniques), by investing in efficiency of use of natural resources and by increasing energy efficiency. The transition to a green economy will help to achieve social equity and the development of human potential; it helps to move from the exploitation of non-renewable natural capital to renewable human capital. All these socio-economic measures should give decoupling effect, make risks lower, reduce the exploitation of natural capital, stop the environmental degradation and prevent the ecological crisis. Transition to the green economic model has to be accompanied by new economic development indicators, which take into account social and environmental factors.