Abstract
In Socialization and Social Quality: From Turbulence to Laminarity, Valeriy Heyets examines how contemporary societies develop under conditions of persistent instability. The monograph offers a comprehensive account of the transition from unmanaged turbulence to sustainable development grounded in the principles of laminarity, understood as order and coherence. Across five chapters, the author moves from conceptual diagnosis to the practical challenges of wartime resilience and post-war recovery.
For more than two decades, Heyets has explored the problem of instability, and this book consolidates that trajectory. In Instability and Economic Growth (Heyets 2000), he examined the turbulence of the 1990s and already hinted at the emergence of long-term uncertainty. Society, State, Economy (Heyets 2009) shifted the discussion towards the interaction of core social structures. Then, in The Phenomenon of Instability (Heyets 2020), instability was framed as a condition of permanent uncertainty. The new monograph extends this intellectual trajectory and gives it a more integrated social dimension.
The book starts from the premise that instability is no longer a temporary phase linked to economic crises. The author explains how this condition has emerged and why existing market-centred models prove insufficient when uncertainty becomes permanent. Against this background, the study examines coordination, solidarity, and social quality. These issues define the scope of the analysis and structure its analytical framework.
Building on this premise, one of the book’s key contributions lies in rethinking the nature of instability. What was once described as a deviation from equilibrium has begun to resemble equilibrium itself. The author calls this shift the ‘new reality’. 1 It is a phase marked by political fragmentation, economic volatility, and the slow erosion of long-term developmental trajectories. Chapter 1 explores these changes through the evolving concept of socialisation, analyses global political and economic turbulence, and argues for conscious social action as a pathway towards more stable development (pp. 9–52).
One of the book’s central claims is that turbulence must be understood as a systemic phenomenon. Economic volatility, political conflict, and institutional fragility are presented as mutually reinforcing processes rather than separate problems. The author treats this condition as a long-term structural force that cannot be captured through isolated indicators or narrow sectoral analyses. He ultimately links it to the growing dominance of personal, corporate, and national interests over broader societal priorities.
From this perspective, a substantial part of the book is devoted to a critique of neoliberal economic thinking. The author argues that the long-standing global promotion of the ‘absolute superiority of the free market’ has entered a deep crisis. Market-centred approaches, he suggests, underestimated the social conditions necessary for stable development and assumed that markets could function independently of social relations. This assumption is presented as both theoretically flawed and empirically untenable. This crisis of the neoliberal doctrine, in turn, has revived interest in alternative development perspectives, including strands of alter-globalism that challenge the limits of market-centred models.
Against this background, the concept of socialisation serves as the book’s central analytical tool. Chapter 2 develops this framework by emphasising its dialectical logic, endogenous character, and capacity to generate social agency (pp. 53–112). It is understood not as early education or individual behavioural adaptation, but as a continuous process through which individuals, organisations, and institutions internalise norms of cooperation, responsibility, and mutual recognition. The claim that ‘without the socialisation of society, the market, in principle, does not produce effective results’ captures the core of the argument (p. 69). In this framework, formal institutions alone cannot guarantee stable development: laws and policies may exist, but without trust and shared responsibility, they remain fragile.
To describe the possible transition from disorder to a more stable mode of development, the author introduces the metaphor of ‘laminarity’. Borrowed from fluid dynamics, the term refers to a form of ordered movement that allows development without destructive turbulence. It suggests a condition in which coherence and predictability increase while change continues. Such a condition requires a certain level of socialisation—a shared willingness to coordinate actions based on trust and responsibility. In this sense, laminarity reflects not the absence of conflict but the capacity to manage conflict without systemic disruption. Heyets links this condition to improvements in social quality, arguing that laminar social dynamics allow economic and social processes to unfold in a more balanced way (pp. 55–56, 80–107). Crucially, laminarity is presented as a dynamic and fragile state, rather than a final equilibrium. Under the conditions of the ‘new reality’, societies remain exposed to external shocks and internal tensions. Yet stronger social cohesion increases their capacity to absorb shocks without falling back into disorder. Laminarity, in this sense, is a direction rather than a destination.
Chapter 3 extends the discussion to economic socialisation, digitalisation, and the social state (pp. 113–224). The author notes that digital technologies have transformed communication and economic interaction, creating not only new opportunities but also new risks. Specifically, he warns that without ethical safeguards, digitalisation leads to a ‘slipping reality’, where algorithmic manipulation threatens personal identity and agency (pp. 181–182). Digitalisation does not determine social outcomes on its own. Its effects depend on existing levels of social integration and institutional trust. In contexts of weak social integration, digital transformation may intensify fragmentation rather than cooperation, potentially creating a ‘digital GULAG’ 2 of total surveillance and control (p. 191). This is a valuable reminder, given the tendency to treat digitalisation as inherently progressive.
The last two chapters shift from conceptual discussion to institutional and wartime applications. Chapter 4 shifts the discussion to social quality in a transition society, highlighting the roles of the state, civil organisations, 3 and e-governance in securing decent living standards (pp. 225–282). Chapter 5 returns to Ukraine and offers an applied perspective on the earlier theoretical discussion (pp. 283–326). This final chapter assesses indicators of social quality of life in wartime Ukraine and outlines strategic priorities for post-war recovery and long-term resilience. Heyets examines how war affects social quality— everyday security, institutional trust, and social cohesion. He also highlights the emergence of collective action and solidarity under extreme conditions of war. The Ukrainian experience shows how societies can preserve cohesion under severe external shocks.
The monograph presents a coherent conceptual framework linking instability, socialisation, and social quality. However, the discussion remains general, particularly in relation to concrete policy instruments and comparative empirical evidence. Readers seeking detailed implementation strategies or measurable policy pathways may therefore find some sections less developed than the theoretical argument. The author prioritises high-level socio-philosophical analysis over technical economic modelling. He builds his arguments by drawing on the foundational theories of thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Talcott Parsons. Yet, the book’s contribution lies elsewhere—in clarifying the structural nature of turbulence and the social conditions required for stable development.
Overall, the book is a thoughtful contribution to contemporary debates on development under uncertainty. Rather than offering ready-made solutions, it provides a conceptual framework for understanding how societies can remain cohesive under prolonged stress. It shifts attention from short-term crisis management to the deeper social foundations of development. The book will be especially valuable for economists, social theorists, and policy researchers examining development under persistent turbulence.