Shadow economy as a destructive factor in the implementation of the principles of sustainable development and circular economy in the information society: socio-philosophical aspect

Abstract

The article carries out a socio-philosophical analysis of the shadow economy as a systemic destructive factor in the implementation of the principles of sustainable development and circular economy in the conditions of the information society. The relevance of the study is due to the need for a comprehensive understanding of the shadow sector not only as an economic or legal phenomenon, but as a multidimensional social phenomenon that combines informal institutions, value-normative attitudes and specific models of economic behavior. It is shown that the functioning of the shadow economy undermines the principles of transparency, responsibility and institutional trust, which are basic for the implementation of sustainable development and circular economy strategies. The purpose of the study is to socio-philosophically understand the shadow economy as a “parallel social order” and identify its antagonistic relationship with the circular economy. The methodological basis is a synthesis of general scientific and special approaches, in particular systemic, institutional, axiological, comparative-analytical and hermeneutic, which allowed for a comprehensive study of the shadow economy as a form of alternative institutionality. The results of the study are based on the interpretation of the shadow economy as a value-normative environment, within which its own mechanisms of legitimation, trust and coordination of economic activity are formed. It is proven that the shadow sector functions according to the logic of concealment and informality, which contradicts the principles of traceability of resource flows and institutional responsibility inherent in the circular economy. The role of the digital environment as an ambivalent factor that simultaneously contributes to both the legalization and concealment of economic activity is revealed. Special attention is paid to the analysis of subcultural patterns of shadow economic behavior, which ensure the reproduction of informal practices through mechanisms of alternative normativity, network trust and ethical relativism. The conclusions substantiate that the shadow economy appears as a complex socio-institutional phenomenon with an ambivalent nature, which simultaneously performs adaptive functions and acts as a destructive factor that limits the possibilities of sustainable development, undermines social capital and complicates the implementation of circular economic models.