Abstract
<jats:p>The article presents a sociological analysis of the effectiveness of the social contract as a tool for overcoming poverty based on empirical research in the Pushkin district of St. Petersburg (N = 160). Based on Pierre Bour-dieu’s theory of forms of capital and Paul Sorokin’s concept of deprivation, a structural conflict arises between the state’s institutional expectations and the recipients’ actual life strategies. Cluster analysis revealed a polari-zation of participants into two groups: “Investors” (development strategy) and “Survivors” (survival strategy). Empirical evidence shows that the key barrier to effectiveness is a lack of functional literacy, which prevents the conversion of subsidies into sustainable income. Based on the identified correlation between paternalistic atti-tudes and the planning horizon, the need to transition to a symbiotic model of social support is justified. In this model, the educational component (competence development) is considered not as an option, but as an im-perative condition for providing financial assistance to overcome the inertia of poverty.</jats:p>