The article discusses the socio-humanitarian factors in the development of small and medium-sized businesses at the current stage, in terms of the origins of the knowledge economy phenomenon. The conception of unconditional basic income was considered as a factor. Other concepts of the knowledge economy were analyzed: the paradigm of the economy of abundance, the «End of History» by F. Fukuyama – as the most perfect form of social organization, and the Toffler's wave theory; as well as the information civilization and the information society. On the basis of today’s most popular concepts of knowledge economy, a comprehensive model for the interaction of socio-humanitarian factors in the knowledge economy has been proposed. The excessive mas...