Improving the level and quality of life of the population is the prospect of the future of Russia. The main directions for improving the standard of living of the population of Russia How to improve the standard of living of the population

Child benefits - 04.11.2021

In the current situation, an active state policy is needed, aimed at improving the quality and standard of living of the population, and as a result, at the growth of public welfare. In modern Russia, the most urgent problems of improving the standard of living are employment, strengthening the social security of the population, combating poverty, and therefore the program to improve the standard of living of the population should include the following areas: 1 . Creation of conditions for the growth of incomes of the population and the reduction of poverty. At present, the low income level of the population and the high level of poverty are one of the barriers to economic growth. Wage growth should be accompanied by an increase in labor productivity and the creation of new jobs. At the same time, it is necessary to pay special attention to raising the standard of living of public sector workers, primarily doctors, teachers, scientists, and it is necessary to continue raising pensions. 2 . Providing citizens with affordable housing. Currently, the housing problem in the country is being solved unsatisfactorily. The stock of housing that does not meet modern living standards is very large. Buying modern housing is available only to 7-10 percent of the wealthiest citizens. In order to form an affordable housing market, a comprehensive solution is required to issues related to an increase in the effective demand of the population for housing, based on the development of long-term housing loans at lower interest rates and an increase in housing construction. Those. it is necessary to solve the following tasks: development of long-term housing lending to citizens, including mortgage lending; creation of conditions for increasing the volume of housing construction; determining the procedure for providing housing, expanding measures to provide assistance to those categories of citizens who need special support, including young families. 3 . Modernization of the education system. The current education system does not fully meet the needs of the labor market, because more than half of graduates of higher educational institutions do not find work in their specialty, which in turn reduces the influx of qualified personnel into the economy. In this area, professional training of personnel is simply necessary in accordance with the modern needs of the labor market; increasing the availability of quality educational services, especially for low-income citizens, including through the provision of social support for students, including the provision of scholarships; introduction and development of educational technologies. 4 . Increasing the availability and quality of medical care. This problem can be solved by establishing state guarantees for the provision of free medical care to the population; ensuring the availability of medicines for the general population; development of voluntary medical insurance and improvement of the procedure for providing paid medical services. This will improve the socio-demographic characteristics in our country, namely, increase the birth rate, reduce the death rate of the population and increase the life expectancy of people. 5 . Providing citizens with jobs and creating favorable working conditions, as At present, there is a sharp differentiation in the levels of remuneration of managers and ordinary workers, as well as in the level of average per capita cash income between regions. An increase in the level and quality of life of the population can be achieved through the interaction of the state and the population, with the timely resolution of important problems, with the recognition by the state of the need to help people who really want to improve their situation, but are not able to do it without support. If people strive for a better life, and the state, in turn, contribute to these improvements, it is possible that in the coming years the standard of living of the Russian population will increase.

The history of studying the problem of the level and quality of life begins from the 18th century to the present. Today, raising the level and quality of life of the population is a strategic direction for the development of the Russian Federation. The standard of living plays an important role in the socio-economic life of society. The relevance of the study largely depends on the global economic crisis, as a result of which the level and quality of life have significantly decreased.

Standard of living - a system of quantitative and qualitative indicators of the general consumption of natural, material and spiritual goods by the population and the degree of satisfaction of needs for these goods. That is, the standard of living can be defined as the level of well-being of the population. The quality of life is the satisfaction of such human needs as social, material and spiritual.

The quality of life is the most important social category that characterizes the structure of human needs and the possibility of satisfying them.

Some researchers, when defining the concept of “quality of life”, pay great attention to the economic side, the material security of the life of the population. There is also an opposite point of view, according to which the quality of life is the most integrated social indicator.

A person suffers from low quality and is satisfied with a high quality of life, regardless of the area in work, business and personal life. Therefore, quality is necessary for a person constantly. A person himself strives to improve the quality of life - he gets an education, works at work, strives to move up the career ladder, makes every effort to achieve recognition in society.

Using the official data of the Federal State Statistics Service, we will consider the main indicators characterizing the standard of living of the population of Russia.

The growth of the average per capita money income of the population of Russia for the period from 2009 to 2014 shown in table 1.

Table 1 Average per capita cash income of the population in the Russian Federation

The lowest growth rate of per capita cash income was in 2011. and in 2014

According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, an important indicator characterizing the standard of living is the population size (Table 2).

Table 2 Population of the Russian Federation

Total population, million people		In the total population,
urban	rural	urban	rural

Between 2009 and 2014, the percentage of the population remained unchanged. However, the urban population increased by 1.6%, while the rural population decreased by 1.9%.

Another important indicator is the level of employment and unemployment. In the economically active population in 2015, 71.8 million people were classified as being engaged in economic activities. Compared to 2014 - 71.4 increased. Unemployment in 2014 was 5.3%, and in January 2015 - 5.5%.

Also, according to the Prosecutor General's Office, crime in Russia in 2015 increased by 5.2% compared to 2014. From January to August 2015, 1,538,280 crimes were registered, which is 86,271 more than in the same period in 2014.

Based on the above indicators, it is possible to identify such problems as: 1) low growth rate of average per capita cash income; 2) increase in unemployment due to the economic crisis; 3) a large number of crimes on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Ways to solve these problems:

1) the increase in cash income primarily depends on the increase in the wages of the employed population of Russia, as well as on the improvement of the regulatory framework regarding the employment of the population.

2) the problem of unemployment in Russia is now under special control due to economic crises and a reduction in production. Ways to solve the problem can be: creating conditions for the growth of self-employment, which contribute to the increase in new jobs and the opening of one's own business; creation of employment services by industry; support for services that are engaged in retraining and retraining of the unemployed.

3) to solve problems with crime, first of all, it is necessary to toughen the punishment for excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as narcotic and toxic substances.

Thus, with the help of ways to solve these problems, it is possible to improve the level and quality of life of the population. Improve the well-being of the population and change the outlook on life in a good way.

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Federal Agency for Education

State educational institution of higher professional education

"Tomsk State Pedagogical University"

Socio-Economic Institute

Department of Economic Theory

THESIS

PROBLEMS OF INCREASING THE LEVEL AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POPULATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Scientific adviser: L.V. Naumova

O.S. Semenikov

Introduction
Chapter 1. Theoretical foundations of the level and quality of life of the population
1.1 Level and quality of life of the population, indicators and their essence
1.1.1 Living standards indicators
1.1.2 Quality of life indicators
1.2 Main indicators of the level and quality of life of the population on the example of developed foreign countries
Chapter 2. The level and quality of life of the population of Russia. State regulation of socio-economic policy in Russia
2.1 The problem of poverty in Russia
2.2 Analysis of the main indicators of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia
2.2.1 Living wage and poverty rate
2.2.2 Cash income
2.2.3 Salary
2.2.4 Unemployment
2.2.5 Pension provision
2.2.6 Medical support
2.2.7 Housing
2.2.8 Education system
2.3 State policy in the field of regulation of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia
Chapter 3. Regional aspect of State regulation of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia
3.1 Regional aspect of State regulation of the level and quality of life of the population
3.1.1 Salary
3.1.2 Demographics
3.1.3 Labor market
3.2 Problems and prospects for improving the level and quality of life of the population of Russia
3.2.1 Modernization of education
3.2.2 Modernization of healthcare
3.2.3 Establishing an affordable housing market
3.2.4 Development of the agro-industrial complex
3.2.5 Improving the sustainability of demographic development and migration policy
3.2.6 Poverty reduction and development of social assistance
3.2.7 Development of the labor market and reform of the wage system
3.2.8 Improving the pension system in Russia
Conclusion
List of used literature
Appendix 1. Dynamics of the ratio of % of the population with an income level below the subsistence level to the total population
Annex 2. Dynamics of the subsistence minimum and average wages
Annex 3. Dynamics of the purchasing power of wages
Annex 4. Food consumption
Introduction
Raising the level and quality of life of the population is a strategic direction for Russia's development in the 21st century. Most Russians hope that Russia in the 21st century will be a strong welfare state, with a just society, healthy people, well-to-do families, and free citizens.
However, it is possible that with an unreasonable state policy, the future generations of Russia will get a state decrepit in the fight against centrifugal tendencies and upheavals, a society split and decaying under the burden of poverty and misery, a sick and semi-literate population by the standards of the 21st century, a disintegrating family, a dependent economy and an unfree citizen. .
No matter how undesirable the pessimistic option is, the possibility of both ways of development is inherent in our past and present, in the real situation in the country at the beginning of the 21st century.
Today, Russia is recovering from the stresses and crises of the 1990s, but problems still exist. According to experts, 70% of the Russian population lives in a state of prolonged psycho-emotional and social stress. The death rate is almost double the birth rate. The population is rapidly aging. The number of unemployed is approaching the number of employees. Male life expectancy is the lowest in Europe. Such an important indicator of the standard of living as the income of the population also has extremely unsatisfactory indicators. The current social policy of Russia is capable of leading the country to a political catastrophe.
In conditions when the patience of the population of Russia is practically on the verge of a social explosion, an extremely important point is the systematic implementation of a well-thought-out state social and economic policy aimed at improving the level and quality of life of the population of Russia.
State regulation of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia is implemented, firstly, through the system of social policy of the state, and, secondly, through the implementation of state economic policy. Without overcoming the system-wide economic crisis, Russia will not be able to implement social policy in sufficient volume for the population of the country. At the same time, a society, the majority of whose citizens live on the verge of poverty, runs the risk of acquiring such eternal companions of poverty as a lack of patriotism, motivation to work, a desire to create families and raise children.
Therefore, the chosen topic of the qualifying thesis is of high relevance for modern Russia and public authorities.
The purpose of the thesis is to study the theoretical foundations of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia and the practical study of this issue on the example of the population of Russia. In the process of completing the thesis, the following tasks were solved, revealing the purpose of the study:
- the basic concepts of the level and quality of life of the population are given;
- an analysis of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia and developed foreign countries was carried out;
- formulated the main problems of poverty in Russia;
- studied the system of state regulation of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia;
- the main problems and prospects for improving the level and quality of life of the population of Russia are formulated.
The theoretical basis of the study was the work of domestic experts on the topic, legislative normative materials, materials of the periodical press, information and statistical publications of the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation.

Chapter 1. Theoretical foundations of the level and quality of life of the population

1.1 Level and quality of life of the population, indicators and their essence

The history of studying the problem of the level and quality of life begins in the 18th century. This problem was dealt with by such well-known scientists, economists and philosophers as A. Smith, D. Ricardo, K. Marx and modern researchers of the 20th century F. Hayek, P. Townsend and others.

In the works of A. Smith, the relative nature of poverty is revealed through the connection between poverty and social shame, i.e. gap between social standards and the material ability to adhere to them. In the 19th century, it was proposed to calculate the poverty line on the basis of family budgets and thereby introduce the criterion of absolute poverty, link the criteria for determining poverty with the level of income and satisfaction of the basic needs of the individual, related to maintaining a certain level of his working capacity and health. A significant contribution to the study of the problems of the level and quality of life was made by both economists and sociologists, most of whom recognized the regularity of the existence of different living standards of people in society.

The first studies of the standard of living of different social groups in Russia were carried out in 1909 by A.M. stop. . According to this survey, the lowest-income groups (below 250 rubles) spent more than three-quarters of all income on physiological needs, while the highest-income groups (more than 900 rubles) spent slightly more than half, and the budgets of the unemployed were also specially studied. In 1918 the first minimum budget was drawn up. In 1927, the budgets of urban workers and employees were examined, in 1929, the budgets of collective farmers, but the latter were largely falsified. In the future, these surveys were prohibited, because. the results differed sharply from those descriptions of the standard of living that were given officially. The most "indecent" fact, from the point of view of the authorities, is the rapid growth in alcohol consumption to the detriment of the family's living expenses. In the postwar period, the only work of the employees of the Institute of Labor G.S. Sargsyan and N.P. Kuznetsova, concerning the problems of poverty, but using only the term low income, which continued to be used until 1990.

Having considered the history of studying the problem of the level and quality of life of the population, let's move on to clarifying the concept and essence of these definitions.

In the author's opinion, the essence of the standard of living is most fully revealed by the following definition.

The standard of living is a complex socio-economic category that reflects the level of development of physical, spiritual and social needs, the degree of their satisfaction and the conditions in society for the development and satisfaction of these needs.

The standard of living is a multifaceted phenomenon that depends on many different factors, ranging from the territory where the population lives, that is, geographical factors, to the general socio-economic and environmental situation, as well as the state of political affairs in the country. The demographic situation, housing and working conditions, the volume and quality of consumer goods can also affect the standard of living to one degree or another. All the most significant factors can be grouped into the following groups:

- political factors;

- economic factors;

- social factors;

- scientific and technical progress.

Determining the standard of living is a complex and ambiguous process. Since, on the one hand, it depends on the composition and magnitude of the needs of society, and on the other hand, it is limited by the ability to satisfy them, again based on various factors that determine the economic, political and social situation in the country. This includes the efficiency of production and the service sector, the state of scientific and technological progress, the cultural and educational level of the population, national characteristics, etc.

The standard of living is determined by a system of indicators, each of which gives an idea of any one side of a person's life. There is a classification of indicators according to individual characteristics: general and particular; economic and socio-demographic; objective and subjective; cost and natural; quantitative and qualitative; indicators of the proportions and structure of consumption; statistical indicators, etc.

General indicators include the size of the national income, the consumption fund of national wealth per capita. They characterize the general achievements of the socio-economic development of society. Particular indicators include working conditions, housing and household amenities, the level of socio-cultural services, etc.

Economic indicators characterize the economic side of the life of society, the economic possibilities of meeting its needs. This includes indicators characterizing the level of economic development of society and the welfare of the population (nominal and real incomes, employment, etc.). Socio-demographic indicators characterize the age and sex, occupational composition of the population, and the physical reproduction of the labor force.

The division of indicators into objective and subjective is associated with the justification of changes in people's life activities and are divided depending on the degree of subjectivity of the assessment.

Cost indicators include all indicators in monetary form, and natural indicators characterize the volume of consumption of specific material goods and services in physical terms.

To characterize the standard of living, quantitative and qualitative indicators are of great importance. Quantitative ones determine the volume of consumption of specific material goods and services, while qualitative ones determine the qualitative side of the population's well-being.

An important role in determining the standard of living is played by statistical indicators, which include general indicators, indicators of income, consumption and expenditure, monetary savings, accumulated property and housing, and a number of others.

The concept of standard of living is inextricably linked with the concept of quality of life.

The standard of living assesses the quality of life of the population and serves as a criterion for choosing the directions and priorities of the economic and social policy of the state. According to most sociologists, the main definition of quality of life is the following: quality of life is a set of indicators of the general well-being of people that characterize the level of material consumption (standard of living), as well as the consumption of directly unpaid goods.

The most complete definition of the quality of life of the population, according to the author, is the definition given by the director of the State Institution "All-Russian Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics" (VNIITE) of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Vladimir Kulaikin: "The quality of life of the population is determined by the life potential of society, its social groups, individual citizens and the correspondence of the characteristics of the processes, means, conditions and results of their life activity to socially positive needs, values and goals.The quality of life is manifested in the subjective satisfaction of people with themselves and their lives, as well as in the objective characteristics inherent in human life as a biological, mental (spiritual) and social phenomenon.

The high quality of life of an individual citizen is when he has:

- there is a high life potential (good health, a sense of self-efficacy, the desire for an active meaningful life, the presence of abilities, a good education);

- a system of personally significant and, at the same time, socially positive meaning-life orientations, values, interests, goals and styles of behavior has been formed;

- basic physiological and psychological needs are satisfied;

- priority are secondary needs - personal growth and creative activity, there are conditions for their implementation;

- a meaningful life activity is carried out with milestone and final achievements, positive emotions and feelings prevail.

A high quality of life in society is when:

- there is a high life potential of society, that is, the vast majority of citizens identify themselves with Russian society and at the same time feel safe in all respects, and their life activity meets the criteria described above for the high quality of life of an individual citizen;

- the basic needs of all members of society are satisfied at a level not lower than the minimum social standard, that is, there is no poverty;

- political, public, entrepreneurial, industrial, economic, scientific, cultural activities are carried out in all areas of socio-economic development with milestone achievements that contribute to the quality of life of the entire population;

- The vast majority of the population are satisfied with their country and what is happening in it, they feel a sense of pride in it.

Quality of life means:

- clean environment;

- personal and national security;

- political and economic freedoms.

The quality of life is considered as a system of indicators characterizing the degree of implementation of people's life strategies, satisfaction of their life needs. Improving the quality of life is an increase in people's ability to solve their problems, achieve personal success and individual happiness.

In many foreign countries, the quality of life, in addition to the above criteria, refers to the financial security of the community, unity with nature, responsibility to future generations, and much more.

The main areas of quality of life include. :

- working life;

- the sphere of development of people's abilities;

- family life;

- life and health maintenance;

- life of the disabled;

- leisure;

- environment;

- life in experimental economic situations.

Characterizing the essence of the quality of life as a socio-economic category, it is necessary to emphasize its main feature: the quality of life is a sociological category that covers all spheres of society, since they all contain people's life and its quality.

The quality of life has two sides: objective and subjective. The criterion for an objective assessment of the quality of life is the scientific standards of the needs and interests of people, in relation to which one can objectively judge the degree of satisfaction of these needs and interests. On the other hand, the needs and interests of people are individual and the degree of their satisfaction can only be assessed by the subjects themselves. They are not fixed by statistical values and practically exist only in the minds of people and, accordingly, in their personal opinions and assessments. .

The quality of life shows the degree of development and completeness of satisfaction of the whole complex of needs and interests of people, manifested both in various types of activities and in the very sense of life and, like the standard of living, includes the conditions, results and nature of work, demographic, ethnographic and environmental aspects of human existence.

One of the most important prerequisites for achieving the highest possible quality of life for the population is the implementation of an effective welfare policy for the population. The central place in the welfare policy is occupied by the incomes of the population, their differentiation, and the constant growth of the quality of life of citizens.

The quantitative characteristic of the level and quality of life is determined by a system of indicators that allow analyzing the real level and quality of life of the population, calculating their indicators by region, by socio-demographic groups of the population, determining trends in indicators and making international comparisons.

The system of indicators includes integral and private, natural and cost indicators. .

The level and quality of life are determined by a system of indicators, and each definition uses its own system of indicators. Next, consider the indicators that characterize these concepts.

1.1.1 Living standards indicators

The integral indicators of the standard of living are:

- real per capita income;

- real wages;

- income from secondary employment;

- from the sale of products of personal subsidiary plots, dividends (on shares and bonds);

- interest on household deposits,

- pensions, allowances, scholarships.

With the help of these indicators, the level, dynamics and structure of income from various sources are studied and forecasted.

The differentiation of incomes and wages makes it possible to assess the ongoing social changes, the level of social tension, and to determine the nature of the policy of income and wages.

The indicators of differentiation of income and wages are:

- distribution of the population according to the level of average per capita income - an indicator of the share or percentage of the population in certain given intervals of average per capita cash income;

- distribution of the total amount of money income by different groups of the population - an indicator (in percent) of the share of the total amount of money income that each of the 20% (10%) groups of the population has;

- decile coefficient of income differentiation - the ratio of average per capita cash income, above and below which are tenths of the most and least wealthy population;

- the coefficient of differentiation of incomes of the population by the subjects of the Federation - the ratio of the highest and the lowest level of average per capita income in the subjects of the Federation;

- coefficient of wage differentiation - the ratio of the highest and lowest levels of wages between industries, regions, professions, within industries and enterprises, etc.

One of the most common indicators of income differentiation is also the income concentration coefficient (Gini index), which is the deviation of the actual distribution of incomes of the population from their uniform distribution. .

Particular indicators of the standard of living include indicators of the consumption of individual goods and services - per capita, family, by social groups, regions, - indicators of the provision of durable goods, housing, and household amenities. Among them are natural and cost indicators. .

Natural indicators directly characterize the level of consumption, provision with certain goods. In order to get an idea of the level of satisfaction of a particular need, several indicators can be used. For example, in order to characterize the level of satisfaction of food needs, data are needed on the amount of food consumed by a person and their calorie content, and their comparison with scientifically based norms.

At the same time, the consumption of basic food products per capita is determined taking into account the consumption of both domestically produced and imported products, regardless of the type of consumption and the method of selling products to the population.

The level of satisfaction of needs in school education services is characterized using data on the proportion of school-age children attending schools, the number of students in paid and free schools and studying abroad. It is also important to take into account the technical condition and improvement of educational institutions, the level of education of the teaching staff.

Cost indicators reflect the costs of meeting specific needs and their dynamics. These indicators are grouped by type of need, such as food, housing, utilities, clothing, durables, recreation, cultural needs, and so on. .

The total consumption of material goods and services in value terms includes all expenses for the purchase of goods and services and the monetary value of the consumed goods of own production, for example, products of personal subsidiary farming. The calculation of this indicator makes it possible to consider the level and structure of consumption in relation to the total income of the population and gives a fairly complete description of the satisfaction of its personal needs.

1.1.2 Quality of life indicators

The integral, generalizing, indicators of the quality of life include the human development index (human development index), the index of the intellectual potential of society, human capital per capita, and the coefficient of vitality of the population.

The most important indicator is the human development index. It is the arithmetic average of three indices - life expectancy, education level and GDP per capita (in dollars, at purchasing power parity):

In the 90s. the value of the human development index in Russia decreased (from 0.85 to 0.77). At the same time, the indexes of GDP per capita and life expectancy decreased the most. Close to Russian values of this index are typical for some post-socialist countries - Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania. A higher value is noted in developed countries - Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Japan (over 0.9). They are followed by Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Argentina, Mexico, Chile - over 0.8.

An important indicator of the quality of life is also the index of the intellectual potential of society. The intellectual potential of society reflects the level of education of the population and the state of science in the country. When calculating the index of intellectual potential, the level of education of the adult population, the share of students in the total population, the share of spending on education in GDP, the share of people employed in science and scientific services in the total number of employees, the share of spending on science in GDP are taken into account.

During the period of market reforms in Russia, the index of the intellectual potential of society has decreased by almost half. This happened as a result of a reduction in spending on science, a decrease in the educational level of the younger generation. This trend will continue in the coming years. It is predicted that in 2006 the index of intellectual potential will be 0.37.

Human capital per capita is also an indicator of the quality of life. It reflects the level of spending by the state, enterprises and citizens on education, health care and other sectors of the social sphere per capita. The higher the level of economic development of the country, the greater the level of human capital and its share in the structure of all capital. Human capital, even in poor countries, exceeds the reproducible one, including the material conditions of production.

The coefficient of vitality of the population also belongs to the indicators of the quality of life. It characterizes the possibility of preserving the gene pool, the intellectual development of the population in the context of the socio-economic policy being implemented at the time of the survey in the country. This coefficient is measured on a five-point scale. According to the results of a study by UNESCO and WHO (World Health Organization) in 1995, the coefficient of viability of the Russian population was determined at 1.4 points. A score below 1.5 means a crisis situation, a drop in the level and quality of life to the point beyond which population extinction begins. .

The vitality coefficient of the population for different groups of countries had the following value. :

* 5 points - no country in the world has;

* 4 points - Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Denmark;

* 3 points - USA, Japan, Germany, Fr. Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, etc.;

* 2 points - China, Iran, Brazil, Argentina, Mongolia, Turkey, Vietnam, etc.;

* 1.6 points - Somalia, Haiti, Burma (since 1989 Myanmar);

* 1.5 points - Bosnia, Western Sahara.

Private indicators characterize certain aspects of the quality of life. These include the following: .

1) socio-demographic - life expectancy, dynamics of morbidity, fertility, mortality;

2) economic activity of the population - the level of unemployment, migration of the population and its causes;

3) social tension - participation in political events, strikes, the share of the shadow economy in GDP, the dynamics of crime;

4) development of the social sphere - the share of expenditures on education, science, health care and culture in GDP, the number of students and students, including those studying free of charge and paid, the average number of students per teacher;

5) environmental - the content of harmful substances in the atmosphere, soil, water, food, the share of environmental costs in GDP, investments in fixed assets aimed at protecting the environment and rational use of natural resources.

There are countries in which the well-being of the population is the main issue and is at a very high level, but this, unfortunately, has not yet been observed in Russia.

The next section of the work is devoted to studying the experience of socially developed foreign countries in ensuring the welfare of the population.

1.2 Main indicators of the level and quality of life of the population on the example of developed foreign countries

Each person has his own criteria for determining the level and quality of life of the population. Often the main criteria are indicators of climate, country of residence. But, at the same time, in the most climatically favorable country, a person will not be happy without meeting the basic needs for food, housing, health care, opportunities for their own education and education. Satisfaction of a person with the level and quality of life depends on the availability of a set of benefits, which give a sense of well-being.

The United Nations again recognized Norway as the best country in the world to live in. In the list of countries with the highest standard of living, Norway occupies a leading position. The "country of the fjords" has been holding the position of leader for the fifth year already.

Norway is followed by Iceland, Australia, Luxembourg, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, USA. Next are Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Great Britain, France, Austria, Italy, New Zealand and Germany, completing the twenty countries with the highest standard of living. Last year Sweden, Australia and Canada were in the top four besides Norway.

Worst of all, according to the UN report, things are in Africa: the last in the list are 20 African countries. Niger closes the list at 177th place.

Russia occupies the 62nd line of the rating. The countries of the former CIS have even worse positions: Georgia and Azerbaijan are on the 100th and 101st positions. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on the 109th and 111th. Slightly better, things are in Kazakhstan (80), Armenia (83), Turkmenistan (97).

The standard of living in countries according to the UN methodology is assessed according to three parameters:

- average life expectancy,

- the level of education,

- per capita income.

The average life expectancy in developed foreign countries is quite high, for example, in Japan, on average, men live up to 77 years, women up to 84 years (in Russia, respectively, 57 and 62 years).

Let's take a closer look at the Norwegian and Swedish models of well-being. In these countries, the level and dynamics of the health of the population is put in first place among the components of the standard of living, since it is considered as a basic human need and the main condition for its activity (hence the very high life expectancy of the population in these countries). The main indicators of health are generally accepted indicators of average life expectancy at birth and the mortality rate. In Russia, unfortunately, mortality rates are higher than birth rates, the dynamics of mortality is largely determined by poor health, poor health care and nutrition of people. It should be noted that the number of doctors per capita, the quality of medical equipment, etc. are very important indicators of health.

An indicator of the level of education in Sweden and Norway is considered to be the average number of years of education of the population (aged 25 years and older). Since the beginning of the 90s, due to a lack of financial and material and technical resources in the Russian Federation, a process of well-known degradation of culture has been observed: the number of students has decreased, many universities are transferring education to a commercial basis, publishing activity has decreased, many libraries, houses of culture have closed, theater attendance has decreased , cinemas, museums. Intellectual labor was valued relatively lower. At present, much less money is being spent on the development of science, which also has a negative impact on the situation of the country.

In addition to those discussed above, the factors that determine the level and quality of life in these countries include: working conditions, leisure conditions, social security, social and living conditions (including environmental conditions, crime rates, etc.), personal savings. As experience shows, any quantitative estimates for each of these factors and for them as a whole are practically impossible. These living conditions are directly dependent on the total resources available in the country for consumption and accumulation, most fully measured by GDP. Sweden occupies one of the first places in Europe in terms of GDP and per capita consumption.

Another characteristic feature of Sweden and Norway is the specificity of relations between labor and capital in the labor market. For many decades in these states, an important part was the centralized system of bargaining for the conclusion of collective agreements in the field of wages, with the participation of powerful organizations of trade unions and employers. Another way to define the Swedish, Norwegian model comes from the fact that two dominant goals are clearly distinguished in Swedish policy: full employment and income equalization, which determines the methods of economic policy. An active policy in a highly developed labor market and an exceptionally large public sector (meaning, first of all, the sphere of redistribution, and not state ownership) are seen as the results of this policy. Thus, the main goals of the model, as already noted, for a long time were full employment and income equalization. This distinguishes Sweden and Norway from other countries by accepting full employment as the main and unchanging goal of economic policy.

In the USA, Canada, Great Britain, the leading indicator in the analysis of the level and quality of life is GDP / GNP per capita. These indicators form the basis of international classifications that divide countries into developed and developing countries. Thus, developed countries include countries with per capita GDP of $8,000 or more per year. .

Another indicator widely used in international practice is the sectoral structure of the economy. Here, intra-industry analysis is of great importance, which is carried out on the basis of the GDP indicator for individual industries. First of all, the correlation between the large national economic branches of material and non-material production is studied. This ratio is revealed primarily by the share of the manufacturing industry.

Characterize the standard of living and quality of the population of developed foreign countries indicators of the production of certain basic types of products, which are basic for the development of the national economy; they make it possible to judge the possibilities of meeting the needs of countries in these basic types of products. First of all, such indicators include the production of electricity per capita. The electric power industry underlies the development of all types of industries, and, therefore, this indicator hides the possibilities of technical progress, the achieved level of production and quality of goods, and the level of services, etc. Another characteristic indicator of this kind is the production in countries per capita of the main types of food: grain, milk, meat, sugar, potatoes, etc. Comparison of this indicator, for example, with the rational consumption standards for these foods developed by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization UN) or national institutions, makes it possible to judge the degree of satisfaction of the needs of the population in food products of their own production, the quality of the diet, etc. Close to these are indicators of availability (or production in the country) per 1,000 people or per average family of a number of durable goods such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, cars, computers, etc. .

The standard of living of the population of foreign countries is largely characterized by the structure of GDP by use. Particularly important is the analysis of the structure of private final consumption (personal consumer spending). A large share in the consumption of durable goods and services indicates a higher standard of living of the population and, consequently, a higher overall level of economic development of the country.

Having considered the indicators of the level and quality of life of developed foreign countries, let's move on to the issues of state regulation of the level and quality of life of the population in Russia at the present stage. These issues will be discussed in the next chapter of the thesis.

Chapter 2. The level and quality of life of the population of Russia. State regulation of socio-economic policy in Russia

2.1 The problem of poverty in Russia

Today Russia is experiencing the third (after the civil and great Patriotic wars) wave of poverty and misery. Statistics show that more than one third of Russians live below the poverty line in Russia.

Crisis phenomena in Russian society have caused an increase in crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness. The range of consequences of poverty and poverty of the population is very wide. Significant factors include: .

- crisis phenomena in the family: violation of its structure and functions;

- an increase in the number of divorces and the number of single-parent families (in Russia, due to divorces, more than 613 thousand children under 18 years of age were left without one of their parents);

- an increase in psycho-emotional overload in the adult population;

- antisocial way of life of a number of families;

- deteriorating conditions for children;

- the spread of cruelty to children, the reduction of responsibility for their fate.

In recent years, the number of unemployed, low-income families, the number of homeless people, refugees, families in difficult life situations and families with a negative psychological climate has sharply increased. .

A special feature of Russian poverty is the fact that the poor are not unemployed citizens, but the working population, and part of the poor is the Russian intelligentsia: doctors, teachers, public sector workers.

The problem of poverty is primarily associated with relatively low wages in a number of sectors of the economy. Approximately 1/3 of all workers, primarily employed in the public sector, receive wages below the subsistence level. The problem of low pensions persists.

Only the average size of pensions reaches the subsistence level, but according to expert estimates, a third of pensioners have a pension below the average value. In addition, according to forecast estimates in 2005-2007, the growth rate of the cost of the consumer basket of pensioners (equal to the pensioner's subsistence level) may outpace the general consumer price index, on the basis of which the basic and insurance part of the labor pension is indexed. This is due to faster growth in prices for consumer goods and services included in the consumer basket.

Speaking about the problem of poverty in today's Russia, it is worth emphasizing, in my opinion, not only the fact that this problem causes the greatest anxiety and concern of the population, but also the fact that it continues to dominate public sentiment, despite certain positive changes in living conditions. . According to official statistics, the growth rate of income levels outstrips the growth rate of the Russian economy.

The problem of poverty is not only and not even so much a problem of the poor, but of that huge mass of the population that is located between the social poles, between a small layer of the rich (3-5%) and the really poor, who, according to various estimates, are from 15 to 25%. All this huge mass of people, to one degree or another, adjoining the various strata of the middle class, is extremely sensitive to the problems of poverty, since the dividing line between the "poor" and the "middle" in material terms is very relative. But it's not only that. In these groups, there is what sociologists call "status inconsistency." That is, people have a certain "social capital" (education, qualifications, skills, abilities, experience, etc.), but it does not convert into material wealth at all. And how to solve this problem, people do not understand. Therefore, many of them are in a depressed state, and this state will continue for many for a whole decade.

Almost a quarter of young Russians are concerned about whether they will be able to start a family and ensure its comfortable material existence. For many, therefore, the problem of loneliness is put forward as a serious concern for the future. .

Finally, the most important social problem, which directly affects both social well-being and the possibilities of social mobility, is the problem of housing. .

In the context of state obligations, the level of officially recognized poverty is a qualitatively one-order phenomenon and does not depend on whether the consumer basket “lost” or “replenished”, on the basis of which the subsistence minimum is calculated, and after it - the poverty level.

There are many causes of poverty, here are the most global:

1. This is low wages. According to economists in the Department of Economics of the Academy of Sciences, wages are underestimated in relation to its real results by about 4 times, for 1 ruble of salary, an employee produces 4 times more goods and services than in Europe. . This bias is related to the structure of income generation. In Russia, the weight of the fuel and energy sector and export-oriented raw materials industries is rather high, where labor intensity is relatively low, so there is some shift in the direction of, ultimately, lowering the price of labor in terms of the number of able-bodied population. But, we must admit that labor is undervalued at times at a price.

2. This is the decomposition of the system of social guarantees that are associated with the budget crisis. . No matter how the government boasts of a budget surplus, the reality is sad - in Russia there is a severe budget crisis, the state is not able to fulfill any of its obligations in the social sphere. These obligations, well, how can they be measured, this is the norm of federal laws. There is a law on education, on health care, on culture. There are laws. Laws determine the obligations of the state to society. So, not a single obligation established by federal laws is being fulfilled by the state. And the number of such obligations is many dozens, and the amount of non-fulfillment of social obligations by the state under federal laws is at least 500 billion rubles.

3. There have been significant changes in the area of regional concentration of cash income. It has sharply intensified in the metropolitan cities of St. Petersburg and especially Moscow, with a very alarming situation in a number of other regions. .

These processes directly affect inter-regional differentiation. The gap between relatively high-income and relatively low-income regions is widening, and inter-regional differentiation is growing. At the same time, the polarization of regions can increase even if the growth rates of average per capita money incomes are equal due to differences in their absolute levels. Only a very significant superiority in the growth rates of average per capita money incomes in relatively low-income regions can ensure their gradual pulling up to relatively high-income regions. But even in this case, it will probably take a lot of time.

It is necessary to recognize and understand that in the conditions of the free functioning of market relations it is impossible to ensure an even distribution of monetary income.

The concept of non-competing groups plays an important role in explaining inequality in income distribution. People have different intellectual, physical and aesthetic abilities. They differ significantly from each other in terms of the level of education and training received, and, consequently, in terms of their earning potential. .

In reality, there is a significant inequality between persons who own property, and, consequently, receive income from it. The vast majority of households have little or no income generating property, and it is property income that places households at the very top of the income pyramid.

The corresponding calculations showed that the optimal level of differentiation as the ratio of monetary incomes of 10% of the most and 10% of the poorest population, in the Russian Federation as a whole, is 1.7 times lower than the actual one. This means that with the stabilization of socio-economic processes; timely payment of wages, pensions, scholarships, allowances; activation of state policy in the labor market, etc., the natural background of differentiation should be no more than 10 times at the average Russian level.

Thus, we can conclude that the level and quality of life of the Russian population are extremely low. A clear evidence of the social distress of the Russian population is the integral indicators characterizing the level and quality of life. In the next section of the thesis, these indicators will be considered in more detail.

2.2 Analysis of the main indicators of the level and quality of life of the population of Russia

2.2.1 Living wage and poverty rate

Federal Law No. 134-FZ "On the subsistence minimum in the Russian Federation", adopted on October 24, 1997, established the legal basis for determining the subsistence minimum in the constituent entities and in the whole of the Russian Federation, taking it into account when establishing state guarantees for citizens to receive minimum cash income and in the implementation of other measures of social protection of the population.

The subsistence minimum is a cost estimate of the consumer basket, which includes the minimum set of food products, non-food products and services (including mandatory payments and fees) necessary to maintain human health and ensure its vital activity.

The subsistence minimum is the basis for establishing the minimum wage and the minimum old-age pension, as well as for determining the amount of scholarships, allowances and other social benefits.

The subsistence minimum for the Russian Federation as a whole is established quarterly by the Government of the Russian Federation, in the subjects of the Russian Federation - by regional executive authorities. Data on the level and extent of poverty, as well as on the subsistence minimum in Russia, are given in Table 2.1.

It can be seen from the above official statistics that about 30 million Russian citizens have incomes below the subsistence level and belong to the poor strata of the population.

Unfortunately, official data does not indicate the number of those who are close to the poverty line in terms of their income. According to experts, about a third of Russia's population is currently experiencing serious financial difficulties. The situation looks even worse according to the World Bank. A published report on poverty in Russia states that one in five Russians lives below the poverty line, with a monthly income of less than a thousand rubles.

Table 2.1. The subsistence minimum and the number of poor people in Russia for 1991-2005 (average per capita, rubles per month; before 1998 - thousand rubles per month).

Subsistence minimum (rub.)	Population with incomes below the subsistence level
	million people	in % of the total number

Most of the poor are working families, adults with secondary and vocational education, and families with children. At the same time, wealthier people receive more benefits and allowances than poor people. If the current situation continues, then soon these people and their children will come to terms with their situation, and then the social system of reproduction of the "real" poor, who will lose the desire to change the situation for the better, will be launched.

2.2.2 Cash income

The formation of new economic relations led to a sharp stratification of the Russian population in terms of material prosperity.

At present, almost half of the total cash income goes to the most prosperous fifth of the population, while the poorest 40% of the population receive only 16% of the total cash income.

The differentiation of incomes in highly developed capitalist countries, up to certain limits, is considered a favorable factor in economic development, since it increases the savings of certain groups of the population, which invest a significant part of these savings in the country's economy and thereby revive investment activity. In Russia, this economic model does not work today. A significant part of financial resources does not contribute to the development of the domestic economy and goes abroad.

In conditions of high income concentration, a small part of the population faced the problem of having to guarantee the rest of the majority of the population a certain minimum level of consumption.

Income differentiation reveals only part of the picture of general trouble, since 40% of households have no savings at all, a quarter of the country's population lives on a living space of less than 9 square meters per person, a third of the country's housing stock does not have basic utilities.

Most of the poor are residents of medium and small towns and villagers. It is clear that there are considerable differences between regions: in many of them, almost the entire population falls under the poverty criteria.

Among the poor, there is a significant proportion of large, single-parent families, more families, which include pensioners and the disabled. Every fourth poor family has an unemployed or temporary worker. Many have very poor living conditions, there is a lack of furniture and necessary household appliances. Only 7% of poor families have at least some savings, up to 40% of poor families have debts, including utility bills.

Paid medical services, the most prestigious (and most often paid) higher education, and the services of cultural and recreation organizations are practically inaccessible to the poor.

One of the most acute negative consequences of mass poverty is the deterioration of the diet of the Russian population. The consumption of meat and dairy products has fallen to the level of 1960, fish and fish products - to the level of the fifties, and the calorie content necessary for normal life of people in recent years has been provided mainly through the consumption of bread products, potatoes and sugar.

The decrease in the share of staple foods in the diet of Russian citizens has further increased the gap in the levels of consumption of biologically valuable products by the population of Russia and developed countries. For example, the population of Russia is half that of the United States, France, Australia and Denmark, and more than a third less than that of Germany and Austria, consumes meat and meat products. The level of consumption of fruits and berries is more than four times lower than in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, milk and dairy products - half the level of their consumption in Germany and France.

The decrease in the quality of nutrition (in terms of quantity and composition) in the vast majority of the Russian population is one of the reasons for the deterioration of health. The weakening of the immune system, underweight in newborns and young people, the growth of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, food poisoning, and anemia in young mothers are becoming more and more common.

As of January 1, 2006, the total number of disabled people in the Russian Federation amounted to 10,991 thousand people. Of the 1,184,000 people recognized as disabled for the first time in 2005, 550,000 (46.5%) were of working age.

Evidence of the low general level of well-being of the population is the high share of expenditures on food in the structure of consumer expenditures of the population. According to state statistics, during the period of the greatest decline in living standards in 1998-1999. more than 53% of their consumer spending, the population was forced to use for food. In 2006, the share of expenditures on food slightly decreased and amounted to 44.1% of consumer expenditures of the population, but still remained higher than in 1990 (36.1%).

...

Regions with the best values		Regions with the worst values		Coefficient differentiation

	Ivanovskaya		Nenets Autonomous District
	Tver region		Saint Petersburg
	Republic Ingushetia		Tyumen region
	Republic		Samara Region
	Vladimirovskaya