Rural social services in Russia: dynamics, problems and solutions
Research Article
Acknowledgments
The work was performed at the Institute of Geography RAS under the State assignment № 124032900015-3 (FMWS-2024-0008) «Socio-economic area of Russia in the conditions of global transformations: internal and external challenges».
How to Cite
Kotomina M.A. Rural social services in Russia: dynamics, problems and solutions. Population. 2025. Vol. 28. No. 1. P. 127-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24412/1561-7785-2025-1-127-137 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The article considers the changes of rural social infrastructure in Russian Federation during the recent ten years, including analysis of regulatory legal acts on rural development, as well as statistical data for 2010, 2015 and 2022. There is no federal law regulating the socio-economic development of the Russian rural areas. As a consequence, it remains an underestimated sphere as compared to the attention paid to agricultural production. Targeted approach to managing rural development, used in the national projects and state programs, has rather low efficiency due to limited range of measures. Most of funding is invested in rural housing and infrastructure, while there is declared, but actually not implemented a comprehensive approach to rural development. Analysis of the statistical data on rural social services (education, healthcare, sports, culture, domestic services and retail) shows their stagnation or reduction, mostly due to outflow of rural population and contraction of rural economy. This primarily affects the spheres of healthcare, culture, retail and domestic services. The situation is slightly better in education, where state standards are implemented, and in sport infrastructure provision. To radically improve the rural social services, the government should implement a comprehensive policy for rural development: appropriate legal basis, responsible and effective public administration, setting standards for providing rural social services, support of different rural economy sectors. Also, in the implementation of the state policy on development of human capital, it is necessary to pay more attention to rural social sphere.
Keywords:
rural development, rural regions, social services, state support, state programs
References
1. Domaratskaya E.A., Gogolev I.M. Osobennosti sotsial’noj infrastruktury sel’skikh territorij. [Features of the social infrastructure of rural territories]. Vestnik Udmurtskogo universiteta, Seriya «Ekonomika i pravo». [Bulletin of Udmurt University. Series: Economics and Law]. 2021. No. 4. P. 552–558. (in Russ.)
2. Kirilina I.V. Osnovnyje rezul’taty reformirovaniya agrarnoj Rossii sfery nachala 1990kh gg. [Main results of the agrarian reform in Russia in the early 20s]. Izvestiya PGU imeni V.G. Belinskogo [Bulletin of Belinsky Penza State University]. 2007. No. 7. P. 101–103. (in Russ.)
3. Afanas’ev A.A. Pravovoje regulirovanije sel’skoj zhizni na federal’nom urovne. [Legal regulation of rural life at the federal level]. Problemy ehkonomiki i yuridicheskoj praktiki [Economic Problems and Legal Practice]. 2014. No 3. P. 260–262. (in Russ.)
4. Barsukova S. Yu. Neformal’nyje sposoby realizatsii formal’nykh namerenij, ili kak realizuetsya Prioritetnyj natsional’nyj proekt «Razvitie APK». [Informal Means of Realization of Formal Intentions, or How the Priority National Project «Agro-Industrial Complex Development» Is Implemented]. Series WP402. Moscow. GU-VShE [Higher School of Economics]. 54 p. (in Russ.)
5. O sostoyanii sel’skikh territorij v Rossijskoj Federatsii v 2015 godu Yezhegodnyj doklad po rezul’tatam monitoringa: nauch. izd. [On the State of Rural Territories in the Russian Federation in 2015. Annual monitoring report]. Issue 3. Moscow. 2017. 348 p. (in Russ.)
6. Nefedova T.G. Polyarizatsiya sotsial’no-ekonomicheskogo prostranstva i perspektivy sel’skoj mestnosti v staroosvojennykh regionakh tsentra Rossii. [Polarization of the socio-economic sphere and prospects for rural areas in the old-developed regions of the central Russia]. Krest’yanovedenije [Russian Peasant Studies]. 2021. No. 1. P. 126–153. (in Russ.)
7. Lavrukhina E.A. Kachestvo zhizni sel’skogo naseleniya (sovremennyj mirovoj opyt). [Quality of life of agricultural population (modern world experience)]. Sotsiologiya vlasti [Sociology of Power]. 2012. No 1. Р. 105–112. (in Russ.)
2. Kirilina I.V. Osnovnyje rezul’taty reformirovaniya agrarnoj Rossii sfery nachala 1990kh gg. [Main results of the agrarian reform in Russia in the early 20s]. Izvestiya PGU imeni V.G. Belinskogo [Bulletin of Belinsky Penza State University]. 2007. No. 7. P. 101–103. (in Russ.)
3. Afanas’ev A.A. Pravovoje regulirovanije sel’skoj zhizni na federal’nom urovne. [Legal regulation of rural life at the federal level]. Problemy ehkonomiki i yuridicheskoj praktiki [Economic Problems and Legal Practice]. 2014. No 3. P. 260–262. (in Russ.)
4. Barsukova S. Yu. Neformal’nyje sposoby realizatsii formal’nykh namerenij, ili kak realizuetsya Prioritetnyj natsional’nyj proekt «Razvitie APK». [Informal Means of Realization of Formal Intentions, or How the Priority National Project «Agro-Industrial Complex Development» Is Implemented]. Series WP402. Moscow. GU-VShE [Higher School of Economics]. 54 p. (in Russ.)
5. O sostoyanii sel’skikh territorij v Rossijskoj Federatsii v 2015 godu Yezhegodnyj doklad po rezul’tatam monitoringa: nauch. izd. [On the State of Rural Territories in the Russian Federation in 2015. Annual monitoring report]. Issue 3. Moscow. 2017. 348 p. (in Russ.)
6. Nefedova T.G. Polyarizatsiya sotsial’no-ekonomicheskogo prostranstva i perspektivy sel’skoj mestnosti v staroosvojennykh regionakh tsentra Rossii. [Polarization of the socio-economic sphere and prospects for rural areas in the old-developed regions of the central Russia]. Krest’yanovedenije [Russian Peasant Studies]. 2021. No. 1. P. 126–153. (in Russ.)
7. Lavrukhina E.A. Kachestvo zhizni sel’skogo naseleniya (sovremennyj mirovoj opyt). [Quality of life of agricultural population (modern world experience)]. Sotsiologiya vlasti [Sociology of Power]. 2012. No 1. Р. 105–112. (in Russ.)
Article
Received: 25.04.2024
Accepted: 28.03.2025
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Kotomina, M. A. (2025). Rural social services in Russia: dynamics, problems and solutions. Population, 28(1), 127-137. https://doi.org/10.24412/1561-7785-2025-1-127-137
Section
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF RUSSIAN REGIONS
