Problems of the standard of living of the population. Why is the standard of living so low in Russia?

Moscow. April 2. FINMARKET.RU - The standard of living in the country is what citizens are most interested in economic indicator. Currently, the level of well-being in Russia is 23% of the standard of living in the rich countries of the Organization economic cooperation and Development (OECD). By 2050, this figure could rise to 60%, provided that the country's economy modernizes and ceases to be resource-dependent. If structural changes in the economy do not occur and exports remain mainly focused on raw materials, then in 40 years the comparable standard of living in the country will roll back to the values of the 1990s (18% of the level OECD countries).

Such assumptions are contained in the forecast economic development Russia until 2050, prepared by experts within the framework of the research subprogram of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Complex system analysis and modeling of global dynamics".

Currently Russian economy is resource-dependent, and its structure is unbalanced, experts say. In other words, the economic stability of the state is ensured by mining. The share of hydrocarbons and metals in total exports is 70% in dollar equivalent.

At the same time, 2% of the working population is employed in the oil production sector. IN long term The standard of living in the country will largely depend on the degree of resource dependence and the success of modernization.

Based on the current structural state of the economy, experts have proposed three development scenarios: optimistic - “Russia is on its way to the OECD”; resource - “Russia is a resource power”; and pessimistic - “Russia is the periphery of the world.”

“The scenarios are designed to illustrate as clearly as possible the potential value of effective modernization, as well as the gap between the effectiveness of a diversified economy and a resource-dependent one,” the study says.

So, according to optimistic scenario (“Russia on the way to the OECD”) The country's economy is diversifying. The share of energy resource-extracting industries will decrease, while at the same time the shares of other industries in exports will increase. In this case, modernization will occur relatively evenly across sectors. True, resource dependence can only be overcome through targeted actions to diversify and integrate the economy into the global economy, the study emphasizes.

According to the optimistic scenario, labor productivity in Russia will reach 85% of productivity in OECD countries by 2050; the maximum rate of productivity growth will be observed in the 2020s - 2030s.

Russia must use the existing demographic dividend - the large generation born in the mid-1980s. In the late 2010s - early 2020s, this generation will pass the age of 30-40 years, which is the most receptive to innovation and integration processes. In fact, now the state must pursue, firstly, the most effective educational policy aimed at educating the cohort born in the late 80s, secondly, guarantee the possibility of integrating this generation into world processes, and thirdly, build a convenient support system families with children preschool age. If Russia fails to rely economically on those born in the 1980s, this will greatly affect the pace of integration and development. The next generation (those born in the 1990s) is twice as small and will have a harder time sustaining high growth rates for the entire country.

As for the general well-being of the population, by 2050 the standard of living will increase to 60% of the level of OECD countries. The growth in living standards could have been higher if not for the significant decline in the share of the working-age population due to the “demographic hole” of the 1990s.

Current (2010) level of well-being developed countries can be achieved by Russia by 2035. True, by this time the welfare of the OECD countries themselves will increase by 63%.

Second development option named by experts "Russia is a resource power". In this scenario, there will be no structural changes in the economy, and, accordingly, exports will remain predominantly resource-based. It is also assumed that oil (as reserves are depleted) will replace some other resource (for example, gas).

In such a scenario international level Only the extractive sector (and directly related industries) will “have an exit”. The remaining sectors will “catch up” to the level of the resource sector, which will completely determine the upper level of modernization development.

It should be taken into account that the population employed in the field of resource extraction constitutes a small proportion of general population and will not increase. If this scenario is implemented, Russia as a whole will not be able to reach the current level of well-being in OECD countries even in 40 years. By 2050, the prosperity of citizens will be seriously affected by the “demographic rollback” (the retirement of the largest generation born in the 1980s). This phenomenon will reduce welfare levels from 30% (achieved by 2035) to 25% of the level of rich OECD countries in 2050. The country will continue to supply resources to developed countries, receiving high-tech products in exchange. However, this scenario requires major modernization of the mining industry and investment in both mineral exploration and resource synthesis research - i.e. in fundamental and engineering science.

To fulfill this scenario, consistent, well-coordinated actions are required from the country's leadership and resource companies to update equipment and maintain high labor productivity in the mining industry.

If labor productivity in mining begins to decline, pessimistic scenario: “Russia is the periphery of the world.”

The structure of the economy does not change. The resource extraction industry remains focused on oil and is not restructuring. According to British Petrolium estimates, there are 27 years of oil reserves left in Russia (at current production levels), experts say.

After the oil reserves are exhausted, stagnation will begin in the country. “At the same time, all sectors of the economy are impoverished with the exception of mining, finance and trade. Due to weak integration into the international financial system and market, the economy with the current structure will return the country to the relative standard of living of the 1990s,” the article says.

As in all previous scenarios, Russia after 2040 will seriously suffer from a “demographic rollback.” It can be assumed that a drop in living standards will lead to increased mortality and a decrease in the older population, the study notes. According to this inertial scenario, Russia will most likely not maintain the development indicators achieved by 2010 and will slide to the level of 15-20% of developed countries, which in percentage terms corresponds to the level of countries of the global periphery.

In the proposed scenarios, it is believed that no man-made or social disasters will occur, economists explain. However, these factors cannot be excluded. As experts note, according to Rosstat, about half of the equipment is worn out, on average 20% of the equipment is beyond its service life. Cities with a single city-forming enterprise that is beyond the threshold of profitability can become hotbeds of social tension.

One of the authors of the forecast, presenter Researcher Center for Civilizational and Regional Studies RAS Head. Department of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Professor Andrei Korotaev explained to Finmarket: “Our mathematical modeling of the country’s development scenarios revealed the particular importance of the demographic factor. An effective, well-funded family policy can prevent a reduction in the size of the Russian labor force. An effective anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco policy combined with improved quality of work Russian system healthcare will lead to a significant increase in life expectancy, and therefore will support economic growth in our country."

Mathematical modeling shows that a combination of effective economic and socio-demographic policies can bring Russian GDP to a level of about 10 trillion dollars by 2050 (i.e., to a level of about modern USA), which means introducing Russia into the club of the world's leading economic powers.

At the same time, inertial demographic dynamics (i.e. preservation modern levels fertility and mortality) will produce almost half the GDP by 2050.

Finally, ineffective economic and demographic policies will turn Russia into a third-rate country by 2050, and GDP will be an order of magnitude lower than in the optimal scenario. This is precisely the potential cost of the decisions that now have to be made.

“There are trend and cyclical components in economic dynamics,” explains Artemy Malkov, director of Flexis, whose software products were used by experts for calculations. - For example, China is now undergoing modernization and economic growth, similar to the rise of the Soviet economy in the 60s and 70s. This is a trend. Our country has already passed this stage once and now we do not have access to means such as mass literacy, relocation of labor from villages to cities and the construction of giant factories. However, this does not mean that Russia’s chances are lost. Availability economic cycles, changes in technological structures, makes it possible for dynamic countries to become leaders and rebuild the existing world order. The next five to seven years are the most critical for the modernization and diversification of the country’s economy; it is in the coming years that the foundations are laid for the innovative leadership of countries of the next technological order.”

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Introduction

1.1 Concept and components of standard of living

1.2 Living standard indicators

1.3 Standard and quality of life

2. Global problems improving living standards

3. Standard of living in the Republic of Belarus

3.1 Dynamics of living standards in the Republic of Belarus

3.2 Ways and problems of increasing the standard of living of the population of the Republic of Belarus

Conclusion

List of sources used

Introduction

On modern stage development of the economy of the Republic of Belarus, the problems of the standard of living of the population and the factors determining its dynamics become very important. The direction and pace of further transformations in the country and, ultimately, political and, consequently, economic stability in society largely depend on their solution. Solving these problems requires a certain policy developed by the state, the central point of which would be the person, his well-being, physical and social health. That is why all the transformations, which, one way or another, may lead to a change in the standard of living, arouse great interest among a wide variety of segments of the population.

The transition to market relations has made significant changes in the regulation of income, which primarily determines the well-being of people. First of all, the role of the state in this area has decreased, the independence of regions and enterprises has expanded, and the importance of market regulators has increased. This is why it becomes so important to develop own policy enterprises in the field of income, which would take into account the interests various groups workers and owners, would provide effective system employment and remuneration for labor, measures to social protection workers, and therefore would provide a person with a decent life.

The standard of living is a multifaceted phenomenon that depends on many different reasons, ranging from the territory where the population lives, that is, geographical factors, and ending with the general socio-economic and environmental situation, as well as the state of political affairs in the country. The standard of living can be influenced to one degree or another by the demographic situation, housing and production conditions, volume and quality of consumer goods and many other factors.

The purpose of this work is to define specifically what the standard of living is and what needs to be done to make it high. Therefore, the following tasks can be distinguished:

· study in detail the concept of standard of living;

· identify factors that determine and influence the standard of living;

· identify the components by which the standard of living is studied and study the main indicators used in modern analysis of the standard of living;

· study global problems of living standards;

· trace the dynamics of living standards in the Republic of Belarus over the last decade;

· acquainted with government programs and assess the social policy of our country.

During the creation of this work, many literary sources were examined. Valuable for writing course work turned out to be a UN report on the level human development for 2010, “Social and Economic Development Program of the Republic of Belarus for 2006-2010 and 2011-2015.” The work used statistical materials from the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis of the Republic of Belarus, as well as materials taken from the website of the President of the Republic of Belarus and from the website of the Ministry of Labor.

It should be noted that a fairly wide range of textbooks are devoted to this topic, teaching aids, articles and scientific works, bearing both theoretical and applied nature. However, the problem remains insufficiently studied, systematized and generalized, and therefore very relevant.

1. Standard of living and its characteristics

1.1 Living standard concept

The concept of “standard of living” in its modern interpretation is very capacious, covering all aspects of human activity, the totality of which gives an idea of the well-being of society as a whole and its individual members in particular. The standard of living of the population is determined, on the one hand, by the composition and amount of needs for various vital goods (food, clothing, housing, transport, various utilities and household services, education, medical care, cultural and educational events, etc.). On the other hand, the possibility of satisfying them, based on the supply of goods and services on the market and the real incomes of people, their wages, i.e. The standard of living is understood as the level of well-being of the population, consumption of goods and services, a set of conditions and indicators characterizing the extent to which basic life needs are satisfied.

Quality and standard of living are characteristics of one object - “life”, but from different angles: quality - in the aspect of its diversity and personality development; level - in terms of expressing in monetary and conditionally monetary form the consumption of various consumer components by people.

The standard of living characterizes social policy from the side of economic certainty, from the side of the resources necessary to ensure one or another quality. In this aspect, life is a unity of quality and level. Economic assessments to the same extent they are a characteristic of the standard of living. We can say this: the standard of living characterizes the degree of manifestation of its quality.

A number of researchers use the concepts of “welfare” and “well-being” to denote the standard of living. Foreign sources use the concepts of “public welfare” and “economic welfare”. The latter is identical to the concept of “standard of living”. In domestic sources, the term “welfare” usually refers to the provision of the population with the material and spiritual benefits necessary for life. In this case, the emphasis is on economic security. IN modern interpretation the term “standard of living” does not characterize people’s incomes as such, but reflects in monetary form their consumption of various consumer complexes. All components of consumption flow from economic well-being.

In other words, by “standard of living” we mean the actual living conditions and the degree to which the needs of the population are met, provided by a mass of goods and services.

This characteristic has objective and subjective components. Thus, a person’s need for nutrients, vitamins, and mineral salts is absolutely objective, while the set of products that make up this complex is subjective. We should not forget about the implementation of the general law of increasing needs: the growth of social production and the level of development of production forces changes the preferences and demands of people, and therefore, the parameters for measuring the standard of living must also change. Goods that were recently elite are now becoming items of everyday consumption. Let us remember that once upon a time glass was more valuable than gold, and only a very wealthy person could afford to have aluminum dishes. These facts indicate that the standard of living is a complex category that cannot be expressed using a single criterion. When studying it, many indicators should be used, each of which should reflect only one aspect of human life.

Quality and standard of living are closely interrelated, and the former, being a broader concept, reflects a wider range of people's needs. This concept objectively, i.e. The criteria for its assessment are scientifically based standards of population consumption. On their basis, a rational consumer budget is calculated, which is the most important tool for socio-economic analysis of the level and quality of life. The ratio of actual satisfaction of needs and developed standards indicates the degree of satisfaction of the needs of individuals, their groups, and society as a whole.

Analysis of any phenomenon implies that this phenomenon will be compared with other similar phenomena, that factors influencing it will be sought, that, in the end, not only this one phenomenon will be studied, but also many others interconnected with it.

When assessing the standard of living, it is necessary to take into account many factors. Firstly, this historical factors. It is illogical to compare modern statistical data with data from a century ago and draw conclusions based only on quantitative changes. Life and progress do not stand still, people’s needs are constantly growing and changing, as is the sheer number of people living on the planet. Benefits that until recently could have been a luxury, today may no longer be in demand or may even turn out to be harmful to humanity. Or, over a certain period, there will be twice as much food, but it will not be possible to say that the standard of living has increased by 100% if the population triples.

Secondly, this geographical factors. The conditions in which people live can vary significantly across the planet. According to these conditions, the needs will differ. Thus, in dry regions people will be more in need of clean water, food and in some simple dwelling, which, while protecting from heat, will not accumulate heat. At the same time, in another part of the planet, where it costs more than eight months a year negative temperature, people will have slightly different needs. They will also need food and water, but they will need strong houses that are resistant to low temperatures, and a significant part of their income will be spent on heating, warm clothes and the like.

Thirdly, there are socio-cultural factors. Each culture has its own characteristics. If in one country it is natural to discriminate against women; most of doesn't even have a population primary education and does not want to receive it; early marriages are accepted and large families, then in another country that considers itself highly developed, all this will seem savage.

No matter how complex the analysis of living standards is, it is still organized into a clear structure and has its main components, which ensures greater objectivity and complexity of the analysis.

The structure of living standards includes the following components:

1. Human living conditions.

2. Working conditions.

3. Conditions for human development.

4. Environmental safety.

Living conditions. This takes into account the most basic human needs, such as consumption (both food goods and non-food goods and services), provision of decent housing conditions and health status.

Working conditions. These are all those factors and conditions that a person encounters in the process of his labor activity. This refers to labor protection, the possibility of injury and the acquisition of occupational diseases, and sanitary and hygienic conditions in the workplace as a whole.

Development conditions. The broadest component. Includes many indicators that reflect almost all aspects of modern human life. Living conditions include the level of income and the structure of its distribution for expenses; fertility, mortality and life expectancy levels; development of the social sphere; availability of human rights and the level of their observance.

Environmental Safety. A component that arose relatively recently. Describes the condition environment and the degree of its interaction with a person.

All these components are significantly dependent and intersect with each other, and therefore it is difficult to judge such a strict distinction between them. And in practical life For a more accurate assessment, a number of statistical indicators have been identified within each component, which are more expedient to use.

1.2 Indicators and indicators of living standards

For analysis, as well as for assessing the standard of living, various indicators are used, such as the value of gross domestic product, national income and real income per capita, the amount of trade turnover, the volume of services per capita, etc. But the full picture of the standard of living of the population cannot be revealed only on the basis of generalized and averaged values calculated for the entire population of the country as a whole. In addition to general values, there are also other indicators that characterize the degree to which human needs are met. IN economic theory Three main groups of needs can be distinguished:

Physical needs;

Spiritual (intellectual) needs;

Social needs.

IN economic analysis living standards operate on a set of many indicators. They can all be divided into two large groups:

1. Real indicators. Reflect the real state of the situation. Most often they are comparative in nature, since the same phenomenon is compared in different years of its manifestation or in various countries.

2. Scientifically based indicators. They act as standards, i.e. indicate the limits beyond which real indicators should not go. They are more subjective, since they take into account the different needs of people of different ages, different types of activities, living in different conditions.

For the convenience of international comparison, the UN classified the main indicators and divided them into 12 groups:

1. Demographic situation (fertility, mortality).

2. Sanitary and hygienic living conditions.

3. Consumption food products.

4. Housing conditions.

5. Education and culture.

6. Working and employment conditions.

7. Income and expenses of the population.

8. Cost of living and consumer prices.

9. Availability of vehicles.

10. Organization of recreation.

11. Social security.

12. Human rights.

When analyzing all these indicators in different countries, we should not forget that their number is very large and the level of socio-economic development may differ significantly. Therefore, systems of indicators of living standards always have regional specificity and may differ both in the composition of indicators and in their hierarchy. In highly developed countries, the first places will be indices of unemployment, income level, availability and quantity of social transfers. For countries with economies in transition, indicators of GDP, income and expenditure structure, inflation, and unemployment will be of greater importance. IN developing countries the most important parameters will be per capita consumption, demographic indicators, sanitary and hygienic conditions. The specificity of the last group of countries is explained by the fact that a significant part of their population is below the poverty line and is actually struggling to survive.

It is advisable below to consider in more detail those indicators that will be used in the future to analyze the standard of living in the Republic of Belarus.

The very first indicator that is mentioned when comparing the economic development of countries is the volume of gross domestic product (GDP). Since the standard of living directly depends on economic condition in the country, then for its analysis they use such an indicator as the value of GDP per capita. This indicator, like ordinary GDP, has a nominal and real expression, since it represents the ratio of the entire gross domestic product produced in a year to the entire current population of the country. But how relative value, has its own characteristics. Firstly, it can change not due to an increase or decrease in the volume of production and services, but due to demographic changes. The country may experience a birth rate explosion, immigration flows will increase, but with real GDP unchanged, its per capita indicator may decline sharply. Secondly, this is an average indicator that does not reflect exactly how these benefits are distributed among the population. It may be possible for a situation where most of the GDP will be consumed by a small proportion of rich people, the vast majority of the population will live in poverty, and at the same time GDP per capita will occupy high positions in the world rankings.

Perhaps the most important indicators of living standards are income and expenses. They are also the most complex indicators. Depending on their membership in a certain segment of society, people can receive different kinds income: wages, social transfers, property income (interest on deposits, land rent) and entrepreneurial activity, income from subsidiary plots and services provided on the basis of an oral agreement. Population expenditures represent consumer expenses (food; clothing and footwear; healthcare; housing and communal services; transport and communications; education, culture and recreation), obligatory payments, expenses for savings and loans. And when assessing the standard of living, not only the levels of real income and their stable increase are important, but also their sources and their quantity, as well as the structure of all income by source. Expenses also estimate where the bulk of them goes and how the rest is distributed.

Labor indicators play an important role. A high level of unemployment may indicate a constant lack of income for a significant part of the population, and as a result, the unsatisfaction of many primary needs. The inability of the working population to find work also affects socially vulnerable members of society, whose main income comes from social payments. The latter, in turn, are declining due to a decrease in tax revenues to the state treasury. Separately, we can highlight such an indicator as the level of hidden unemployment. It is often twice as high as official unemployment, as people are in no hurry to register with employment authorities in the hope that they will find a new job in a short time.

The following indicators are demographic ones. The most important among them are - natural increase and migration. By assessing their changes, one can judge the stability of economic development and the level of real incomes. In a country where incomes of the population are constantly growing and the system of social transfers is widely developed, people who want to have several children will not think about the impossibility of feeding, raising and educating another child. In such a country, immigration will prevail over emigration, as people strive to live in conditions where their future is certain and not be afraid of being on the street tomorrow. In this group we can also highlight the life expectancy indicator. It can be used to judge the state of health of the nation, the level of development and accessibility of medicine and ecological condition in the country.

Another group is indicators of educational level. The general literacy and education of the population indicate the development and accessibility of education, the level of culture and its consumption. A wide network of higher education institutions and the opportunity to obtain high professional qualifications provide an additional guarantee of higher incomes in the future.

And the last indicators are living conditions. The housing provision of the population shows the average number square meters residential premises per inhabitant, but does not take into account the condition of this housing and its distribution in society. More specific satisfaction with housing conditions can only be judged by comparing the number of those registered as needing improved housing conditions and the number of those who received housing. The quality of housing reflects the improvement of the housing stock, that is, the provision of living quarters certain types landscaping (water supply, sewerage, heating, electricity, communications, etc.).

Indicators of the standard of living of the population also include such concepts as food and consumer baskets, the cost of living, and the consumer budget. A food basket is a set of food products for one person per month, calculated on the basis of minimum food consumption standards that meet a person’s physical needs, calorie content, content of essential nutrients and ensure compliance with traditional nutrition skills. Minimum food consumption standards usually include food products of 11 groups: bread and bakery products, potatoes, vegetables and melons, fruits and berries, meat and meat products, fish and fish products, milk and dairy products, eggs, sugar and confectionery, vegetable oil and margarine, other products (salt, pepper, etc.). It must be taken into account that the composition minimum set food products do not include alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, delicacies. The total minimum volume of human needs in kind forms the minimum consumer basket. A consumer basket is a settlement set, an assortment of goods and services that characterizes the level and structure of monthly (annual) consumption of a person or family. The consumer basket usually includes food and non-food goods and services. This indicator depends on the achieved level and quality of life, and therefore varies greatly among countries. For example, in the United States, the consumer basket includes over 250 different items of goods and services. In countries with economies in transition these figures are lower. As for the Republic of Belarus, in the consumer basket the total share of goods included in the list of socially significant goods, the prices of which are regulated, is insignificant and amounts to about 9%. This is stated in the commentary of the Ministry of Economy to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 676 of May 28, 2011, which approved this list. As previously reported, the additional list included the main consumer goods that determine the standard of living of the population: live fish, fresh frozen fish (except delicacies), salted herring, cheeses from cow's milk hard and soft, pearl barley, barley, oatmeal, oat flakes without flavoring and other additives, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, bananas, lemons, oranges, coffee, tea, table salt (except table salt sea salt), by-products from beef and pork of the first and second categories, from chicken and chicken meat, boiled sausages, sausages, blood and liver sausages, synthetic detergents.

When calculating consumer basket It is recommended to take a rational level of consumption (the most favorable for a person), a minimum level of consumption (on the verge of ensuring normal living conditions) and a physiological minimum of consumption (the level of physical existence).

The Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the subsistence minimum in the Republic of Belarus” established legal basis definitions living wage and its use. The subsistence budget is the cost value of the minimum set material goods and services necessary to ensure human life and preserve his health, as well as mandatory payments and contributions. It is calculated on average per capita and by main socio-demographic groups, and is approved quarterly by resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.

The subsistence budget as a social standard is used to analyze and forecast the standard of living of the population; provision of state targeted social assistance low-income citizens (families); justification of minimum state social and labor guarantees.

Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated January 29, 2013 No. 65 approved the following amounts of the subsistence level budget on average per capita and for the main socio-demographic groups in December 2012 prices per month for the period from February 1 to April 30 2013:

on average per capita - 924,150 rubles;

for the working population - 1,014,180 rubles;

for pensioners - 763,800 rubles;

for student children - 937,770 rubles;

for children aged 6 to 18 years - 1,041,240 rubles;

for children aged 3 to 6 years - 973,410 rubles;

for children under 3 years old - 795,760 rubles.

Budget structure of the subsistence level on average per capita in December 2012 prices by expense items:

food products - 56.8%;

housing and communal services - 7.8%;

wardrobe items - 21%;

household and transport services - 5.2%;

household goods and for economic purposes - 4,6 %;

contributions and payments - 2.2%;

basic necessities, sanitation and medicine - 2.4%.

The amounts of state benefits for families raising children in 2013, calculated in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated December 29, 2012 No. 7-Z are presented in table 1.2.1.

Table 1.2.1 Amounts of state benefits for families raising children

Type of benefit	Benefit amount	Amount, rubles

in connection with the birth of a child (one-time): at the birth of the first child at the birth of the second and subsequent children
women registered with government organizations health care up to 12 weeks of pregnancy (one-time)
for child care under 3 years of age (monthly): for the first child for second and subsequent children for a disabled child	from average month salary for work per quarter
for children over 3 years old from certain categories of families determined by the Law (monthly): for a disabled child for other children in the family
for caring for a disabled child under 18 years of age (monthly)
for children under 18 years of age infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (monthly)

Average cost of living budget per capita:

From 01.11.2012 to 31.01.2013 - 880,030 rubles.

From 02/01/2013 to 04/30/2013 - 924,150 rubles.

Average monthly wages of workers in the republic:

For 3 sq. 2012 - 4,037,686 rubles.

For 4 sq. 2012 - 4,406,118 rubles.

There is another standard in Belarus - the Minimum Consumer Budget, which should not be confused with the BPM. Experts explain the difference between MPB and BPM as follows: if MPB should provide a person with a standard of living necessary for reproduction, then BPM only gives a person the opportunity not to die.

The difference between the subsistence level budget and the minimum consumer budget is that the former does not include cultural and educational events and recreation. In addition, the BPM includes a slightly different range of goods that characterizes the typical level and structure of a person’s monthly consumption. Thus, the subsistence level budget does not include sweets, cakes, jam, honey, mushrooms, lamb and some other products, the consumption of which is provided for in the minimum consumer budget.

A more complex indicator is the quality of life. According to the famous American specialist according to marketing F. Kotler, quality of life consists of:

Quality, quantity, range, availability and cost of goods,

Qualities of the physical environment

Qualities of the cultural environment.

Quality of life includes the level of consumption of material goods and services, satisfaction of spiritual needs, health, life expectancy, environmental conditions, safety of citizens, and personal freedom. World practice has defined the basic principles of development human potential, the implementation of which allows us to talk about improving the quality of life. For example, increased life expectancy, personal security, increased educational opportunities, favorable conditions environment, economic security citizens, social groups, equal rights on social support and access to social benefits, reduction of morbidity, along with adequate and accessible medical care. The meaning of these principles is to create decent living conditions for every person.

The system of living standard indicators has its own distinctive features in various countries of the world. If in stable economic systems special meaning give such indicators as the level of wages, dynamics of unemployment, income, then in transformation systems special attention is paid to the indicator of consumption of food products per capita, the indicator of the provision of families with durable goods, etc. Their analysis helps to measure the depth of existing problems, which is important for developing social policy.

1.3 Standard of living, poverty, welfare

need living wage population

In economic theory, there are 4 living standards for the population:

prosperity - the use of benefits that provide comprehensive development person;

normal level- rational consumption according to scientifically based standards, providing favorable conditions for the complete restoration of a person’s physical and intellectual strength;

poverty - consumption of goods at the level of maintaining working capacity as the lowest limit of reproduction of resources for labor;

poverty is the minimum acceptable biological criteria a set of goods and services, the consumption of which only allows maintaining human viability.

Diagram 1.1 shows the classification of living standards.

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Scheme 1.1 Living standards of the population

Poverty is a state of constant lack of necessary resources to ensure a satisfactory lifestyle acceptable in a given case. In world practice, nations are considered poor if they spend about half of their budget on food. Poverty is characterized by the following indicators:

Number of poor;

Poverty depth ratio;

Poverty severity ratio.

Typically, poverty assessment assumes that there is a certain, clearly established standard of living, called the poverty line, the achievement of which is necessary for a person not to be considered poor. And therefore we can say that the poverty line is the minimum standard of living at which the poverty line is set. If the population does not have such a minimum, then it belongs to the poor. It is also necessary to distinguish between absolute and relative poverty lines. The absolute poverty line is the minimum standard of living, which is determined on the basis of the physiological needs of a person for food, clothing, and housing. The relative poverty line is characterized by the level below which people are below the poverty line. The number of poor people varies depending on how the poverty line is defined. The poverty depth coefficient expresses the average deviation of the income of the surveyed families from the subsistence level. The poverty severity coefficient is the weighted average deviation of the income of the surveyed families from the subsistence level. There are 3 different approaches to the definition of poverty: income poverty, the inability to realize the abilities inherent in a person, poverty determined by a significant difference in the standard of living compared to the existing environment. The first approach usually distinguishes between relative and absolute poverty. In the generally accepted understanding in the CIS countries, the definition of absolute poverty implies that it is possible to determine the minimum standard of living based on a person’s physiological needs for food, water, clothing and housing. It is important to note here that the emphasis is on physiological rather than broader socio-cultural needs. Absolute poverty occurs when people fall below this level, that is, they are left without shelter, clothing, or food. To determine the absolute poverty line, a basket of goods is compiled and its value is determined. Relative poverty is defined in relation to the generally accepted standard of living in a particular society in a particular period of time, and not just in relation to minimal physiological needs.

The second approach to defining poverty is the impossibility of realizing the abilities inherent in a person himself. Here, income becomes only a means that allows people to develop their abilities. The ultimate goal with this approach is not income, but life expectancy, good health etc. Here people are classified as poor if, for some reason, their opportunities to develop their inherent potential are limited. Based on this concept, the so-called vulnerable groups population who, due to current circumstances, are most susceptible to poverty due to limited potential opportunities: disabled people, single mothers, orphans, etc.

The third approach classifies as poor those people who, in terms of their level of income, opportunities for potential development, and other characteristics of their standard of living, differ markedly from the people around them and the norms that are accepted in society. given society. To be poor, according to this concept, means to be below the standards accepted in this society. A person is poor not because he lacks income or does not have the opportunity to realize his abilities, but because he is limited in this compared to other people from his immediate environment. The poor, or low-income, include those groups of the population whose income, for reasons beyond their control, is below the established subsistence level. According to world standards, the share of the population at the subsistence level should not exceed 10%. . According to the UN, poverty is defined by an income of 2 dollars. per day, poverty - 1 dollar. in a day .

Poverty is primarily associated with the uneven distribution of income and property. It differs between urban and rural population, in different territorial regions, between different ethnic groups of the population. What is considered poverty in one country is considered prosperity in another.

Standards of living and well-being are inextricably linked. Some economists equate them, while others point out that welfare is more related to a qualitative characteristic, although they consider them to be similar concepts. At all times, the issue of human welfare has been at the center of the main problems of any economic system. It should be noted that the concept of social welfare has become the subject of economic theory since the works of A. Smith. He linked welfare to ensuring fairness in the distribution of income. Then, until about the 20th century, welfare was viewed as the sum of utilities or benefits for all members of society, which can be counted. This means that the optimal allocation of resources is the allocation that ultimately gives a larger arithmetic value.

V. Pareto made a significant contribution to the theory of social welfare. He argued that the level of well-being can be considered optimal if it is impossible to improve someone's well-being in the process of producing goods and services, their distribution, and exchange without harming the well-being of some other person. Pareto also believed that a situation in which one person enriches himself at the expense of the impoverishment of other people cannot be considered a normal phenomenon in society.

The level of social well-being is the degree to which people are provided with material goods, services and appropriate living conditions necessary for their comfortable and safe existence. The level of social well-being is influenced by all indicators that determine the standard of living. The main indicators are the production volumes of gross domestic product and national income, calculated per capita. An equally important indicator of social welfare can be considered the relationship between the production of material goods and the service sector, i.e., the higher the share of the service sector in total GDP, the higher the social welfare. To determine the level of well-being of the population, there are various indicators: consumption of basic products per capita, consumption structure, minimum level of consumption, etc. The state ensures a certain level of well-being of the population by increasing the incomes of the poor, creating a training system and retraining the unemployed. The state also obliges entrepreneurs to pay workers wages not lower than a certain minimum, and provides free education and healthcare services.

So the standard of living is the most important indicator, which is characterized by the degree to which various human needs are satisfied. This indicator reflects the material, social, and cultural well-being of the population. To assess the degree of satisfaction of basic human needs, groups of indicators and indicators are used. The main factor ensuring the most complete satisfaction of people's needs, and, consequently, increasing their standard of living, is the development of the production of material goods and services and the growth of labor productivity. In economic theory, there are 4 levels of living of the population: wealth, normal level, poverty, misery. Poverty is primarily associated with the uneven distribution of income and property. The level of social well-being is influenced by all indicators that determine the standard of living.

Traditionally, life is divided into spheres, and spheres into elements. This division also contributes to a better assessment of quality of life. It makes sense to name these areas and dwell in more detail on some of them:

· Job. This is not only an opportunity to earn income. People spend a third of their lives at work. It's also about interacting with other people. And here it is necessary to evaluate whether it is in the interests of the person this work, relationships within the team, the prestige of the profession, the nature and intensity of work, its legality.

· Personal development. The assessment of this area partly echoes the assessment of the labor sector, since it is important for a person to do what he likes, and it is important to have the opportunity for professional growth. The same applies to personality development as general level culture in the country, as well as the availability of opportunities for self-realization of creatively gifted people, public interest in their activities.

· Social security. Perhaps the most complex and incalculable area. Here we can highlight such characteristics as physical and property security (crime), political security (presence of a developed state apparatus, confidence in the observance of rights and freedoms, absence of corruption and bureaucracy, degree of media freedom). This sphere has a large subjective assessment, since it is completely created by individuals and consists of relationships between them.

· Family life and everyday life A feeling of personal happiness and satisfaction with life in general. A completely subjectively assessed sphere, since only the person himself can say whether he has achieved what he wanted, or whether his life is completely meaningless.

· Leisure. In some ways, this sphere is in contact with the sphere of personal development and depends on everyday life. You should also evaluate the diversity of leisure activities, its quality, duration of rest and its effectiveness.

· Environment. These are mainly unnatural living conditions. This is a person’s opinion about the places where he lives and visits, an assessment of how comfortable he is there, whether everything he needs is present there.

· Comfort economic conditions. Assessment of the country's economic development and forecasts for further development to determine activity opportunities.

From everything said here, we can conclude that economic development affects both the standard of living and its quality. These two categories are the results of the actions people take to achieve their goals. Naturally, people should be satisfied with the results and there should not be any social conflicts. Therefore, along with economic growth and development, social progress should not lag behind him, and in addition to improving the person himself, should be accompanied by an improvement in the quality of the system public relations. In society, conditions must be created so that each person can satisfy his life needs, can independently solve his problems, achieve personal success and individual happiness.

2. World practice of calculating living standards

2.1 Human Development Index, meaning, calculation method

In the early 90s, a new definition appeared in the international lexicon and terminology of specialists - the human development index (HDI), or for short - the human development index (HDI), the value of which allows us to talk about a particular standard of living in the country. It ranks the countries of the world according to several dozen basic indicators relating to exports and imports, crime and infant mortality, and educational opportunities.

HDI is an indicator developed by specialists from the United Nations Development Program to assess the degree of optimal development of society. It shows how close living conditions in a given country are to such generally accepted criteria for the well-being of an individual and the entire nation, such as the opportunity to live a long time, get an education and have a decent level of material well-being. HDI is measured using a system of indicators including:

Life expectancy (characterizes the longevity of a newborn who will live life under the current mortality rate);

Educational level, measured as a cumulative index of adult literacy (over 15 years of age) and the cumulative share of students at all levels of education (primary, secondary, tertiary) in the total population aged 6 to 24 years;

The standard of living of the population, which characterizes access to material resources necessary for a decent existence; changes based on real gross domestic product per capita.

All these indicators reflect different aspects of human life. Thus, a person’s life expectancy is influenced by the quality of nutrition, health status and level of medical care, environmental conditions, etc. For each indicator, special standards have been developed.

The Human Development Index (HDI) was a strategic element new concept. It symbolizes a shift in thinking, even if it does not fully embrace the richness of human development. As a composite measure of health, education and income, the HDI assesses their levels and progress using a broader concept of development than that based only on income. And, as is the case with any aggregate measure and international comparisons, it simplifies and covers only part of what human development includes.

In order to calculate the individual components of the index, the actual indicators for a particular country are compared with fixed standards of minimum and maximum values. When determining the life expectancy index, the age of 25 years was taken as the minimum standard, and 85 years as the maximum; for the population education level index, the standards are 0 and 100%, respectively; for the average per capita real GDP index - 100 and 40 thousand dollars (PPP).

Indices characterizing the level of education and literacy are calculated using the formula:

where HDI is the human development index; - actual value of the i-th indicator; - minimum value of the i-th indicator; maximum value i-th indicator.

Since 1999, when calculating the index of real per capita GDP, not the values themselves, but their logarithms are substituted into this formula:

where Y - real GDP per capita of a country at PPP, in US dollars.

The indicator of the achieved level of education is calculated through the aggregate literacy index of the adult population and the aggregate proportion of students enrolled in educational establishments all levels according to the formula:

where is the index of the achieved level of education, is the adult literacy index, and is the proportion of students enrolled in all educational institutions.

The HDI is the arithmetic average of the life expectancy index, the population education index and the real per capita GDP index. The HDI value can vary from 0 to 1, and the closer it is to 1, the higher the development of human potential and the shorter the path that a given country needs to go through to achieve the desired targets. To countries with high level human development include those in which HDI > 0.8; to countries with an average level of human development - those in which the HDI< 0,8, но >0.5; to countries with low levels of human development - those in which the HDI< 0,5 . Таким образом, низший ИРЧП будет иметь страна, в которой average duration life is equal to 25 years, with a GDP per capita (at purchasing power parity) of 100 US dollars. 100% of the adult population there is illiterate, and no one receives any education. Conversely, to rise to the top of the HDI, you need an average life expectancy of 85 years, a per capita GDP of US$40,000, and a guarantee that 100% of the adult population is literate, attending primary or high school, studying at a higher or secondary educational institution.

It should be noted that although there is a relationship between the income level of any society and the development of its human potential, it is not automatic. Thus, in 2000, for the majority of countries studied (98 out of 173), the HDI rating was higher than the GDP rating. This shows that increasing costs of human development are becoming priority direction development of the world economy. In this case, it is not so much the amount of income that society has that is of particular importance, but the nature of the distribution of the results of economic growth in the interests of the development of the nation. Exists whole line factors that are not related to income, but make a major contribution to human development. These include crime rates, environmental conditions, healthy image life, the opportunity to enjoy the respect of society, etc.

It should be noted that the HDI has advantages over other indicators of cross-country comparisons (GDP, income level, etc.), since it allows us to give a generalized assessment of the well-being of society and its spiritual development. At the same time, the limited number of indicators does not allow a deep and accurate study of the social and economic processes occurring in society.

The HDI has come under criticism over the past 20 years. Some are unhappy with its formation and composition. Others suggest expanding it to include more dimensions from gender equality to biological diversity. Many of the criticisms are valid. But the goal is not to create an indisputable indicator of well-being, but to redirect attention to people-centred development and promote debate about how we contribute to social progress. The more we discuss what should and should not be included in the HDI—whether it is wise to lump different categories together, what meaning each should have, how to get more data and improve its quality—the more the discussion moves away from a straightforward focus on growth, which permeated development thinking.

According to the latest data, the Republic of Belarus ranks 65th out of 187 countries in the world on the Human Development Index, higher than other CIS countries. In numerical terms, the human development index from 2005-2011 increased from 0.723 to 0.756, or by 0.8% on average.

2.2 Global problems of improving living standards

Now this stage has come historical development when all countries depend on one another. The beginning of this dependence lies in economic relations, and then extends to political, cultural, social and other spheres. This dependence is also complicated by direct and feedback between these spheres of human life. In other words, the emergence of a problem between countries in any area will entail serious shifts or even destruction of ties in other areas between these countries.

There is such a thing as world interests, which mean the interests, problems and goals that concern the majority of people in the world. After the end of the Second World War, the whole world was worried about the problem of ensuring security: countries united into alliances for future joint defense, numerous shelters were built in cities, an arms race was going on between the United States and Russia, which almost led to the Third World War. Currently, aware of the global nature of world interdependence, world interests are aimed at what has always been considered the highest value - human beings. Now the world's interests are the speedy eradication of poverty, universal equality and human dignity of everyone, the achievement of democracy and peace.

These goals were formalized in the Millennium Declaration, adopted by 189 countries at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000. These are 8 global goals, more specific tasks of which must be achieved by 2015. In the specific context of the problem of improving living standards, the following goals and objectives can be identified:

Goal 1: End extreme poverty and hunger.

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education.

Goal 3: Reduce child mortality.

Target 10: Halve the share of the population by 2015 globe who do not have sustainable access to safe drinking water, including due to lack of funds.

Target 11: By 2020, achieve significant improvements in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

The Summit and the Millennium Declaration cannot be called just another empty talk and additional waste of paper, since the scale of poverty and its consequences have reached critical points:

· More than 1.2 billion people (a fifth of the world's population) have an income of less than $1 per day.

· Every year, 10 million children die (30 thousand every day) from diseases that can not only be treated, but also prevented.

· There are 991 million illiterates in the world, 115 million of them are children.

· More than 1 billion people do not have access to clean water, 2.4 billion do not have access to sanitation.

· 799 million people do not receive the required minimum nutrition, children make up a third of them.

· 122.4 million people (the population of a country like Russia) do not even hope to live to be 40 years old. (9, pp. 1-8, 87)

...

Life story

Instead of boring theory, let's look at the specific practical example. So, an integral part of my business is writing articles and video tutorials. The scheme is quite standard: I recorded the lesson, wrote the accompanying text, and posted it on the website. However, before placing the text on the site, it must be laid out, i.e. translate from regular Word into competent and neat HTML code. Until recently, this typesetting was done by a specially trained person, to whom I paid pretty good money (100 rubles per hour for unskilled work that even a child could handle). And this went on for more than a year...

And last week I launched an automatic layout program. This program does the same job - converts text from Word to HTML, but does it not in a day, but in a split second. And unlike a person, he does not make mistakes, thus saving me from the need to double-check the finished work. And the most interesting thing is that the program does all this absolutely free.

Imagine: fast, without a single mistake and free! It is not surprising that on the same day I fired the layout designer. In the new conditions, his work was simply not in demand. Starting from November 10, 2013, all texts on my website are typed automatically. Including the article you are reading now. :)

What is the lesson from this story? Just know that sooner or later something similar will happen in all industries that use unskilled labor. Therefore, in no case should you complete your development at low levels of qualifications (or without any at all) - this is tantamount to economic suicide. Don’t expect a miracle: the demand for low-skilled workers will only decrease every year.

How much are you worth?

Most people do not adequately assess their value as an employee. They believe that they work very hard, but receive very little - much less than they “really deserve.” Particularly difficult “patients” are convinced that they are accomplishing almost a feat by sitting through their pants “at this shitty job.”

If you recognize yourself or someone you know in these lines, don’t worry: the majority of hired workers think so, and not only in Russia. But let's face the truth: right now, take a piece of paper, write down your salary in rubles and divide it by 200 - exactly how many hours you spend on work every month, taking into account “Let's go drink after the shift with the whole department.”

How much did you receive? Here is the approximate scale for Moscow (for other Russian cities all numbers are reduced by 2-3 times):

0-80 rubles per hour: janitor's salary. This is the social bottom. If your hour falls within this range, change your job immediately!
80-150 rubles per hour: unskilled labor. Sellers, cashiers, cleaners, promoters, advertisers - that’s who your “colleagues in the range” are.
150-250 rubles per hour: low-skilled labor. The most popular category. Nice girls in bank offices and harsh workers at Moscow construction sites - they all sell for 150-250 rubles per hour, no more.
250-400 rubles per hour: medium-skilled labor. Programmers with less than 2 years of experience, B2B consultants and junior management. This also includes budding businessmen.
400-800 rubles per hour: highly skilled labor. Middle managers, experienced engineers and repairmen, many businessmen. The number of this category is 3 times less than the previous one.
800-1500 rubles per hour: professionals. Doctors in private clinics, engineers and managers with extensive experience. These people are insensitive to economic crises and downturns - there will always be work for them.
1500-3000 rubles per hour or more: top of the market. The smallest category that operates in conditions of fierce competition. There are no random people here, and if there are, they quickly fly down the stairs.

If you honestly calculate everything and look at the range, then most likely you will not be happy with the results.

Sad statistics

Let's say you work as a turner in the production of engines for the VAZ Cars of the Future. Every day you come to a huge workshop, sit down at a machine and turn steel blanks into pistons, gears and much more. Then all this goes to the assembly shop, where individual parts are first assembled into components, and then into entire engines.

How much is your work worth? Exactly as much as the parts you made cost. Minus the costs of purchasing blanks, delivery and maintenance of the workplace. Let's also subtract taxes, advertising, credits and defective products, which sometimes occur in batches due to an alcoholic colleague in the assembly shop.

Finally, let’s subtract the costs of “corporate show-offs” such as ISO-9000 certification (that’s when they came to you a couple of months ago strange people in suits and asked something about quality, and you answered clever phrases from a piece of paper that the shop manager slipped you during another drinking session). And yes, a brand new Bentley for the shop manager will also have to be deducted.

What will be the bottom line? You are worth 8,000 rubles. Masters cost 12,000, maximum - 15,000. If you get more, this is no longer your value. These are government subsidies as part of “supporting the domestic automobile industry” (after all, the shop manager’s Bentley must sometimes be serviced, and it is advisable to do this in a “proper” car service center, which costs a pretty penny).

Once again: you are worth 8,000 rubles! And that's it good result. Because, say, a seller in a city kiosk next to a bus stop will cost 4000-5000 rubles. And if the stall is located not in the city, but in the village, then the cost of the seller completely drops to a measly 2000.

How to increase your value?

Even a quick glance at the example of a turner immediately gives us several ways to increase cost (read: labor productivity). You can buy a new machine (with a numerical program controlled, for example), so that in an hour of work our turner can make 10 times more parts, and the quality will also be higher. You can reduce non-production costs: force the workshop manager to sell the Bentley, or better yet, fire him and install a normal boss. You can also kick out all alcoholics from the plant - the number of defects will immediately decrease by three times.

But let's come down to earth and see: what concrete steps can you take to increase your productivity? In fact, there are quite a lot of options:

Learn to touch-type on the keyboard. 9 out of 10 Russians do not yet know how to do this. Students reprint materials from newspapers that they could not steal on the Internet - and swear, their eyes jumping from paper to keyboard and back. The girl operators at Sberbank are frantically looking for letters on the keyboard when they are filling out your payment order. There are thousands of examples - and everywhere people spend twice as much time if they do not know how to touch-type on a keyboard.
Learn to say “No.” Wherever you are, no matter what you do, they will try to take advantage of you. There will always be a person who wants to ride on someone else's neck. Drive such people as far away as possible, do not let them approach you with their “harmless” requests. For example, do not give your lectures to other people, do not help with tests/exams, do not lend money. Will they be offended by you? Well, let! Don't let other people control your life, especially through emotions like resentment, disapproval and envy.
Ask yourself as often as possible: “Is this what I’m doing now? How far do these actions move me toward completing the task at hand?” And if you find that instead of doing something you are doing indecent things (watching TV, sitting in in social networks, drinking, playing on the computer), stop this immediately! And if you don’t have the strength to stop, close this article immediately - it won’t help you. And generally forget about the existence of this site. Better go watch "Dom-2".
This point logically follows from the previous one: find your purpose in life. It doesn’t have to be long-term, you can set a goal for the next month. For example: mastering touch typing on a keyboard (in a month is quite possible), learning to do 10 pull-ups (in a month is more than realistic) or just doing something serious. For example, you have long wanted to replace all the sockets in your apartment. Well, what are you waiting for? Go to the store, buy sockets, socket boxes, crowns - and go ahead! Cut, drill, change - everything is in your hands!
Make sure you always have a timer and a voice recorder with you. Using the timer, you will find out how much time you spend on everyday operations (for example: going to the store - 20 minutes). A voice recorder is indispensable when a good thought suddenly strikes you, but there’s nowhere to record it. For example, in the subway. Or, excuse me, in the toilet. Yes, and you don't need to buy two separate devices - modern phones They have both a built-in timer and a voice recorder.

Of course, this is far from full list. You can add here an electronic planner (for example, I use MS Outlook), a daily “quiet hour” (this is not when you sleep, but when you turn off all means of communication and are left alone with yourself) and much more. But believe me: by implementing the 5 points listed above, you will already find yourself head and shoulders above 90% of the population of our wonderful country. With corresponding consequences in the form of a good salary, healthy nerves and a lot of free time. :)

In conclusion, I would like to note that in the process of working on yourself, you will encounter such a problem as misunderstanding of others. Just look at the faces of the people that I see around me on the subway, when I rush to record on the recorder the next thought that suddenly comes to my mind. Just imagine: a guy is sitting in a carriage, not bothering anyone. And suddenly he takes out a voice recorder and starts recording something! Is this normal at all? Maybe he needs to go to a mental hospital?

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