SECTION:
DISCUSSION FORUM
TITLE
The Quality and Standard of Living of the Population in Modern Russia: Realities, Trends, and Solutions
Vyacheslav N. Bobkov
{jd_file file==___}
RAR (Research Article Report)
JEL E2, I3, J01
https://doi.org/10.52180/1999-9836_2026_22_2_10_319_329
AUTHOR
Vyacheslav N. Bobkov
Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7364-5297
SPIN-code: 5639-0410
ResearcherID: U-6527-2019
Scopus Author ID: 55960509800
FOR CITATION
Bobkov V.N. The Quality and Standard of Living of the Population in Modern Russia: Realities, Trends, and Solutions. Uroven' Zhizni Naseleniya Regionov Rossii=Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2026;22(2):319–329. https://doi.org/10.52180/1999-9836_2026_22_2_10_319_329 (In Russ.)
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to refine and develop the author's theoretical and methodological framework for studying quality of life and standard of living and to identify the most pressing issues in this area that require further research and practical solutions, based on those discussed at the scientific seminar «Quality and Standard of Living in Modern Russia: Realities, Trends, Solutions», held in 2026 at the St. Petersburg Economic Congress (SPEK-2026). The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is based on research conducted by a team of researchers led by the author of this publication at the All-Russian Center for Standard of Living, Institute of Socio-Economic Studies of Population of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and currently underway at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The author used reports presented at the SPEK-2026 scientific seminar, as well as publications referenced by the speakers, as well as the author of this publication, as the initial data (information base) for the study. The main results of the study are the clarified and developed parameters of the author’s framework for studying the content and interrelations of the categories of quality of life and standard of life, and their place in the system of reproduction of life activity, the principal findings of the study include a re-emphasis on the prioritization of production relations alongside the broader system of social relations and forms of social consciousness. The study also identifies the most acute problems affecting the quality and standard of living in contemporary Russia: the predominance of narrowed and simple reproduction of living standards; high economic inequality in the distribution of living standards among broad social groups and its unfavorable configuration, reflected in the significant concentration of resources within upper social strata; problems in the social sphere caused by worldview limitations and the underestimation of the role of culture, the humanities, socio-economic science, and education; the persistence and concentration of demographic and family-related problems. Further research will focus on a broader generalization of the theoretical, methodological, and practical issues related to the study of quality and standard of living as reflected in leading Russian and international academic journals.
KEYWORDS
quality of life, standard of living, quality of society, quality of working life, quality of social institutions, life safety, quality of interaction with the environment, satisfaction with quality of life
INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vyacheslav N. Bobkov
Doctor of Economics, Professor, Honoured Science Worker of the Russian Federation, Chief Research Worker, Head of the Department of Socioeconomic Research of Living Standards and Quality of Life at the Centre of Development of Human Potential, Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
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