The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the national development processes is under study. The article considers methods for assessing changes that affect the territory development prepared by Russian and Polish researchers. A comparative characteristic of methodological approaches is given. The discussion made it possible to establish that the result of the development of any territory, of course, should be considered in terms of changes in the quality of life of the population. In this regard, the methodology developed by Russian authors, which provides for the gradation of influencing factors by groups of influence, was taken as the basis. In total, four special interest groups on changes in the quality of life of the population were identified, such as factors associated with the population itself; business structure development factors; infrastructural factors, which are the responsibility of the municipalities; and institutional factors providing for the activities of public institutions. The study presented in the article is based on the sociological survey data among young population conducted on the basis of several universities in the two countries of Russia and Poland in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, since the youth student environment determines the potential for future development of territories. The main changes (positive and negative) in the assessments of the impact of various factors on the quality of life of the population caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have been established.

The article raises the issues of the ultimate effectiveness of regulatory measures of a social nature carried out by the state in rural areas of Russia and Belarus. For this purpose, the results of individual government directives are compared with the dynamics of demographic indicators, employment, real incomes, housing provision in rural areas, the structure of household expenditures. The problem areas of social policy in rural areas of Russia and Belarus are considered. As creative views on the solution of social problems in rural areas, options for the introduction and development of innovative agro-industrial ecosystems, which are defined by the authors as a set of economic, social, energy, information, marketing, financial and other entrepreneurial business structures that cover all the problem areas of development, are proposed.