Digitization of the Social Security System as a Factor of Raising the Standard of Living of Russian Citizens (On the Example of the Volgograd Region)

Abstract

The strategic goal of digitalization of the social sphere is the need to improve the quality of life of service recipients. The authors note that the assessment of the quality of social services in social work requires uniform criteria for both traditional and electronic services: accessibility, priority, timeliness of provision, appropriate documentation of the service. The paper indicates that the foreign and domestic experience of digitalization of social services differs in the following positions: the Internet infrastructure of Russia requires technical development, the activities of which are laid down in the "Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in the Russian Federation for 2017–2030" and will be implemented over time; in Russia, the entire process of providing digital social services is concentrated in the hands of the state, while the European experience shows the effectiveness of attracting private companies. At the same time, the domestic portal of public services is dynamically developing in terms of expanding the list of services provided by spheres, life situations and departments. To solve the practical problems of the study, the authors used a set of general scientific methods: systematic, statistical and comparative analyses; expert interviews and pilot questionnaire survey. In the article, the authors consider the practice of the Volgograd region, where over the past few years the planned indicators of the federal program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" have been achieved, but in practice there are still a number of problems hindering the introduction of digital services in the region: an Internet network requires development in remote areas of the region, low computer literacy persists, especially among older age groups, which mainly constitute the category of those persons who prefer to personally apply for an appointment with social authorities, some services can still be obtained only at a personal reception, the introduction of a Unified state information base of social security is progressing slowly, which reduces the efficiency of document management in the system of digital provision of social services to citizens.