Maternity (family) Capital as a Support Program for Families with Children: Implementation Results and Development Prospects (Part One)

Abstract

Maternity (family) capital (hereinafter referred to as M(F)C) is a certain amount of funds allocated to families with children from the state budget with the goal of creating conditions providing families with children with a decent life. M(F)C as an additional measure of support for families at the birth of a second child was introduced in 2007 for the period until 12/31/2016. The right to M(F)C in the amount of 250 thousand rubles was obtained by women who gave birth (adopted) a second child after January 1, 2007, as well as a third or subsequent child, if they had not previously exercised their right to M(F)C. The law initially allowed the use of M(F)C to improve housing conditions, to receive education by children, and to form the funded part of the mother’s labor pension. The article analyzes the theoretical and practical issues of the development of the M(F)C program, the statistics of Rosstat, the Ministry of Labor and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, characterizing M(F)C. The article is divided into two parts due to its large volume. The first part of the article explores the conceptual and applied aspects of the origin and development of the M(F)C program. The genesis of the idea of maternal capital and the path from idea to bill is considered. The baseline parameters, such as the size of the capital, the period of action, the directions of use and the conditions governing access to funds M(F)C are analyzed. The second part shows how the initial parameters were adjusted: the extension of the period of action, the reduction of the period preceding the possibility of use, improving the conditions of use by adding new directions. The statistics of M(F)C, changes in the direction of its use and expenditures on these areas are analyzed. Proposals are presented to develop the M(F)C programme, to expand its use to better support families with children.