The diagnostics of the current state of Russian rural territories based on the inclusive approach

Abstract

The current state of Russian rural territories causes concern due to the numerous socio-economic problems in the countryside. Their solution is one of the most important governmental objectives that require both adequate strategic planning and timely monitoring of the current situation in the countryside. The study was aimed to identify key problems of the socio-economic development of rural territories in Russia based on the inclusive approach. Within the research, the author analyzed the dynamics of 17 indicators of inclusive development of Russian rural territories for the period from 2011 to 2020 united in four blocks: “Growth and Development”, “Economic Inclusion”, “Continuity of Generations and Development Sustainability”, and “Social Inclusion”. The study identified that the priority development of agriculture ensured the growth of gross added value of the industry but did not contribute to the improvement of the quality and living conditions of the rural population. The results of the study showed that along with the growth of labor productivity in agriculture, a decrease in the employment rate in the countryside was observed. At the same time, wages in agriculture were about a third lower than in the economy as a whole. Poverty in the countryside remains one of the most acute problems as it concerns the fifth of the rural residents. Rural settlements fall behind the urban ones in a number of parameters: life expectancy, the level of the population’s employment, the households’ available resources, social and engineering infrastructure. The solution of indicated problems is possible only when updating the existing model of the development of rural areas based on the principles of inclusive development, which to the greatest extent meet the modern-day challenges and threats.