Child Poverty—Threat to Sustainable Development of the Russian Arctic

Abstract

AbstractThe rates and proportions of sustainable development of the Russian Arctic depend on the quality of human potential, which in turn is determined by the welfare of the population, namely satisfaction of demands for goods and access to social services. Poverty as a social and economic phenomenon limits the population's access to development resources. Poverty is triggered by unemployment and low pay so that it embraces households with children. Child poverty comes to the forefront in the Russian Arctic regions since it is a systemic factor that limits the possibility of the qualitative reproduction of human potential and therefore, future possibilities of achieving sustainable development of the Russian Arctic. The goal of the research was to evaluate the level, scales and social localisation of poverty among the Russian Arctic population. Its methodology resources included the review and generalisation of the statistics pertaining to the standard of living, monograph studies, economic and mathematical models, as well as review of the regulations governing social support of the family, parenthood and childhood. The scientific novelty of the research is as follows. The research substantiates that poverty as a social and economic phenomenon has a negative effect on the prospects of sustainable development of the Russian Arctic regions by creating a threat of human potential degradation since it reproduces a child poverty phenomenon. Low-paid employment and unemployment are determined to be key factors of child poverty. The effect of the social support system intended to improve the standard of living of low-income families with children was found to be limited. The current situation for children in the Russian Arctic regions is marginal. Social vulnerability of families with children primarily means limited performance of functions, and this has a negative effect on the quality of human potential reproduction.KeywordsSustainable developmentRussian arcticHuman potentialChild poverty