The Socially Acceptable Consumption Basket

Abstract

The Object of the Study. Quality of life of low-income population The Subject of the Study. Consumer basket of subsistence minimum as a social standard of quality of life of low-income population The Purpose of the Study. Development of the methodological basis for the formation of a socially acceptable consumer basket of the subsistence minimum. The Main Provisions of the Article. Currently, in Russia, the society faces large-scale tasks dictated by the taken course for breakthrough scientific, technological and socioeconomic development of the country, enshrined in the decree of the President of the Rossiyskaya Federatsiya No. 204 of 07.05.2018. The Designated national projects are aimed at qualitative changes in the living conditions of the population, the creation of conditions for increasing life expectancy, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, education of a harmoniously developed and socially responsible person, in particular. A large role is allotted to up-to date technology and highly qualified personnel, which implies the availability of human resources at the appropriate level. The achievement of these goals requires a new approach to the standards of quality of life of the population, which act as criteria and instruments of state social policy. The current methodology for determining the subsistence level is based on limited access to food, non-food products and services. Despite the fact that regular reviews of the consumer basket, carried out in accordance with Russian legislation, have brought some positive qualitative changes, the subsistence minimum can not act as a full-fledged social standard of quality of life. The transition from the normative approach to the definition of the consumer basket to the calculation approach, when only the minimum product set remained normative, has also had a negative impact since 2013. Today, we need a different, namely, socially acceptable current consumption standard, which would allow us to respond to the challenges of our time. The methodological basis of a socially acceptable consumer basket should be based on a normative approach to all its constituent sets – food, non-food goods and services. It should take into account domestic and foreign experience in the formation of regulatory consumer baskets for low-income population, the possibilities of the Russian consumer market of goods and services to meet the needs of the population, consumer behaviour and consumer expectations in a market economy.