Average Monthly Wage Research Articles

ОЦІНКА СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ СКЛАДОВОЇ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ АГРАРНОГО ВИРОБНИЦТВА

Introduction. Sustainable development of agricultural production in Ukraine involves taking into account social, economic and environmental aspects, which is implemented in many specific directions and measures. The purpose of the study is to assess the social effectiveness of sustainable development of agricultural production in the conditions of the national economy openness. Results. The dynamic of the share of Ukrainian households expenditures on food, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, and tobacco products in the structure of their total expenditures is analyzed. The expenditure share of Ukrainian households on alcohol and tobacco is considered. The analysis of the expenditure share on alcoholic beverages and tobacco in the structure of total household expenditures by age groups, depending on the size of average cash equivalent total income in 2016-2018 has been done. The results of the consumption analysis of meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fruits, berries and grapes (without wine processing) for 1 person in the population from 2000 to 2018 are presented. The trends of rising consumption in studied groups of products other than milk and milk products has been identified. The difference between search and regulatory types of forecasts is considered. These forecasts are calculated to consider product groups. The inability to reach the target consumption values within the planned period of time is determined. The dynamics of the Consumer Price Index for food and non-alcoholic beverages in individual EU countries and USA are examined and downward trends are identified. The reasons for the galloping rise in food prices in Ukraine are given. The dynamics of rural and urban population in Ukraine is analyzed. The dynamics of the average monthly wage by types of economic activity is analyzed. The results of the analysis of highways of Ukraine with hard cover by categories are given. The volume of passenger transportation by bus is considered. The analysis results of the housing equipment of rural households by water supply, sewerage and modern sanitary facilities are presented. The analysis results of the receipt lack of certain types of medical aid by rural and urban residents (deprivation) are presented. Conclusions. The dynamics of the expenditure share of Ukrainian households on food, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, tobacco in the structure of their total expenditures confirms the poverty of the Ukrainian population. There is a low consumer culture of the population in Ukraine. The structure of consumption expenditures is explained by the considerable level of differentiation of population different segments incomes. The dynamics of rural and urban populations in Ukraine confirms the steady decline of rural residents. The main reasons for the decrease in rural population are identified. The unsatisfactory level of social component of sustainable development of agricultural production in Ukraine has been proved. Keywords: agricultural production, sustainable development, social infrastructure, rural territories, food security, social component of sustainable development, social efficiency.

ЕКОНОМІЧНА НЕРІВНІСТЬ: СВІТОВИЙ ДОСВІД ТА ОСОБЛИВОСТІ В УКРАЇНІ

Introduction. The greatest and most controversial problem that is characteristic not only for Ukraine but also for the whole world is the economic inequality that accompanies humanity throughout its existence. It negatively affects the standard of population living, affects human development, is a source of social tension and state instability, adversely affects the national economy development, but on the other hand, it is the driving force of the population economic activity. Currently, the question of economic inequality arises quite sharply, because the structure of Ukrainian society is characterized by a low share of the middle class, a large differentiation of incomes, and a large proportion of the poor. The purpose of the article is to reveal the nature and characteristics of economic inequality in Ukraine, the development of proposals for improving measures to overcome economic inequality in Ukraine. Results. Economic inequality in Ukraine was studied using the Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient and income quintile ratio. The dynamics of living wage, nominal and real wages in Ukraine are considered. The standard of living and average monthly wages in Ukraine and Europe are analyzed. The main directions of reforming the social policy of Ukraine to ensure sustainable social development are identified. The main measures to overcome economic inequality in Ukraine are identified. Conclusions. Ukrainian society is characterized by high differentiation between different groups of the population. There is no powerful middle class in Ukraine that should be a pillar of the country's economic stability. To overcome economic inequality in Ukraine, it is necessary to take the following measures: the establishment of average prices for the range of goods in the consumer basket; providing social transfers directly to the consumer; increasing state social guarantees; balancing the purchasing power of wages and rising prices for goods and services; clear definition and approval by law of social benefits size and categories of people receiving them; strengthening state regulation of the income generation distribution; increasing the employment level; maintenance and development of small and medium-sized businesses; conducting a true monitoring of the strategic directions of poverty reduction among the population; state regulation for strengthening of the middle class positions. Keywords: economic inequality, standard of living, salary, Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient, income quintile ratio.

Бюджетные учреждения в «рыночной» среде: условия созданы

In recent years, a new economic and legal environment has been formed in the activities of budgetary institutions, which makes it possible to raise the level of provision of state social services, to use market mechanisms in the context of legalizing the provision of paid services by a budget institution; labor motivation of employees of public institutions is increased due to the introduction of an effective contract. Using the example of public health institutions, the dynamics of the average wage of doctors to the average monthly wage of hired employees of commercial organizations and individual entrepreneurs by regions are investigated; The analysis of legislative innovations on co-financing the salaries of doctors and nursing staff at the expense of the rationed safety stock of the territorial fund of the OMS was carried out, which should really ensure an increase in the salaries of medical workers and reduce the shortage of primary health care personnel.

ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ РІВНЯ ДЕРЖАВНОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ, ОРГАНІЗАЦІЄЮ ОПЛАТИ ПРАЦІ МЕТОДОМ КЛАСТЕРИЗАЦІЇ ГАЛУЗЕЙ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ГОСПОДАРСТВА

Розвиток соціально-трудових відносин, обумовлений світовими глобалізаційними процесами, вимагає інноваційного підходу в державному регулюванні організацією оплати праці, затребуваного реаліями ринку праці. Важливе значення має визначення критеріїв і показників оцінювання рівня сформованості інструментарію впливу державних інституцій задля гарантування принципу справедливості та соціальної рівноваги при побудові алгоритму розрахунку винагороди за працю. Мета цієї публікації — обґрунтування методичного підходу до побудови ієрархії диференціації рівнів державного регулювання оплати праці, для застосування при кластерному ранжуванні національного господарства за галузями економіки. Окреслено необхідність підвищення ефективності втручання державних інститутів у систему організації оплати праці, уточнено тлумачення термінологічного апарату державного регулювання організацією оплати праці. Проаналізовано динаміку показника середньомісячної заробітної плати штатних працівників за відпрацьовану годину з метою обґрунтування розбіжності, яка існує в розмірі оплати праці в різних галузях економіки країни. Запропоновано класифікацію рівнів впливу державних інституцій, принциповим базисом яких є аналітично обґрунтовані відмінності стану організації оплати праці за кожним видом економічної діяльності в конкретизованій ситуації на тлі безперервного моніторингу, і представлено ієрархічну побудову класифікації рівнів регулювання для галузей національного господарства. За допомогою інструментів кластерного аналізу проведено обґрунтування методичних засад удосконалення сценаріїв аналізу рівня необхідності державного регулювання з метою оптимізації результативності цього процесу. Зазначено та обґрунтовано гіпотезу про існування тренду об’єднання об’єктів у кластери за наявним станом показників організації оплати праці в галузях економіки України.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИЙ УРОВНЯ ДОХОДОВ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ АСТРАХАНСКОГО РЕГИОНА

The article dwells upon the continued decrease of income level of the Russian population as a result of the financial crisis and rising inflation, which is followed by yearly contraction of needs and savings. The analysis of the income structure of the Russian people confirmed the growth of the share of wages while reducing income from the use of property, business income, and social benefits. The tendencies to changing the income level in the different industries and regions of the Russian Federation have been identified. The average income level of the population of the Astrakhan region has been defined, the finance dynamics for the period from 2016 to 2018 has been evaluated. The tendencies to changing individual components of the population income in the Astrakhan region have been investigated: wages, business income, employment of property, social benefits. There has been estimated the average monthly wage in the region (in nominal and real terms) and the rate of its changes over the studied period. The estimation of the size of social payments to the population of the Astrakhan region has been made. The main part in the total volume of social payments to the population comes to pensions (74.8%). The criteria of the subsistence minimum both in the country and in the region have been given. It has been inferred that the living cost in the country is greatly underestimated, actually, in half, compared to the real living cost, which is related to saving the budget. In the Astrakhan region a great proportion of the population has incomes below the minimum subsistence level: 16.0% of the region’s population is below the poverty line. To reduce the level of poverty, to increase incomes of the population and to reduce the share of citizens with incomes below the subsistence minimum there have been proposed a number of that will help to reach a higher standard of living in accordance with the requirements of the social market economy.

FEATURES OF DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN GEORGIA AS AN INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTING TO ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY

The role and place of the tourism industry in the economic complex of Georgia are considered; the conclusion is made about the “tourist miracle” taking place in the country, which is a factor of the economic growth of the republic. The differences between the concepts of “foreign visitors” and “foreign tourists” are presented. The increase in the contribution of the tourism industry and related industries involved in the tourism industry in the creation of the gross domestic product of the country, its impact on the growth of the Georgian budget and GDP per capita, the average monthly wage is shown. The conclusion about the need to increase the share of medium and long-term tourists among foreign visitors and tourists in the country is justified. The problems of the return of tourists, the long-term stay in Georgia, the differences of the countries-generators of tourist flows by these indicators have been studied. The changes in work and the prospects of various types of transport for the delivery of tourists to Georgia are analyzed, the measures to improve the tourist transport component are proposed. The correlation between the number of tourist arrivals and the average cost of tourists visiting Georgia from different countries is shown and the economic profitability of attracting Russian tourists, capable of filling all the tourist destinations of the country, contributing to the “tourist miracle” of Georgia is considered.

Changes in Housing Availability Indicator in Selected Polish Cities in the Years 2006 to 2018

Abstract Research purpose. Housing availability indicator shows the area of residential real estate possible to purchase for the average monthly wage in the enterprise sector. The research carried out in this paper is aimed at determining the current level of housing availability indicator and its detailed analysis, taking into account the dynamics of changes in 2006 to 2018. This analysis will be carried out for primary and secondary market for selected Polish cities. Design/Methodology/Approach. Calculations were based on the average transaction prices obtained from the transactional database of residential real estate of the National Bank of Poland and the value of the average monthly remuneration in the enterprise sector obtained partly from statistical data and official journals of the Central Statistical Office. Findings. The analysis shows that the indicator of housing availability in Poland, despite the visible upward trend, is at a very low level, placing Warsaw at the first place. In addition, the extension of the analysis to the division of the housing market into the primary and secondary market provided more information about shaping the housing availability indicator. Whereas in the primary market in individual cities its value was at a similar level, the secondary market was subject to greater fluctuations. Originality/Value/Practical implications. This paper is of practical nature. Due to the asymmetry of information on the Polish real estate market, especially regarding housing prices, knowledge about the value of the housing availability indicator in Poland may be exceptionally valuable, especially for people interested in the housing market, including individual investors and market practitioners, as an auxiliary source of information in purchasing decisions of households.

ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATION OF CALCULATION OF THE UNIFIED TARIFF SCALE IN THE WAGE SYSTEM

The main economic condition for improving the standard of living is to ensure the transition to high labour costs and, accordingly, to decent wages. The classical wage system requires the improvement of the basic principles due to the existing weak points: demotivating relation between the tariff coefficients; imperfect characteristic of the "staff category" when grading the tariff rates. The aim of the study is to substantiate the methodological approach to the construction of a unified tariff grid for economic activities. Using the methods of discriminant analysis, additive and multiplicative convolution, the method of calculation of the unified tariff grid by types of economic activity for the relevant stages is proposed: the method of calculation of the unified tariff scale by the types of economic activity in the following stages: calculation of the initial minimum salary for the first-rate worker as the basis for further determination of the fair remuneration, using the integral coefficient of the average monthly wage per hour worked; calculation of the optimal ratio between tariff rates with eleven percent increase in payment rates; taking into account the coefficient- stimulator of the level of professional competencies knowledge when grading the tariff rates. In results, we believe that the proposed method of regulation of the tariff system of remuneration will provide a socially fair principle of remuneration - corresponding to the level of professional knowledge of remuneration for labor, regardless of its area of application.

Current state of pension reform in Ukraine

The current phase of Ukraine’s development characterizes by a complex of external and internal challenges, which provoked a deep economic crisis in the country, led to a serious deterioration of the living standards, exacerbated social tension. The way to overcome the economic crisis lies in the implementation of complex long-term economic reforms that require the support of the entire society based on national cohesion, unity and trust to the government. In this context, reliable social protection of the population is becoming one of the main factors of national security in Ukraine. This requires the government to rethink the fundamentals, ideology, strategy and tactics of financial policy in the field of social risk management as well as cardinal practical steps to increase the role and significance of the basic institution of social protection of the able-bodied population in market economy countries - the social insurance system. The balance of the state social insurance system depends on the financial equilibrium of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, which concentrates about 90% of its financial resources. The path to such an equilibrium lies in the transition to a three-pillar pension system. However, this is possible only if our country achieves economic stability. Premature forced state compulsory accumulative insurance (second pillar of the pension system) under the crisis conditions will create a threat of social tension aggravation. Thus, under current economic conditions, the introduction of the second pillar of the pension system, although it is an objective necessity, requires clear economic preconditions, the main are: restoration of GDP growth based on overcoming the crisis in the real sector of the economy; the hryvnia exchange rate stabilization; growth of the average monthly wage in the country etc. Actuality, practical significance as well as insufficient elaboration of this problem caused the choice of the topic of the article, determined its purpose, task, logic and content.

Seeking natural capital projects: Forest fires, haze, and early-life exposure in Indonesia

Natural capital will be depleted rapidly and excessively if the long-term, offsite impacts of depletion are ignored. By examining the case of tropical forest burning, we illustrate such myopia: Pursuit of short-term economic gains results in air pollution that causes long-term, irreversible health impacts. We integrate longitudinal data on prenatal exposure to the 1997 Indonesian forest fires with child nutritional outcomes and find that mean exposure to air pollution during the prenatal stage is associated with a half-SD decrease in height-for-age z score at age 17, which is robust to several statistical checks. Because adult height is associated with income, this implies a loss of 4% of average monthly wages for approximately one million Indonesian workers born during this period. To put these human capital losses in the context of policy making, we conduct social cost–benefit analyses of oil palm plantations under different scenarios for clearing land and controlling fires. We find that clearing for oil palm plantations using mechanical methods generates higher social net benefits compared with clearing using fires. Oil palm producers, however, would be unwilling to bear the higher private costs of mechanical clearing. Therefore, we need more effective fire bans, fire suppression, and moratoriums on oil palm in Indonesia to protect natural and human capital, and increase social welfare.

Статистический анализ динамики среднемесячной заработной платы работников сферы образования Республики Марий Эл

Статистический анализ динамики среднемесячной заработной платы работников сферы образования Республики Марий Эл

Форми соціального захисту державних службовців в Україні

У статті проаналізовано специфіку форм соціально-го захисту державних службовців в Україні. Наведе-но особливості норм законодавства у вказаній царині. Розкрито наукові підходи до характеристики темати-ки наукового дослідження. Наголошено, що формами соціально-побутового напряму соціального захисту державних службовців є: надання безвідсоткового кре-диту для житлового будівництва або придбання квар-тир чи індивідуальних житлових будинків; надання службовцям матеріальної допомоги для вирішення соціально-побутових питань – вид грошової допомоги, яка надається для вирішення різноманітних особистих питань один раз на рік у розмірі середньомісячної за-робітної плати на підставі особистої заяви. Визначено, що формою пенсійного напряму соціального захисту державних службовців є пенсія державного службов-ця. Пенсія державного службовця – це вид пенсійного напряму соціального захисту державних службовців, який виплачується державним службовцям у разі досягнення ними пенсійного віку. Специфіка пенсій-ного забезпечення державних службовців зумовлена тим, що згідно з чинним законодавством воно здійс-нюється у загальному порядку відповідно до Закону України «Про загальнообов’язкове державне пенсійне страхування». Встановлено, що натепер соціальний захист державних службовців здійснюється в чоти-рьох напрямах: матеріальному, соціально-побутовому, оздоровчо-рекреаційному та пенсійному. Специфіка перерахованих напрямів зумовлена тим, що ряд форм соціального захисту є характерними лише для держав-них службовців і не є характерними для інших катего-рій працюючих громадян, наприклад, матеріальне та соціально-побутове забезпечення. При цьому зверне-мо увагу на те, що за останні роки соціальний захист державних службовців був у багатьох моментах зрів-няний із соціальним захистом інших категорій праців-ників. Реалізація кожного із напрямів здійснюється за допомогою конкретних видів соціального захисту, які передбачені чинним законодавством у різних фор-мах. Окрім проаналізованих, на державних службов-ців поширюються всі ті гарантії соціального захисту, які належать усім громадянам нашої держави.

Procedures for monetary assessment of the labour component of organizations

To obtain objective information about the level of staff remuneration and the possibilities of making effective managerial, including personnel, decisions, analytical procedures for the monetary assessment of the labour component of the organization have been developed. It is proposed to conduct a monetary assessment sequentially by means of implementing four analytical procedures for comparing the average monthly wage of personnel: with the established minimum wage; with a living wage; with the average wage in the region; with an average wage by type of economic activity. The results of a monetary assessment of the labour component of the Voronezh region sugar factories over a six-year period indicate the economic inappropriateness of using the minimum wage and the subsistence minimum as criteria. First, the values of these indicators do not correspond to the level of economic development of the region and do not provide for the satisfaction of the real needs of the working-age population. Secondly, their use to verify compliance with legal requirements is correct only at the individual level, and not throughout the organization. It was found that the level of staff remuneration in the organizations under study is lower than the regional average in 82% of cases. The results of the sectoral assessment indicate the absence of a unified approach to the remuneration of the personnel of organizations for labour, including those included in one holding.

An Integrated Assessment of Energy Crops Production in Taiwan

For countries with scarce fossil fuel resources and limited cropland, how would energy crops production increase energy security and affect land use and farmer’s income? To address such questions, we develop an integrated assessment model to evaluate land use changes and economic impacts of energy crop policy in Taiwan. The model consists of several submodels linked together interactively, representing different components of the integrated agricultural-energy-environmental-economic system. Five major findings and policy implications can be drawn from our study: 1) There is lack of economic incentives for farmers to produce energy crops using set-aside croplands without government subsidies. The required subsidies for energy crops production will be 50% to 120% higher than the original subsidies for set-aside croplands. 2) There is very little economic incentive for farmers to switch to energy crop production from existing crop production even with government subsidies. Therefore, the impacts on the supply and demand of existing agricultural crops are very minor. 3) Among four soil grades, more than half of the total energy crop output comes from Grade II soil, which is mostly located in the West Tainan County. This implies that energy crop mills and refining plants should be located in the West Tainan County to minimize the transportation costs. 4) The results from general equilibrium modeling show that the Miscellaneous Crops sector will incur the largest increase in output due to energy crop production. In the case of sunflower production, the ratio of total output increase to total government subsidies is about 1.12, which is the only energy crop with benefit-cost ration greater than 1.0. This implies that sunflower is the most economical feasible choice among three energy crops. 5) In the case of sunflower production, the total employment and average monthly wage rates in the Agricultural Sector will increase by 6.7% and 71.7%, respectively. This indicates that sunflower production will have significant positive economic impacts on the employment and income of farmers in Tainan County.

PROVIDING LABOR INCOME AS A SUPPORTING FACTOR OF THE FOOD SECURITY

The lack of comprehensive provision of a sufficient level of economic affordability of food in conditions of social instability and low level of solvency of the population of Ukraine constitutes a threat to the food security of the state. The purpose of the article is to formulate the relationship between the economic affordability of food and the average monthly wage in the country, as well as arrears in its payment. The methodic of work is based on the usage of a correlation-regression analysis of the statistical information that reflects the structure of total household income in Ukraine, which made it possible to calculate the degree of influence of factors of the correlation model on the availability of food for the population. The results of the study indicate a significant stratification of the population in terms of purchasing power. The degree of dependence between the economic availability of food and the average monthly salary in the country, as well as the amount of arrears in its payment, which confirms the need for the government to create a sustainable system of social standards for the population, providing an adequate level of purchasing power, is established.

МОНІТОРИНГ СУЧАСНОГО СТАНУ МІЖРЕГІОНАЛЬНИХ ДИСПРОПОРЦІЙ РОЗВИТКУ

Formulation of the problem. In order to determine the current state of socio-economic development of the regions, the administrative-territorial structure of the country is considered in the regional section. The aim of the research is to analyze the scale of disproportions in the socio-economic development of the country's regions. The object of the research is the current state of development of the regions of Ukraine and the process of identifying regional development disproportions. The hypothesis of the research is the assumption that in recent years in Ukraine and in most of its regions, the developmental imbalance that is characterized by a significant demographic crisis, interregional economic and social disparities deepens. The statement of basic materials. The result of the significant differentiation of the country's socio-economic space is the varying capacity of the regions to ensure local development: there is an intensification of the differentiation of regions according to indicators such as the gross regional product, the income of the population, the average monthly wage, the scope of which varies by regions per capita reaches almost twice the size, and the unemployment rate in regions with a depressed state of development is 3 times more than in developed countries. The originality and practical significance of the research. The analysis of the share of regions in the total volume of the main macroeconomic indicators - net profit of enterprises, volumes of export, import, capital investments, retail turnover of enterprises is made. It has been determined that developed regions such as the metropolitan region, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions occupy 10.0-40.0% of the total, while the backward regions – Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Kirovograd regions occupy almost 3.0% on these indicators. The same trends of spatial development can be traced to the fullness of regional budgets. Conclusions of the research. After the budget regulation, the ranking of regions for budget security varies significantly. If the Kharkiv region took the sixth place before the transfers, then after granting it - the nineteenth, Odesa region moved from the fifth place to the seventeenth, Nikolayev region from the ninth to the eighteenth. Conversely, such areas as Sumy, Zhytomyr and Volyn changed the rating from the eleventh fifth, from fifteenth to tenth, from the seventeenth to ninth, respectively. This situation does not give grounds for expanding its own tax base, to create favorable conditions for the development of the region's economy and, therefore, there is the effect of artificial subsidization of economically developed regions.

Spatial Polarity and Spatial Polarization in the Context of Supranational and National Scales: Regions of Visegrad Countries After Their Accession to the EU

The paper focuses on the evaluation of some aspects of the spatial organization of economic development of regions in the V4 countries after their accession to the EU. It focuses on the confirmation or confutation of the application of two principles of spatial organization based on the context of polarization theories, namely the polarity between western and eastern regions (i.e. the West– East gradient) and the polarity between the capital and other regions of the country (i.e. the national metropolitan gradient) at national and supranational levels. In the evaluation of the spatial polarity, the remoteness of various regions of the V4 countries from the economic core area (the Blue Banana, respectively the capital of the country) acts as the independent variable, whereby two economic indicators, i.e. the average monthly wage and the unemployment rate were chosen as the dependent variables. The analysis showed that on the supranational scale of the research in the monitored period, the increase of spatial polarisation was recorded. The increasing role of the West–East gradient and declining role of the national metropolitan gradient in the dynamics of spatial polarity has also been confirmed. The analysis has not confirmed the scale shift of polarity according to the West–East gradient to the national level, but at the same time it has pointed out the significant influence of the national metropolitan gradient in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary at this assessment level.

Comparative Analysis of Average Monthly Real Pay of Corporate Employees in Irkutsk Oblast in Terms of Types of Economic Activity

The rate of salary and remuneration as monetary compensation for labour depends on many factors that can be combined into the following groups: territorial, organizational and legal, gender, professional and educational, etc. The article examines the dependence of the average monthly real wage on the type of economic activity. In addition, the authors study the dynamics and degree of variation of the average monthly real wages in terms of types of economic activity in Irkutsk Oblast. Having analyzed the real average monthly wages by types of economic activity, the authors categorized them into several groups according to their scale.

Spatial polarity and spatial polarization in the context of supranational and national scales: regions of Visegrad countries after their accession to the EU

Abstract The paper focuses on the evaluation of some aspects of the spatial organization of economic development of regions in the V4 countries after their accession to the EU. It focuses on the confirmation or confutation of the application of two principles of spatial organization based on the context of polarization theories, namely the polarity between western and eastern regions (i.e. the West–East gradient) and the polarity between the capital and other regions of the country (i.e. the national metropolitan gradient) at national and supranational levels. In the evaluation of the spatial polarity, the remoteness of various regions of the V4 countries from the economic core area (the Blue Banana, respectively the capital of the country) acts as the independent variable, whereby two economic indicators, i.e. the average monthly wage and the unemployment rate were chosen as the dependent variables. The analysis showed that on the supranational scale of the research in the monitored period, the increase of spatial polarisation was recorded. The increasing role of the West–East gradient and declining role of the national metropolitan gradient in the dynamics of spatial polarity has also been confirmed. The analysis has not confirmed the scale shift of polarity according to the West–East gradient to the national level, but at the same time it has pointed out the significant influence of the national metropolitan gradient in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary at this assessment level.

POVERTY IN RUSSIA: KEY APPROACHES TO ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT

The paper presents the results of the study, which was aimed at comparative statistical analysis of the main indicators of poverty of different socio-demographic groups of the population to identify patterns and characteristics of poverty in Russia. The information base of the study was the data of the Federal State Statistics Service, in particular the materials of the statistical Bulletin "Socio-economic indicators of poverty in 2013–2016". The statistical poverty assessment, presented by the author is carried out within the framework of the absolute concept of poverty, taking into account its main criterion – the size of the subsistence minimum. Data from the sample household budget survey (HBS) in 2016 allowed for a subjective approach to poverty assessment and a study of opinions of the Russian people on their own financial situation. The use of statistical data of the Federal State Statistics Service revealed the reduction of poverty by 2,1 times (from 29% to 13,5%) for the period from 2000 to 2016 and the excess of the average per capita income and average monthly wage of the subsistence minimum by more than 3,0 times. However, all this does not indicate the general welfare of the country's citizens. The directive-based subsistence minimum as a standard of consumption is highly underestimated and does not meet the most important needs of the modern man. The results of the sociological survey of household budgets confirm the social stratification of society: more than 86% of Russians consider themselves poor. Based on the comparative characteristics of the poverty level in the regions of the Russian Federation, regions with the level of poverty below, at and above the average Russian level are identified. 63,5% of regions are characterized by the level of poverty that exceeds the average Russian level, which proves the severity of poverty and socio-economic inequality in the country. The results of the study allowed determining the characteristics of poverty in Russia. First, the existence and social (children, youth, pensioners) and economic poverty of the working population (employees of the public sector). Second, interregional differences and high spatial differentiation of the level of poverty in the context of the regions of the Russian Federation. In the current situation, solving the problems of poverty in Russia and overcoming social inequality should be a priority of the government's domestic socio-economic policy.