CONTEMPORARY POVERTY IN RUSSIA: ASSESSMENT METHODS, REGIONAL DIFFERENCES AND ALLEVIATION MECHANISMS
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Author(s): | Motylkov A. A., Shapiro S. A., |
| Number of journal: | 2(75) | Date: | June 2026 |
| Annotation: | Contemporary poverty in Russia persists as a structural constraint on population reproduction, employment, and territorial development, despite the official poverty indicator having declined in recent years. This study examines poverty not as a deviation of income from a fixed threshold, but as the result of the combined effects of statistical methodology, labor market parameters, family burden, and regional differences in living conditions. The aim of the study is to identify the relationship between the current poverty measurement model, interregional differentiation in poverty levels, and the distribution of poverty risk among key social groups. The methodological framework utilizes comparative, analytical, and regional approaches. The empirical base is comprised of Rosstat data, the results of Russian studies on absolute, relative, and multidimensional poverty, as well as publications on targeted social assistance, employed poverty, and the situation of families with children. The analysis revealed that a reduction in the official poverty level does not eliminate persistent risk groups. These include the working poor, families with children, and regions with a longstanding concentration of poverty. It has been established that the income criterion alone distorts the true depth of poverty, and uniform support measures produce uneven results in areas with different employment structures, costs of living, and access to services. The study highlights another key element of the problem. Households with similar incomes find themselves in different situations due to the number of dependents, the employment status of adult family members, and the quality of local social infrastructure. The study substantiates the need to integrate income support, labor income regulation, family policy, and regionally differentiated poverty alleviation mechanisms. | ||
| Keywords: | poverty, poverty line, absolute poverty, relative poverty, multidimensional poverty, working poor, families with children, regional differentiation, targeted social support, labor income, social transfers, social policy |
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| For citation: | Shapiro S. A., Motylkov A. A. Contemporary poverty in Russia: assessment methods, regional differences and alleviation mechanisms. Biznes. Obrazovanie. Pravo = Business. Education. Law. 2026;2(75):138—146. DOI: 10.25683/ VOLBI.2026.75.1625. |
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