MECHANISMS FOR SOLVING DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL TERRITORIES

Abstract

An urgent problem of social and economic development of the regions of the Russian Federation is a steady process of depopulation, which is especially acute in rural areas. Thus, the results of a study of the interdependence of the demographic situation, social and economic situation, quality of life and the state of the environment indicate stable negative trends in the regions of Volga Federal District. The assessment of integral indicators for economic, social, environmental and demographic blocks, each of which is represented by official state statistics, made it possible to assess the degree of their differentiation between the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the causal relationships between them. To classify the regions of Volga Federal District, a hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out using the full connection method, which made it possible to combine them into 3 relatively homogeneous clusters and obtain characteristics for the main blocks - elements of sustainable development. The cluster with a high level of development included 4 regions - the Republic of Tatarstan, Perm Territory, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara regions. The cluster with an average level is represented by 4 subjects of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Mari El, the Chuvash Republic and the Orenburg region. The regions of 3 clusters have a low level of development, namely the Republic of Mordovia, the Udmurt Republic, the Kirov, Penza, Saratov and Ulyanovsk regions. According to the results of a comparative analysis, both in terms of average indicators of clusters and in individual regions, it is stated that the demographic situation in almost all subjects of Volga Federal District on average for 2019-2021 was unfavorable, the actual indicators significantly exceed the maximum critical values of demographic security. The study of the demographics of the municipalities of the Republic of Mordovia, one of the most crisis regions of Volga Federal District, testifies to an even deeper differentiation of the demographic state, requiring government decisions. This, in turn, is associated with the formation and implementation of an ecistic policy in the regions with the general goal of saving people, especially in peripheral rural areas with a demographic crisis and a low level of economic and social development. It is argued that a regular spatial analysis of the demographic situation is necessary when predicting the social and economic development of regions and municipalities in the long and medium term, as well as when assessing the activities of state regional and municipal authorities.