In the entire history of mankind, from the most ancient empires and the emergence of political and economic institutions to modern society, information about the situation of the population is of paramount importance. It reflects the level of development of the state.
New time - new concepts
The development of modern society was accompanied by the emergence of socio-economic institutions. At the same time, the system for analyzing the standard of living was improved. Over time, exclusively physiological needs were relegated to the background, and the area of satisfying the general needs of the population came to the fore. By the end of the 19th century, the socio-demographic profile of the planet had changed significantly, the productivity and education of people had sharply increased. All this led to the emergence of qualitatively new needs in assessing the living conditions of the population. It was time for large-scale wars and technological breakthroughs. During this period, the assessment of social status was of increasing economic and political importance. With the advent of new statistical, sociological, mathematical methods, the concept of "standard of living" has reached a new level.
Basic social norms
Today they include:
- Minimum salary and disability benefits (temporary), unemployment compensation for able-bodied citizens, social and labor pensions for the disabled, the disabled, the elderly.
- Scholarships for students, one-time or regular payments to low-income categories of the population.
In combination, they form a system of minimum social guarantees. Their provision is the responsibility of the state. The population has the right to receive a minimum wage, a labor pension, insurance benefits, including benefits for sickness, unemployment, child care, pregnancy and childbirth, and so on, as well as necessary free services in the field of culture, he alth and education. The core of the social policy of the state is the living wage. It is with him that all other social guarantees and standards should interact.
Expense and income items: general information, classification
The formation of articles and their subsequent comparison is of great importance for the effective management of any economy. Based on the results obtained, a conclusion is made about how profitable and useful the activity is, and what changes need to be made to improveprovisions. In accordance with the degree of satisfaction of needs, they distinguish:
- Minimum consumer budget. It is compiled according to the indicators of essential needs.
- Rational budget. When compiling it, not real expenses and incomes are taken, but indicators derived from scientifically based ideas about needs and distribution norms. This budget allows you to set the deviation of real consumption. It acts as a guide that indicates how the distribution of essential commodities "ideally" should be.
- Elite budget. It is designed for high income groups.
The minimum consumer budget is widely used. It consists, as a rule, of those who run the household. For example, the minimum consumer budget for a family of 4 is a table. One part of it shows all the income that was received for a specific period, and the other part shows expenses for the same time. In another way, an average budget is compiled. In this case, income and expenses are average for the country. This takes into account the consumer basket. Both the minimum consumer budget, and the average, and the real are compiled in accordance with the statistical data obtained in the course of special studies of income and expenses. As a rule, the study is carried out once a quarter. The minimum consumer budget of the Russian Federation is compiled according to statistical studies in cities with a population of more than one hundredthousand, in 32 small and medium-sized settlements, 58 rural areas. In total, about five thousand households are being studied.
Calculation of the minimum consumer budget
The following methods are used in determining indicators:
- Normative. In this case, the norms for the consumption of services and goods, as well as their actual cost, are taken as the basis.
- Statistical. Using this method, the minimum consumer budget is compiled based on the income that the population actually has at their disposal.
- Combined. In this case, food allowances and actual expenses for other items are taken into account.
- Subjective. This method is based on public opinion and a survey of experts.
- Resource. The minimum consumer budget in this case is drawn up in accordance with the state's ability to provide citizens with the satisfaction of essential needs.
Expenditure and income items can be formed not only for certain groups of the population, but also for certain regions of the country.
Minimum consumer budget in Russia
Each period is characterized by one or another level of material security, in which the process of reproduction of the labor force and the population will proceed normally. When compiling expenditure and income items, they may include various services and goods. What is included in the minimum consumer budget is considered essentials, through which the most important needs can be met. In particular, they include shoes, underwear, productsfood, clothing, sanitary supplies, medicines and so on. The size of the minimum consumer budget depends on the level at which the country's productive forces are located. In most cases, the preparation of articles is carried out by multiplying the norms and norms by the retail value. If they are absent, then indirect data are taken as the basis. The basis on which the domestic system of material security stands is the minimum consumer budget and the living wage. The differences between them are in the valuation of the structure and volumes of distribution of products. The concept of a minimum consumer budget provides, among other things, accounting for expenses for certain spiritual needs. In general, it includes the costs of a wider range of services and goods. Therefore, the size of the minimum consumer budget is 3-4 times larger.
Socio-economic situation of the population
The gradual transition from "average citizens" to the household was of great importance in characterizing the standard of living. It has become the central object of all social research. This was facilitated by the adoption in 1992 of the methodology of the national system of accounts. In it, the population was for the first time defined as a full-fledged subject of macroeconomic constructions. To obtain a reasonable assessment of the socio-economic level, it is necessary to take into account that the minimum consumer budget is associated with the category of a certainincome-property and socio-demographic development. Today, attention and requirements for the security of the population have increased significantly.
Situation Analysis
Assessment of the standard of living is carried out for the municipality as a whole. This takes into account:
- Accumulated property.
- Standards for the quality of life adopted by society regarding income assessment.
- Cash savings.
- Spending and consumption of the population.
- Provision with objects of culture, trade, housing and communal services, art, communications, transport, consumer services, education, he althcare and so on.
- Protection status for vulnerable groups.
- Consumption of non-food products.
The scoring system uses indicators:
- Average salary.
- Living wage for certain demographics.
- Purchasing power since cf. salary and pension.
- Minimum consumer budget for certain demographic categories of the population.
- Money expenditures and incomes of the main groups of citizens.
- Numbers and shares of citizens whose average per capita income is less than the physiological (living) minimum and the minimum consumer budget.
- Distribution of food by households with different incomes.
The most important indicator
It is the living wage. The interpretation of this definition is given in the Methodological Provisions of Statistics. Its indicator, which is based on the minimum consumerthe budget is associated with the category of social guarantees of the state. It expresses the physiological needs of a person of prime necessity. The living wage determines the level of consumption of services and goods that is considered sufficient to ensure a normal life.
Scope of application
The living wage, in addition to being associated with the system of state social guarantees, is used in determining the poverty threshold, acts as the basis for establishing and differentiating wages, pensions, various benefits and compensations. It is used when calculating benefits for needy citizens.
Relationship of elements
Determination of the subsistence minimum, as mentioned above, is carried out using indicators of the minimum consumer budget. In this case, the level of income is taken into account, which allows satisfying the needs of a person in accordance with physiological norms. They, in turn, must cover the energy costs of the body for the development and growth of children, the life of adults, maintaining he alth in old age, and the cost of other services and essential goods. The minimum consumer budget is set depending on the age, gender and location and permanent activity of a person. Its amount is periodically reviewed in accordance with price dynamics. To determine it, the cost of the consumer basket is of great importance.
Basic Standards
The product set is installed inaccording to the minimum intake by the Institute of Nutrition with the participation of WHO. The minimum basket is differentiated by 8 natural and climatic zones. The division of the territory was carried out in accordance with a quantitative assessment of the factors that determine the cultural and material needs of the population, depending on the conditions in which the population lives. Norms for non-food goods and services, as well as mandatory payments, are set according to the share of expenses of low-income families. The materials of the study of the structure of expenditures of the 10% of the population with the lowest income serve as an information base.
Welfare Assessment
To form favorable conditions for reproduction, it is necessary not only to effectively manage the household, but also to correctly plan the minimum consumer budget. Families of 4 can have the following incomes:
- Salary.
- Property income.
- Entrepreneurial profits.
- Government subsidies (pension, allowance, scholarship, free services).
- Receipts from other sources (inheritance, for example).
The following items may be included in the expenditure part:
- Taxes.
- Social Security.
- Food.
- Rent, utilities.
- Shoes and clothes.
- Household appliances.
- Furniture.
- Transport.
- Entertainment.
- Education.
- Savings.
- Travel.
- Industrial goods.
- Other expenses.
Wages and commercial profits have the largest income among incomes in most families. Usually they determine the well-being of the family. Property income is next in importance. It can be rent, rent, dividends, interest, and so on. As for spending, the first place in them is occupied by spending on food. In families whose income is below the minimum, they make up about 60-90%, and in high-income families - 42%. In the US, for comparison, the figure is at the level of 25.4%, in Japan - 25-30%. According to studies conducted by American experts, the volume of domestic consumption at the beginning of the 90s. amounted to 34.4% of the level in America, for clothing - 39%, and for products - 54%. When making a budget, it should be taken into account that many expenses are completely unreasonable. For example, domestic economists found that by the beginning of the 90s, about 15-20% of bakery products were thrown away. After the rise in prices, the population began to treat them more carefully. As for other products (meat, milk), the average family loses about 4-12% of their total income through their own fault.
Set Norms
The concept of "consumer basket" was first introduced in 1992 by Presidential Decree. Then it was assumed that this was a temporary measure during the crisis. When establishing the basket, it was assumed that the population has somefood stocks, farming. The federal law governing its compilation was adopted in March 2006. According to the act, the share of meat and fish products, milk, eggs, sugar and fruits was increased in the basket. At the same time, the consumption of potatoes and bread was reduced. According to Dr. Baturin, the basket is not meant to be eaten this way. It is only an economic standard, which shows that with a minimum consumer budget, it is possible to compose a daily diet that is normal for medical reasons, within which a he althy state can be fully ensured.
In closing
The main goal of any modern society is to improve the lives of the population. The state must provide favorable conditions for a he althy, safe, long and prosperous life. This is possible only in the case of creating socio-economic stability in society. The standards adopted abroad are significantly different from domestic ones. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that less than half of income is spent on food in developed countries. Most of them are used to pay for utilities and housing. As for the Russian consumer basket, it is also fundamentally different from the Western one. On its basis, the minimum wage and benefits are established. The minimum consumer budget is also far from ideal. The fact is that it depends on many indicators - the same basket, minimum wage, and so on.
