The Study of Standard of Living in Russia’s Small Towns

The paper studies the standards of living in small towns of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The logic of the research implies sequential analysis of the small towns groupped by the population size according to nominal and real incomes of the population, subsistence rates, regional minimum wages and pensions, what enabled the authors to make conclusions about the standard of living by comparing small towns' indicators with those of Russia's constituent entities. The paper performs a comparative analysis of the principal indicators of the standard of living in three entities of the Russian Federation, namely Vladimir and Tula oblasts and Perm kray, selected on the basis of displayed differences in economic potential, dynamics and level of socioeconomic development, specialisation. The number of small towns in these regions is comparable (18 towns in Vladimir oblast and Perm kray, and 13 towns in Tula oblast); each has small towns both with stable socioeconomic situation and with sad state of affairs in socioeconomic sphere. As a result of the study, the authors put forward suggestions on how to improve the government policy at regional and municipal level in relation to the standard of living in small towns.