The article presents the results of the research of development trends of the Russian Federation subjects for 2000-2012. The analysis is based on the methodology, developed in the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. The basis of the analysis was set not with formal estimation of the situation in the regions, but via the characteristic of the situation, developing within their borders from the position of potential investors and the provision of qualified specialists. The research has been undertaken within three years. The research made it possible to define 4 groups of the Russian Federation subjects, which within 12 years steadily include subgroups of regions with ascending, descending trends, and regions without the certain trend of the situation changes. It proves the necessity to distinguish the development of regional economy and process their growth. The second conclusion is the limited meaning of the rating estimations, not allowing to make definite management decisions. The third conclusion is the necessity of perfection of the state regional policy on the basis of typification of the Russian Federation subjects, basing not only on the levels of their socio-economic development, but as well on the exciting factors of this development.

This article presents an evolution of theoretical and methodological approaches to the welfare study. Existing theories of wellbeing are grouped according to accounted method of goods and resources distribution among society members. As a welfare future as a category we highlight objective (measured) and subjective (estimated) components. Based on the analysis of scientific literature we determine the ratio of individual and social welfare. The main differences between the categories of “ welfare” and “wealth” are given. The main difference consists in multidirectional changes of welfare and wealth for an increase (decrease) in income of the individual (country). In this article we present an analysis of modern approaches to the definition of welfare: state, institutional and expendable approach. The welfare level estimation is complicated due to the need to consider the subjective component. The article provides an analysis of existing approaches to quantitative welfare evaluation ranging from the most common techniques (HDI, GDP) to alternative techniques (Happy Planet Index).Methodological devices are structured by levels of welfare assessment objects (world, country, region, people). Based on the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of methods we can conclude that the most reliable method is a comprehensive approach, which includes economic, environmental, social, vital and infrastructure indicators. The author’s approach to the formation of a complex methodological tool for individual and territory welfare estimation is presented in this article.

In the article with the help of two-sector model of the economic system, the interaction of national and regional economy is investigated. This interaction is observed from the position of development of material structure and institutions. As the key structural parameter of an economy, the proportion between sector of excess resources and sector of scarce resources is taken. The situation when sector of excess resources prevails over sector of scarce resources forms structural conditions for the creation of the market institutions. If a sector of excess resources is smaller than a sector of scarce resources, the conditions for the emergence of institutions of government regulation are formed. Two cases are analyzed: the first one concerns the situation of a simple national economy consisting of 2 provisory regions. The second is the case of the national economy consisting of many regions. The authors show that material structure of a total combination of regions defines institutions of the market or state regulation for the national economy as a whole. The institutions formed at the level of the national economy, can support or resist the development of structure of the region. The conditions are observed under which united institutions of the national economy contradict a development of structure of the individual region.

Abstract. Economic policy of extreme neoliberalism, having been held in Russia for more than twenty years, has led to the present stagnation of socio-economic development of the country. Its concentrated expression has resulted in a rapid deterioration of the budgetary system, especially at the regional level. In the next three-year budget cycle (2014–2016) a great number of Russian regions will be with the deficit and debt load on the verge of bankruptcy. The Russian government doesn’t take any action to prevent crisis processes. On the contrary, the Ministry of Finance, as the conductor of rigid conservative policy, in a less degree is interested in making regionally oriented decisions. Trying to shift the blame for what is happening in the public sector to the regional authorities, the Minister of Finance has offered to the President to dismiss regional governors who have chronic debts. However, this is unlikely to solve the debt problem, because at the present time, the regions have more expenditure commitments than resources for their providing. On the basis of the analysis of the situation in the field of subnational finance, the authors have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to change the approaches to fiscal policy in the system of regional regulation and offer a number of measures in this direction.

The article considers the modern tendencies and prospects of development of global integration in the global economic environment. It is shown that post-socialist transformation do not fit the classic model of transformational crossings, as have other stages, different specific hierarchy of procedural and structural factors are mixed, implement simultaneous transformations in various fields, save the importance of powerful items, stimulate the emergence of complex conflicts. Great attention is paid to the peculiarities of integration processes in Europe, in North America, the Asia-Pacific region. On the example of the European Union (EU), the North American free trade agreement (NAFTA), the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation (APEC), which are the centers of global integration, which focused on large-scale economic, financial, scientific-technological and human resources, by their importance comparable to their political, military-strategic values, analyzed the stages of formation and development of the integration of the unions further directions of their strategic development.

Socio-economic contradictions have become the key obstacles in the transition of contemporary Russian society to a new model of development, which is to replace the obsolete “gas and oil” one. The novel model involves social consolidation to form a civil Russian nation. On the base of statistical analysis, the author’s empirical data (mass all-Russian and regional focus group inquiries) confirm that the social inequality between the rich and the poor has reached extreme critical values making them a disfactor of national integrity. If the gap does not decrease, the Russian society will experience serious difficulties. A number of indicators show that social inequality is caused by inefficient ruling system. Despite positive changes in the quality of life and living standards, the inertia of the social ties destruction and anomie still continue. The transition of the socio-economic system to a new model of reproduction supposes that the values of justice, gradualness, and continuity will be supported by the majority of the population.

In the article, the problem of the expanded characteristic of human development is solved regarding ecological indicators of such characteristic. The ecological characteristic of human development, or quality of the population, is understood as the relation of the population to environment and its resources. For a quantitative assessment of this relation, ten indicators are offered. We took into account the possibility of their assessment in a regional section on a base of official statistics. As an example, the five regions, different in level and nature of economic development, are considered: Kursk, Pskov, Sverdlovsk, Yaroslavl regions and Krasnoyarsk Krai. Initial hypotheses concerning estimates of an ecological subindex of human development index are formulated. They were confirmed only partially. The attention to difference between ecological characteristics of quality of the population and ecological characteristics of quality of life of the population is paid.

The hypothesis about new type’s integration processes in the world economy is made, the essence and distinctive peculiarities of these processes are determined. By the proposed groups of parameters, the comparative analysis of international economic integration (IEI) within traditional integration processes (EU, NAFTA) and those of new type (SCO, BRIC(S)) is carried out. The technique of estimation of influence of international economic integration on development of a country’s region is worked out, and the estimation of influence of international economic integration on socio-economic development of Sverdlovsk region is carried out.The movement of goods, services and factors of production (capital, work force) between the region and the integration associations of traditional type and the groups of countries arisen in terms of forming integration processes of new type is analyzed. It is shown that the one of the tendencies in development of international economic integration of Sverdlovsk region during the last 12 years has been the increasing role and importance of new integration groups of countries. It is revealed that the purposeful account of this tendency can provide quantitative and qualitative shifts in external trade, foreign investments and labor migration of the region, related on the change of direction of flows: from the receivers of high-technological goods, capital, specialists from developed countries — to the supplier of manufactured goods, investments and high-qualified work force into countries of SCO and BIRC(S), what is one of the factors of providing economic safety of the region.

The assessment of urban population’s life quality implies an investigation of all factors defining it: economic, social and ecological. The development of the corresponding indicators of sustainable urban development is necessary. The majority of the cities in the world and this country show unsustainable development at present time. In the article, the world and Russian experience of development of indicators of sustainable urban development is considered. In the article, opportunities of adaptation of approaches to these indicators’ development on the basis of Human Development Index developed by United Nations Development Program and an index of Adjusted Net Savings of the World Bank for Russia are considered. The authors propose a new integrated index of sustainability for Russian cities. It is based on the concept and methodology of the Adjusted Net Savings index. In order to evaluate the sustainability of urban development taking into account economic, social, and ecological factors, the authors propose applying three corresponding sub-indexes: gross capital, expenses on human capital development, and damage from environmental pollution in the cities. In the article, the authors’ set of indicators for Russian cities is proposed. It reflects the most acute problems of sustainable urban development in Russia and the quality of life in cities; also it corresponds to Russian statistics. 21 key indicators reflecting important economic, social, and ecological urban priorities are proposed. Indicators are divided into nine groups: economic indicators; energy efficiency; transport; social and institutional indicators; air and climate; water resources; waste; especially protected natural territories; noise influence. Proposed indicators for cities allow more adequately assess trends of urbanized space shaping and quality of life.

In the article, relevant problems of social and professional health of teachers of the Ural higher education institutions are analyzed. The author recognizes that the higher education is created as an interaction between participants of educational process, each of which at the same time acts both as the subject pursuing the valid aims, and as object of orientation for other individuals of the environment of the immediate environment. On the basis of statistical data, the author shows that in socio-economic behavior of the vast majority of students of the Ural higher education institutions are inherent as common features of deviant subculture of youth (addiction to alcohol and drugs, violence manifestations, prostitution etc.), and special, connected with educational process (admissions of occupations, use of cribs, plagiarism when performing term papers, diplomas, roughness and tactlessness in relation to teachers, etc.). According to the author, the dominating deviant feautre of modern students — insufficiently developed diligence and unavailability to overcoming difficulties. Development of professional and personal qualities and competences of the expert assumes updating of motivation of students, their active adaptation to educational process, increase of their responsibility for assimilation of the training program and the social behavior accompanying it. The author assume that developen negative social well-being of professional group of teachers of the higher school is determined by low prestige of this profession in society, sharp differentiation of compensation on regions, an ambiguity of the purposes of reforming of the higher school, complication and ambiguity of their professional roles. Conclusions and offers of the article are based on results of a number of the complex sociological researche, which have been carried out in 2010-2013 in higher education institutions and comprehensive schools of Ural under the scientific management and with direct participation of the author.

Theoretical and methodical reasons for allocation of components of life quality with the particular importance of population quality, including demographic (reproduction) potential are provided in the article. The integrated indicators of population quality in Ural federal district regions were calculated and analyzed in dynamics, basing on an author’s technique of integrated index estimation of population quality. Advantages of use the integrated index of population quality (IIKN) before the human development index (HDI) caused by inclusion in it the major demographic indicators in regional estimates are proved. Peculiarities of HDI and IIKN dynamics in Russia regions for the last decade are demonstrated; their value for efficiency evaluation of realizing state programs in the social and demographic sphere is shown.

After enlargement of