Consolidation of the subjects of the Russian Federation as an element of economic development

Abstract

The discussion on the optimality of the currently existing structure of the subjects of the Russian Federation is illustrating the contradictions that have been accumulated in the dominion form of government of our country in recent years. In this paper, we attempt to assess the impact of past enlargements, which are considered as a part of the process called modernization of the country as a whole. A system of criteria for the process of consolidating and enlarging the regions was elaborated. The main criterion proposed is the quality of life in the enlarged regions. Diagnostics of the state, as well as the estimated dynamics of the socio-demographic security of the individual subjects of the Russian Federation, members of the Siberian Federal District in the period 2000-2009, was done. An integrated assessment of the socio-demographic security in the discussed subjects on the basis of estimates was obtained for the six indicative blocks: reproduction of the population, health status, level of life and material well-being of the population, quality of life, migration flows and indicators of age-sex and marriage-family structure.