Small towns of Russia: expert dimension of state policy

The article based on the results of a field sociological study conducted by the Center for Regional Sociology of the Federal Scientific Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in July-August 2019 in 8 federal districts of the Russian Federation, provides expert assessments on the role and factors of life in small towns in Russian regions. Estimates are made in the aspect of the state policy of spatial development of the country. The article arguments possibilities and barriers for the implementation of such an effective policy in the interests of the most residents of small towns. The conclusions show the limitations of a restricted economic approach to the future of small towns, the need to strengthen their role in the production and reproduction of all-Russian values, strengthening the sovereign national security and stability of the country.