Some aspects of the standard of living of the population of Russian regions during the perestroika period

The article is devoted to the analysis of the problems associated with the formation of incomes of the Russian population, their level and dynamics during the period of market transformations. Various opinions of researchers and the main approaches to the interpretation and content of the concept of “income” are presented. It is noted that household income, which gives them the opportunity to purchase the necessary goods and services, today can be considered as the most important indicators of the standard of living. At the same time, the use of only monetary income for the assessment may give too high an indicator of income differentiation in society, which is not entirely consistent with reality. The level and dynamics of income indicators of the Russian population in the regional context from the 1990s to the beginning of 2000 are considered, and their comparative analysis is also carried out. The author notes that the processes of the formation and development of market structures in Russia were accompanied by a decrease in the standard of living of the country’s population, an increase in interregional differences in terms of income indicators. The main reasons for the uneven development of regions and their economic backwardness are given. The main problems of the development of the subjects of the Southern Federal District for the period under consideration have been identified. It is noted that in a difficult economic environment, the activity of households begins to intensify, the condition and their livelihoods of which had to be considered not only as existence in a market economy, but also as survival in an economic crisis.