Current issues of territories’ development and the goals of economics

The article highlights the main issues concerning the formation of local self-government institution in Russia. It reveals the major negative trends in the socio-economic development of municipal entities that indicate the complexity of the consequences of socio-economic and socio-political transformation taking place in Russian society. Furthermore, the article substantiates the necessity of providing scientific-methodological support to the management of socio-economic processes. It also defines the tasks of the regional economics concerning the issues of territories’ development.