ASSESSMENT OF CONSUMER BUDGETS OF THE WORKING POPULATION OF THE REGION

Abstract

Differentiation of the population in terms of income and well-being leads to social polarization of society, inequality and the stay of a part of the population in the category of poverty. Social policy (federal, regional levels) is designed to ensure a decent standard of living for the population, regardless of which region of the country they live in. For this, such regulatory instruments as the minimum wage, the living wage, and the system of consumer budgets are used. The authors of the article, using the named tools within the framework of the ongoing study, set the goal: to assess the consumer budgets of the working population (subsistence minimum budget; socially acceptable consumer budget) and test this technique in relation to the working population of the Chelyabinsk region. As a result of the study and calculation of the subsistence minimum budget, it was revealed that it exceeds the minimum consumer budget, while ensuring a simple reproduction of the labor force. It is substantiated that the subsistence minimum budget shows the poverty line of the population, below which the full development of a person and the population is impossible. The calculation of the value of the socially acceptable consumer budget showed the possibility of expanding the reproduction of the labor force and ensuring prosperity to meet material needs and develop people. The results obtained by the authors can be used as a rationale for making decisions on the wages of the working population of the region, the level of prices and tariff s, benefits and subsidies to the poorest segments of the population. Taking into account the results obtained will make it possible to activate the mechanism for coordinating positions on this issue within the framework of partnership between state authorities (including regional ones), employers and trade unions representing the interests of workers.