Content №2 от 2017
Fertility in the Regions ofRussia: Convergence or Divergence
The article examines changes in fertility that took place in the regions and federal districts of Russia between 1990 and 2014. To estimate the changes, we used the b-convergence and the s-convergence. Over the period under review, differences at the regional level increased and then decreased again due to the socio-economic peculiarities of Russia's development. At the federal districts level, the overall situation was similar except for less variation. There were no significant convergence models for the Ural and Siberian federal districts; the regions of the Northwestern and Volga federal districts were diverging; in other federal districts, the regions were converging. Although demographic policies greatly affected population behavior, we recognize a need for additional measures aimed at reducing differences between regions because of «clubs» of regions forming on fertility basis, which may have a negative impact on the socio-economic development of Russia. The article concludes with recommendations concerning the state demographic policy, namely for developing measures meant to change reproductive intentions in low-fertility regions.
