Content №3 от 2020
Multidimensional poverty assessment based on sociological survey of rural population in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
In this article, the authors are the first to test methods of multidimensional poverty assessment in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) based on a representative sociological survey of the rural population. The methods include social exclusion index and assessment of material deprivations. The SEI methodology used by Rosstat has been adapted to the conditions of the northern region in question. Based on an expert survey and an analysis of Arctic Social Indicators being under development since 2006, we select 10 replacement variables that reflect particular living habits of the studied social group. The results are then compared with the data of Rosstat’s federal sample observations available for the rural population in Yakutia.
Among key factors of social exclusion and material deprivation of the rural population are the following: severely worn infrastructure, hardly accessible and low-quality social services, underdeveloped public amenities in residential housing, transport and digital isolation. An assessment of the respondents’ total income confirms that rural households heavily depend on employment in social welfare institutions, public assistance, and pensions, as well as on private subsidiary farms and traditional economic activities (hunting, fishing, and gathering). It is proved that the use of non-monetary methods, despite some methodological imperfections, allows allocating poverty risks under various socio-economic and demographic groups. The share of rural households with substandard income is 55%, which is 2.7 times higher than the average in Yakutia. This is confirmed by subjective (50.3% of respondents) and relative (62%) poverty lines. In addition to updating the existing list of indicators, improved non-monetary poverty assessment methodology in Russia should also incorporate regional aspects.
Gavril’eva T. N. tuyara@list.ru
