Analysis of approaches to assessing living standards of population

Relevance. The need to significantly improve living standards of population in the regions of the Russian Federation. This task is defined in a number of strategic development documents at the federal level and has been repeatedly outlined in the studies of domestic scientists. Moreover, foreign economists are actively engaged in its solution in relation to their own territories. However, the complexity and multidimensionality of the concept of "standard of living" leads to the fact that contradictions are observed not only at the conceptual level, but also with regard to the methods of measuring this indicator. Aim. To analyse the existing approaches to assessing the standard of living of the population for further selection of the most appropriate or development of our own approach. Method. Comparison of various domestic and foreign approaches, including the analysis of the indicators used. Results. Show that several key methods of assessing the standard of living of the population can be distinguished. These include, first of all, various assessments of the population finances, including the analysis of the amount of income, expenditures, poverty and inequality. Indirect characteristics describing macroeconomic parameters of development of regions and countries are also used, and in some cases – alternative metrics. A separate group consists of methods based on population surveys and expert assessments. At the same time, the most promising direction is the formation of comprehensive indicators that take into account various components of the standard of living. The prospects for further research lie in development of an approach that would allow not only comprehensively assessing the current standard of living in Russian regions, but also analyzing the feasibility of implementing a particular government policy in this area.