Statistics of interregional differences and the status of budgetary system of the Russian Federation

The purpose of the article is to assess the status and develop measures of state policy to overcome consistently interregional differences in the level and quality of life of the population based on promoting the independence of regional and local authorities of the Russian Federation. The applied purpose of the work is to determine the optimal values of the distribution of revenues of the consolidated budget of the Russian Federation at the levels of the budget system as a financial condition of the solvency of the subnational authorities. According to the provisions of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 07.05.2018 No. 204 “On National Goals and Strategic Objectives of Development of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2024” the range of issues is of critical importance, as it requires the inclusion of regional and local authorities in the implementation of national projects.  

Materials and methods. The article analyzes the changes in the level of interregional differences in the main indicators of socio-economic development of the Russian Federation for 2000, 2005 and 2016–2018. Based on the analysis of interregional differentiation by own and total revenues of their consolidated budgets, the changes in the level of financial independence of subnational authorities were assessed. As factors, hindering the development of regions with “self-reliance”, the state debt policy, the practice of inter-budget transfers, and the income structure of three-tier budget system of the country are analyzed. The methodological basis of the study is the work on regional statistics, structural analysis, quantitative modeling. Tabular and graphic methods of visualization of research results, statistical methods of processing of initial data were used. To solve the problems of the study, standard Microsoft application packages were used.  

Results. The article shows the excessive centralization at the Federal level of the main decisions that determine the fiscal and debt policy of regional and local authorities, the “explosive” growth in the volume of subnational debt for these years, as well as the “blurring” of inter-budget transfers from the Federal budget to the budgets of the Russian Federation regions. The debt policy of the state and inter-budgetary regulation are estimated as not fully corresponding to the tasks of spatial development of the country. A system solution for optimizing the structure of three-level budget system of the Russian Federation is proposed and a method for defining the optimal values of the distribution of revenues of the consolidated budget of the Russian Federation by levels of the budget system is presented.  

Conclusion. The high heterogeneity of Russia’s spatial development is one of the features of its economy. The article deals with the differentiation of Russian regions in terms of the level and quality of life of the population, analyzes the factors that led to this differentiation. State fiscal and debt policy, inter-budget transfer policy are the key factors in consistently solving the problems of overcoming interregional differences in the level and quality of life of the population, improving the competitiveness of the country, ensuring sustainable economic growth. Achieving the optimal structure of the budget system (as well as the movement to it) will create conditions not only for the inclusion of subnational authorities in the implementation of national projects, but also for the implementation of the diversity of the potential of its regions – a unique advantage of the Russian Federation.  

1. The Constitution of the Russian Federation. Meeting of the legislation of the Russian Federation, 04.08.2014. No. 31: 4398. (In Russ.)

2. The concept of reforming intergovernmental relations in the Russian Federation in 1999-2001. Approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 30, 1998 No. 862. (In Russ.)

3. The program for the development of fiscal federalism in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2005. Approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 15, 2001 No. 584 (In Russ.)

4. The spatial development strategy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2025. Approved by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 13, 2019 No. 207. (In Russ.)

5. Goreglyad V.P. Lessons from fiscal federalism: 20 years of reform. Federalizm = Federalism. 2016; 1 (81): 91–106. (In Russ.)

6. Galukhin A.V. Financial stability of the revenue base of regional budgets: state and assessment of the effectiveness of its management. Federalizm = Federalism. 2015; 2 (78): 151–162. (In Russ.)

7. Rutkovskaya N.S. Reforma mezhbyudzhetnykh otnosheniy v Rossiyskoy Federatsii: osnovnyye napravleniya, problemy i perspektivy = Reform of intergovernmental relations in the Russian Federation: main directions, problems and prospects. In: Istoricheskiye, filosofskiye, politicheskiye i yuridicheskiye nauki, kul’turologiya i iskusstvovedeniye. Voprosy teorii i praktiki = Historical, philosophical, political and legal sciences, cultural studies and art history. Questions of theory and practice. Tambov: Diploma; 2011; 7 (13): 196–199. (In Russ.)

8. Karavayeva I.V. . Budget policy as a factor in the formation of risks of socio-economic development of Russia. Federalizm = Federalism. 2018; 3 (91): 47–62. (In Russ.)

9. Maslikhina V.YU. The permissible level of interregional inequality in Russia. Vestnik Privolzhskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnologicheskogo universiteta = Bulletin of the Volga State Technological University. 2014; 4 (23): 15–22. (In Russ.)

10. Vyatkin V.B Chaos and the order of discrete systems in the light of the synergetic theory of information [Internet]. Nauchnyy zhurnal KubGAU = Scientific journal KubSAU. 2009; 03(47). Available from: http://ej.kubagro.ru/2009/03/pdf/08.pdf. (In Russ.)

11. Soroko E.M. Strukturnaya garmoniya system = Structural harmony of systems. Minsk: Science and Technology; 1984. 264 p. (In Russ.)

12. Morozov O.V., Vasil’yev M.A. A quantitative analysis of federal states in terms of structural heterogeneity. Federalizm = Federalism. 2018; 3 (91): 120–142. (In Russ.)

13. Biryukov A.G. On the issue of stimulating investment in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation as an element of inter-budget relations. Vlast’ = Power. 2011; 3. (In Russ.)

14. Federal Law of 06.10.1999 No. 184-ФЗ (as amended on 05/01/2019) “On General Principles of Organization of Legislative (Representative) and Executive Bodies of State Power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation” // Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation, 18.10.1999, No. 42, Art. 5005 (In Russ.)

15. Federal Law of 06.10.2003 No. 131-ФЗ (as amended on 05/01/2019, as amended on 07/03/2019) «On the General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation» No. 131-FZ of October 6, 2003 // Meeting of the legislation of the Russian Federation, 06.10.2003, No. 40, Art. 3822. (In Russ.)

16. “Budget Code of the Russian Federation” dated July 31, 1998 No. 145-ФЗ (as amended on June 06, 2019) // Meeting of the legislation of the Russian Federation, 03.08.1998, No. 31, st. 3823. (In Russ.)

17. The draft federal law “On Amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation and the recognition of certain provisions of legislative acts of the Russian Federation as invalidating with a view to improving the legal regulation of relations in the field of state (municipal) borrowings, management of state (municipal) debt and state financial assets of the Russian Federation «[Internet]. The official website of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Available from: http://sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/609452-7. (In Russ.)

18. Lyubishchev A.A. Frosty patterns on glasses (observations and thoughts of a biologist) Znaniye-sila = Knowledge is power. 1973; 7: 23–26. (In Russ.)

19. Shreyder YU.A. Raboty po istorii i metodologii nauki = Works on the history and methodology of science. Leningrad: Nauka; 1982: 100–118. (In Russ.)

20. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 05/07/2018 No. 204 “On national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period until 2024”. Collection of legislation of the Russian Federation, 14.05.2018, № 20, Art. 2817. (In Russ.)