Social well-being as a reflection of socioeconomic inequality in the country

Abstract

This article substantiates social well-being of the population as one of the key indicators of socioeconomic inequality. The author advances a scientific idea is that the system of allocation of income and national wealth formed in the post-Soviet Russia, when excessive advantages of some (small social groups) are provided at the cost of limiting functional capabilities of others (larger social groups), which severely contradicts the basic principles of inclusive society and cannot be recognized as socially fair. The conducted analysis of the peculiarities of inequality in post-Soviet Russia describes it as “socially unfair” and excessive. Such inequality negatively affects social well-being of the individuals. It is demonstrated that excessive inequality, with characteristic massive poverty (absolute and relative), in the meta-space of social well-being of the population or the Russian Federation, the prevalent type of life realization of an individual is the “negative expectations”; most significant risk factors for the worsening of social well-being are moral and emotional state of society and some status characteristics of the individual (level of education, professional activity). Using cluster analysis, the author tests the hypothesis on the impact of excessive inequality upon the level of manifestation of deviant behavior of the people in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Recommendations are formulated on amending the redistributive policy of the government aimed at reduction of socioeconomic inequality and improvement pf social well-being of the population.