Dynamics and Reproduction of Russian Residential Human Capital in the Context of Social Group and Settlement Differentiation

Abstract

The Article is devoted to the dynamics and reproduction of Russian Residential Human Capital in the context of social group and settlement differentiation. Under conditions when many key indicators of living standards show declining dynamics, it is required to ascertain what happens to the dynamics of human capital within social groups. The analysis of human capital as regards various settlement types is becoming specially important since the areas of modern Russia develop incoherently. A study of the human capital of various generations is required due to the changed model of social and economic development which asserted great influence on the status and reproduction of the Russian residential human capital of various generations.
The Article attempts to measure the human capital of social groups, not separate individuals. It suggests a method of constructing a Human Capital Indicator (HCI) for social groups.
An analysis of dynamics of Russian residential human capital broken down by settlement and generation types was carried out with the help of the constructed indicator based on the data obtained from representative surveys held between Russian population in 1994 and 2002 under the guidance of O.I. Shkaratan. The actuality of all conclusions obtained based on the data 2002 against the current situation is under verification with the use of the RLMS data of Autumn 2004.
The Analysis of HCI dynamics showed that throughout the entire post-Soviet Russian history, the level of human capital was constantly declining with its reproduction mechanisms obviously disrupted. The key components of human capital show dropdown dynamics. At the beginning of the 21st century, there emerged a problem associated with the uneven distribution of human capital between generations and settlement types. Russia faced the challenge of extreme deficit of healthy and educated youth in small cities and villages as well as the challenge of its oversaturation in large cities. The structure of human capital and reproduction of its components cause concerns as well. As before, the largest space in the structure of human capital is occupied by education (its level has been declining since early 90s) and health (mainly owing to young residents). The remaining parameters of human capital, which are key parameters for modern community, are developed insufficiently under new conditions. Generally, the overall condition of Russian residential human capital cause concerns and requires further study to elaborate measure for increasing its level.