The Transformation of Social Assistance Policies in the Russian Regions: Trends and Priorities

Abstract

The article examines the main dimensions of regional social assistance programmes and their current transformations. The analysis covers the Russian regions since the mid‑2010s in the context of budget constraints and federal legislative incentives. The study includes twenty-one regions different in their economic and demographic conditions, as well as their budget capacity and levels of debt. The analysis is based on data on changes in regional-level social assistance policy from January 2014 to October 2017. This database is comprised of over 400 regional regulatory acts in this field. It is argued that, for this period, social assistance programmes tend to become more selective and targeting through the implementation of increased requirements and restrictions, as well as through the abolition of some welfare benefits and beneficiaries’ categories. These transformations disadvantage families with children most of all, especially those with many children. Pensioners are also negatively affected in this regard. At the same time social assistance of families with disabled children and couples who adopt is still of high prio­rity on the regional level. Alongside changes aimed at reducing the number of beneficiaries, in half of the regions the public authorities have withdrawn the annual upward adjustments of welfare payments in line with inflation. Although some expansive decisions accompany the restrictive ones in most cases, they are of less importance for the beneficiaries. The budget conditions of a given regions only partly determine the intensity of institutional transformation. For example, the prevalence of a more conservative social assistance agenda is also a factor in institutional transformation. Thus, differences in the political specifics for each region also account for varying social welfare trends and priorities.