GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH TO STUDYING THE SYMBOLIC CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY FROM THE POSITION OF THE POPULATION EXPECTED LIFE

The article reveals the theoretical and methodological issues of studying the symbolic capital of the territory. In the context of strengthening social priorities in the development of the global economy, it becomes necessary to apply new methods for assessing the attractiveness and competitiveness of countries around the world. The human development index has not lost the relevance of a formalized assessment of the quality of life of the population. It affects the formation of the country's image, but does not fully reflect the qualitative changes taking place in countries of different levels of development. The image and symbolic capital of the territory is investigated from the standpoint of social geography. Speaking about the formation of the image of a region (country) within the framework of social geography, we mean the process of strategic marketing of the territory, that is, not just the creation of a short-term set of associations, but a long-term instrument of territorial governance. Understanding the value and significance of the positive image of the territory should be a necessary element of geographical research. The perspective image of the country and the region is an integral attribute, the central link of the system of strategic planning and territorial marketing. The authors propose the use of the parameter of Life expectancy as an indicator of the standard of living and physical health of the population, which forms the symbolic capital of a territory (country). The analysis of the qualitative content of the indicator of life expectancy of the population is given. The emphasis is made on the need to use a typological approach that reveals the relationship between material and spiritual well-being and the life expectancy of the population. An original typology of the countries of the world is presented, proving the thesis that the success of the socio-economic development of the country can be judged by the duration of the expected and healthy life of the population.