Factors and Directions of Public Policy for Rural Development

—The article outlines the most common approaches to implementation of public policy for the development of rural areas. Results of a sociological survey characterizing the attitude of residents to individual factors in the development of rural areas are studied. It is concluded that there is a significant differentiation in the level of development of rural territories in the context of individual federal districts of the Russian Federation. Among the factors determining the development opportunities of rural areas are considered the following: resource provision, potential for the development of commercial and social entrepreneurship, conditions for the implementation of initiatives of the rural community. A cyclical approach to the implementation of public policy for the development of rural territories is proposed, and it is also concluded that it is advisable to maintain the prevalence of an exogenous approach in managing rural development at the present stage, characterized by a low internal development potential.