Spatial differentiation of living standards as a mirror of disproportions in socioeconomic development: a case study of Belgorod Oblast

The article deals with spatial differences in living standards of the population on a regional scale – in Belgorod oblast, which is among the federal subjects implementing federal reforms in the socioeconomic sphere. Approaches to living standards have been determined, major indices of living standards have been identified. The study of intraregional differentiation of components of living standards of the population, including the extensive use of GIS techniques has been conducted. A component-based research of living standards shows that the extent of disproportions between municipalities is especially significant in respect to social and socioeconomic indicators, which reflects the reduction in the number of social enterprises and the number of employed people in rural areas. The role of agricultural holdings in the change of indicators of the living standards of the rural population and in the development of rural settlement pattern is revealed. The result of the study was the typology of municipal districts depending on the level of socioeconomic development, based on the synthetic index of the living standard, which revealed deep intraregional disproportions. The study has found that a high level of development is only typical for the regional center.