Voronov V.V. Small towns in the regions of Russia: common and special in development. Monitoring of Law Enforcement. 2025. No 1. Pp. 68-78. DOI: 10.24412 ...

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Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the state and dynamics of socio-economic and socio-cultural attitudes of residents of small towns in Russia from the perspective of unification and diversity of their life activities, as well as opportunities and barriers to the development of these cities in the regions of the country.Research methods: various methods were used, including qualitative methods of sociology in the form of structured in-depth interviews based on open and closed online questionnaire questions with three expert groups: representatives of local governments, the scientific community, members of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Union of Small Towns, on various general and diverse problems of the development of small towns in the regions of the country.The results obtained: most experts conclude that without the development of the spiritual needs of the main subjects of local spaces (residents and especially youth), the mental foundations of the development of the social infrastructure of small towns, the fate of the latter is hopeless. It is necessary to organize and support modern industrial medium/high-tech enterprises of local, regional, and federal significance in peripheral small towns, which can give optimism and confidence in the future to residents of these cities. The prospects and factors of the development of small towns in the socio-economic, socio-cultural spheres, in improving the working and living conditions of the population, and the quality of the urban environment are determined.Scientific novelty: the assessments of three expert groups on the situation in small towns of the country are presented, which show the important role of small towns in the reproduction of a single symbolic and territorial space of the state. Latent and open poverty of the population as a consequence of liberal commodity-market relations in the country is indicated as the main characteristic of the current life of small towns. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the market economic practice of Russian society needs qualitative changes to transition to commodity-non-market conditions of economic life, which is supported by the economic consciousness of the majority of the Russian people.