Mukhanova, M. N. (2025). Urban-Type Settlements as a Tool for Modernizing Russian Countryside. AlterEconomics, 22(4), 722–736. https: ...

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Abstract

The article examines the role of urban-type settlements (UTS) in the formation and development of rural agglomerations through the lens of P. Bourdieu’s concept of the “production of social space” and V. Kristaller’s theory of “central places.” A chronological approach is applied. The empirical base includes panel data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE, 1994–2023), the All-Russian Population Censuses (1959–2020), and Rosstat statistics (2023). The study identifies the stages of administra tive and territorial reform in rural areas and shows that, at nearly all stages, changes in the administrative status of UTS served as a universal instrument within the rural governance system for addressing emerging socio-eco nomic challenges. Key objectives included the development of extractive and industrial sectors, job creation, and support for labor and professional mobility among rural and provincial residents, especially young people in periods of economic crisis. Panel data analysis highlights the transformation of the sectoral and socio-profes sional structure of employment in UTS. A current trend is the predominance of employment in the service sec tor, where new network-based enterprises and digital platforms play a growing role. However, changes in UTS status since the Soviet period have not resolved social inequalities between urban and rural areas. At least half of UTS and rural residents remain dissatisfied with their financial situation, and wages continue to lag signifi cantly behind the national average. The ongoing decline in population and the share of working-age residents, driven by labor mobility and migration to major cities, poses a serious challenge to national policy goals of ex panding rural agglomerations and increasing the rural population.