Social Protection of Population as a Condition for Sustainable Competitive Region Development

Sustainable competitive region development is impossible without creation of effective mechanisms for social protection of population, since the territory human capital is the goal, instrument, and result of region's social and economic policy. Taking into account federal policy of Russia, most of powers in social protection field are delegated to regional and municipal levels. Regional and municipal authorities perform the assigned powers based on the available financial resources at their disposal, and this fact generates high regional differentiation in terms of social protection level provided. Unified approach is required in terms of revision of certain paternal system aspects of the population social protection from the perspective of enhancing efficiency, expediency and targeting, as well as reorientation to new models of social protection based on partnership between the state, business and society. However, current social protection system is structurally cumbersome, non-transparent, and confusing at the normative level. And with this understanding, the author gives the definition of the population social protection system, considers federal and regional social support measures. Further the author proposes and justifies directions for the formation of regional social protection system from the point of its place and role in sustainable and competitive development of Russian regions.