Financing social systems in Russia's northern regions: Trends and prospects

The paper presents a review of the basic trends in the financial support of the social area of Russia's North, i.e., the growth in financing, accelerated increase in pension schemes, reduction in interregional disparities, and the continuation of the priority role of centralized sources. A scenario forecast, predicting the financing rate for the social system up to 2020, is provided, according to which the basic objectives of the nearest years, i.e., adaptation to the demographic changes and removal of disparities in wages, will require integration efforts from the government, business, citizens, and workers themselves. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.