Issues of Formation and Use of Financial Resources of the Social Welfare System (Case Study of the Komi Republic)

Currently, the social welfare system in the Komi Republic and in the Russian Federation on the whole is undergoing gradual reforming, the main goals of which are as follows: improving the quality of life; supporting the poor and vulnerable segments of the population; mitigating possible negative consequences of reforms; improving pension provision; further improvement of targeted social assistance; streamlining social benefits; development of the social services market. In this regard, the study of methodological basis for the formation and use of financial resources of the social welfare system becomes more and more important. The goal of this work is to develop theoretical and methodical approaches to the improvement of financial mechanism for the social welfare system in the region. The paper considers the formation and use of financial resources for social protection of population in the Republic of Komi. The author reveals specifics of formation of budgets of all levels and the powers of federal and regional authorities in the field of mutual responsibility. The paper shows the imbalance of financial resources and obligations at all levels of the budgetary system of the Russian Federation. Scientific novelty of the work consists in the fact that it defines social protection as a financial category that provides redistribution of financial resources emerging in the process of formation of centralized and decentralized financial resources, through a set of forms and types of social protection aimed to ensure its targeted provision. On the basis of the national accounts system, which in terms of methodology focuses on a single international standard, the author develops a structure of forms and types of social protection, which are the basis of its financial mechanism: state social guarantees and minimum social standards; social benefits (social insurance and social assistance benefits); and social services. The paper considers main directions for improving the economic mechanism and organizational forms of management for the social welfare system, they are: targeted allocation of financial resources only to those households whose actual consumption is below the subsistence level. The author proposes to improve the funding of the social welfare system with the help of intergovernmental equalization. This work is based theoretically and methodologically on theories and practices of prominent Russian and foreign economists, sociologists and other scholars and professionals engaged in research in the field of social protection, data of the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia, its Territorial Office in the Komi Republic, and legislative and regulatory acts of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Komi. The study uses general scientific methods of system approach, analysis and synthesis, logical, historical and comparative analysis.