Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2020 number 4

The study aims to analyze current trends in rural development and provide recommendations for their transformation. The object is rural settlements in Volgograd Oblast. The subject of the study is socio-economic processes taking place in municipal areas of Volgograd Oblast. The research methods are system logic analysis, correlation analysis, and statistical analysis. We have also conducted an (online) survey among rural dwellers from five municipal areas in Volgograd Oblast. We have identified trends in the socio-economic development of rural settlements against changes in the region’s population, age-sex structure, in- and outflow dynamics, the number of urban and rural settlements, as well as population dynamics in municipal areas and urban districts. It is established that population changes in Volgograd Oblast’s municipal areas are decreasing. However, municipal areas with a high share of the rural population are generally characterized by fewer residents. We have also identified and ranked the main problems of socio-economic development for rural settlements in terms of how attractive they are for residence and doing business. We provide recommendations on shifting the current situation and addressing specific issues that rural areas have. The study’s theoretical significance is that its results can be considered a stage of a broad research program to develop a methodological basis for rural areas’ strategic development built upon newly established creative centers as “controlled growth points." The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results when shaping spatial strategies for rural development.