Methodology of the Regional Poverty Level Assessment (on the Example of the Samara Region)

The article states the necessity to improve the methodology of assessing the level of poverty, including the regional one. The analysis of poverty level in the Samara region is based on the absolute conception of establishment of a poverty line, structure of the regional consumer basket and energy value of food products constituting it. The structure of households consumer expenses is investigated. The authors offer to use an integrated indicator for poverty measuring covering monetary and not monetary one-aspect indicators. Along with indicators of income and expenses of the population the presented system of private indicators includes the characteristic of the labor market condition, access to education services, health care and housing. The methodology the poverty level assessment is tested on information arrays of Privolzhsky Federal District (PFD). The article provides typologization of subjects of PFD dependent on the level of poverty problem sharpness.