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MODERN RUSSIA: IDEOLOGY, POLITICS, CULTURE AND RELIGION
AZIZ NIYAZI. UNDP REPORT ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 2018: TRENDS AND INDEXES IN THE WORLD AND RUSSIA //
The article was written for the bulletin "Russia and the Moslem World."
Keywords: Human Development Index; living standards in Russia, global trends; UNDP report on human development 2018; education and healthcare, gross national income, gender inequality.
Aziz Niyazi,
PhD(History), Senior Research Associate,
Center for Central Asian, Caucasian and Volga-Urals Studies,
Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS
Abstract. In the article there are global trends regarding human development. It is carried out a comparative analysis of quality of life indicators in the Russian Federation with similar measurements in the countries with booming economies.
On September 14, 2018 there was the latest report of United Nations Development Programme "Indexes and indicators of human development: updating of statistics in 2018." It is made on the basis of evaluated data calculated following the results of 2017 which cover 189 countries. Human Development Index (HDI) reflects changes of quality of life of the population of Earth,
particular countries and territories. As before, since 1990, this composite index shows achievements of countries on three principal measurements: long and healthy life, knowledge, adequate standard of living. Health is measured by life expectancy at birth; knowledge is estimated by means of a combination of literacy rate of adult population and coverage of the population by three education levels - elementary, secondary and higher; material welfare is measured by means of gross national income per capita in purchasing- power adjusted dollars. In the area of income by way of limit value GNI worldwide average value per capita is used.
Criteria and indicators of human development are constantly improved. Over the last years for the purpose of more complex measurement of human development four more composite indexes are used. HDI corrected including inequality - applies correction for HDI including inequality level. The index of gender development compares HDI values for men and women. The index of gender inequality shows rate of spread of women's rights and opportunities, and the index of multidimensional poverty reflects the poverty measurements which are not connected directly with income. Also when determining rating of the country such factors are considered: a possibility of citizens to take part in public life, situation with human rights and civil liberties, social security, degree of territorial and social mobility of the population, indicators of level of cultural development of the population, access to information, unemployment rate, a share of skilled labour, crime rate, environmental protection and others. In total rating all states are ranged on the basis of HDI and are divided into four categories: the countries with very high HDI level, with high, moderate and low ones. Basic measurements are standardized in the form of number values from 0 to 1, an average geometric mean is made as a cumulative indicator of HDI in the range from 0 to 1. Then the states are ranged on the basis of this indicator. The countries with HDI less than 0.550 have the low level of human development; 0.550-0.699 - moderate level; 0.700-
0.799 - high level of development; from 0.800 and more - very high level.
In UNDP report 2018 it is noted that in general in the world it is observed the trend directed to further improvement of human development: from 189 countries, basing on which HDI is calculated, 59 countries are included into a group with very high level of human development, and only 38 countries are included into a group with low level of HDI. Only eight years ago in 2010 these figures were 46 and 49 countries respectively.
The five of the leading states in HDI rating from 189 countries and territories is headed by Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and Germany while Niger, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Chad and Burundi have the lowest points estimating national achievements in the sphere of health care, education and income. The largest growth of HDI rating from 2012 to 2017 occurred in Ireland which rose by 13 positions; also Turkey, Dominican Republic and Botswana developed intensively, each of which rose by 8 positions. All three cases of the sharpest rating decrease on HDI belong to the countries affected by conflicts: the greatest rating decrease on HDI happened in the Syrian Arab Republic - by 27 then Libya (26 positions) and Yemen (20 positions).
On a global scale level of health increased considerably as evidenced by life expectancy at birth. It grew up almost for 7 years. As for length of schooling today's children of school age can hope that they will stay in school for 3, 4 years more, than generation of 1990.
The moderate levels of HDI increased considerably from 1990 - by 22 percent on a global scale and by 51 percent in hardcore developing countries. It demonstrates that on the average people live longer, have higher level of education and bigger income. However in countries and regions of the world there are still large-scale differences in well-being of people. The analysis of components of cumulated statistics shows the remaining injustice
in distribution of public achievements in the sphere of education, health care and income.
Human Development Index corrected due to inequality gives the chance to compare inequality levels in the countries, and the higher inequality, the more HDI of this country decreases. Though considerable inequality is observed in many countries, including some of the richest one, on the average it is developed more in the countries with low level of human development (HD). The countries with low and moderate level of HDI lose respectively 31 and 25 percent of their HDI level because of inequality, and in the countries with very high level, losses of HDI on the average are 11 percent, - experts of UNPD conclude.
As for inequality between women and men, globally it is observed the reduction of a gender gap during the periods of childhood and youth while at mature age inequality steadily remains. One of the main sources of inequality in the countries is the gap in opportunities, achievements and distribution of the rights and powers between men and women. On a global scale the HDI average number for women is 6 percent lower, than for men which is due to lower income and educational level of women in many countries though the number of girls attending school increases. Worldwide index of economic activity of women is lower, than the corresponding index for men - 49 percent against 75. When women enter a labor market, unemployment rate among them is 24 percent higher, than among men.
Despite universal progress in the area of human development, it continues to restrain by essential disproportions inside and among countries. Among the states there is an enormous dispersion of the indicators characterizing quality of education, medical care and also many other key aspects of life. In the countries of Africa to the south from the Sahara there are 39 pupils at elementary school per one teacher, in the region of the Southern Asia - 35 pupils. At the same time in the countries of OECD, East Asia and the Pacific region and also Europe and Central Asia there is one teacher for 16-18 pupils at elementary
school. And if in the countries of OECD, Europe, East Asia and the Pacific region on the average 29 and 28 doctors are necessary for every 10 thousand people of the population, and in the Southern Asia - only 8, and in the countries of Africa to the south from the Sahara - less than 8.
"On the average a child who was born in the country with low HDI can hope to live a bit more than 60 years while a child who was born in a country with very high HDI is capable to live almost up to 80. In the same way, children in the countries with low level of HDI, most likely will spend at school seven years less, than children from the countries with very high level of HDI. Besides that this statistics in itself draws a severe picture of reality, it also testifies to the tragedy of millions of individuals whose life is saddened by inequality and unrealized opportunities, and, neither that, nor another is inevitable" - the Administrator of UNDP said in connection with a release of the last Report on
human development Akhim Steiner.
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In HDI rating following the results of 2017 the Russian Federation takes quite a good 49th place (with HDI 0.816) from 189 countries of the world and falls under 59 countries with very high rates of human development. Several years ago it was at the top of the second group of the countries with high rates of the index. Key indicators of Russia are the following: life expectancy at birth - 71.2 years; expected duration of getting of education - 15.5 years; the average duration of training - 12.0 years; gross national income per capita - $24,233 a year in purchasing-power adjusted dollars in the prices of 2011. About 144 million people lived in the country in 2017.
Dynamics of points on HDI from 1990 to 2017. (Table № 1) shows, how seriously "shock therapy" of the neoliberal experiment of the 90s not only slowed down, but also rebounded achievements of the Russian citizens while the world was
developing. Then during a decade from 2000 to 2010 the fastest catching up of basic components, necessary for human development, was observed. The reached rates of human development of Russians from 2010 to 2017 decreased a little, but exceeded the average annual growth of HDI in the world in general. It is important that despite known economic difficulties which emerged since 2014 Russia nevertheless could keep and even to improve, although modestly, its positions on indicators of human development.
Table 1
Russia and the world.
Trends in Human Development Index. 1990-2017
Russia
Years 1990 2000 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017
HDI points 0,734 0,720 0,780 0,798 0,807 0,813 0,815 0,816
The world 0,598 0,642 0,698 0,709 0,718 0,722 0,726 0,728
Russia
Years 1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2017 1990-2017
Annual average growth of HDI in % -0,18 0,80 0,66 0,40
The world 0,72 0,84 0,60 0,73
In HDI rating Russia continues to advance the largest states in the world with quickly growing economy (Table № 2). Its partners in BRICS still considerably lag behind it in indicators of real formation and GNI purchasing-power adjusted dollars per capita. Nevertheless on life expectancy of birth of the Russian Federation lags behind indicators of Brazil, China and global reach. Brazil approached the Russian Federation on measurement of the expected duration of training of its citizens. It should be noted that statistics by the number of years of training demands also studying of quality of education - what and how teach including in Russia.
Table 2
Human Development Index and its components of the countries of BRICS according to the results of 2017
Place in the rating of 189 countries Country HDI points Life expectancy at birth (in years) Expected duration of training (in years) The average duration of training (in years) GNI per capita (in purchasing-power adjusted USD dollars) Rating by GNI per capita minus HDI rating
49 Russia 0,816 71,2 15,5 12,0 24,233 3
79 Brazil 0,759 75,7 15,4 7,8 13,755 2
86 China 0,752 76,4 13,8 7,8 15,270 -9
113 RSA 0,699 63,4 13,3 10,1 11,923 -23
130 India 0,640 68,8 12,3 6,4 6,353 -5
The world 0,728 72,2 12,7 8,4 15,295
The last column of the table 2 - the rating of the countries on GNI per capita minus HDI rating shows the difference between rating on GNI per capita and overall HDI rating. The negative indicator means that the rating of the country on GNI is higher, than its HDI rating. This negative difference indicates that income gained in the country is not converted properly into development in the spheres of environmental protection, education and health of the population. The smaller HDI rating in comparison with rating on income is most characteristic for the countries, economy of which is based on extraction and export of minerals and energy resources. Though in Russia such segment of economy is very considerable, its position among BRICS countries is the best (3), nevertheless it is low, the same one the Central African Republic has, which is standing still in HDI rating on the second last 188 place. Negatives are observed in India, China and the Republic of South Africa: -5; -9; -23 respectively.
On the basis of the steps of the Russian government for the last 2-3 years focused on economic and financial improvement and also support of the social sphere there are bases to hope that the
