Quality of Life As an Indicator of the Successful Civil Contract

The civil contract, as a set of agreements between a person and the state, shows the system of opportunities received by the person from state institutions in exchange for part of his freedoms. These opportunities are provided by authorities at various levels, and they also limit freedoms in the form of civic duties. The authorities aim to meet the needs of citizens, which affect the quality of life. Objective measurements are expressed in specific indicators and subjective ones are related to the degree of a person’s satisfaction with any sphere or general perception of his life. Satisfaction depends not only on the quality of services and functions provided by the state, but also on the level of aspirations. The balance between the value of the benefits received from the state and the burden of responsibilities is regarded as the effectiveness of a current civil contract.

In order to ensure the implementation of the social contract in relation to the quality of life in the Russian Federation, laws and regulation at various levels have been developed. There is also a whole system of Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation aimed at developing social infrastructure and certain spheres of everyday life.

This approach is consistent with the “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” developed in 2015 by the UN General Assembly.

It is important for governance, is built on the basis of sociological surveys, which allow not only to prioritize projects that meet the needs of the population, but also to identify opportunities for effective providing of information. It is assumed that this approach is an adequate reply to the request for a new social contract in the Russian society.

The main results of specialized sociological surveys will be shown in the presentation.