Socioeconomic Conditions of Human Capital Development in Russia and China

Social Sciences. 2021. Vol. 52. No. 3. P. 68–79.

Seliverstova Yulia

The author analyzes the development of human capital in Rus­sia and China and traces the evolution of public institutions with due account for the basic socioeconomic indices and figures of the UN Human Develop­ment Report 2019. The comparison reveals the strong and weak sides of the human capital development models of both countries; the slight prevalence of the RF in the GDP level, per capita disposable income, inequality index, gen­der gap, and educational level. The author highlights certain important spe­cifics of China’s development that give Chinese society advantages where the accumulation and correct use of human capital are concerned, viz. fast growth of incomes, active efforts to eliminate poverty and illiteracy, and improve the educational level and life expectancy. The main development problems have been identified: the age and gender disbalance; natural population decline; a fairly wide gap in living standards; the gradually increasing burden of the health care system; plummeting real incomes; and the inadequate funding of science and education. Today, the gap between Russia and China where the human development index is concerned is 34 points. The trends of changes of the basic indices in the last 30 years suggest that China might catch up with Russia fairly soon. This means that strategic long-term partnership with China with respect to the accumulation and use of human capital requires a more balanced policy.

Keywords: человеческий капитал, социальное неравенство, российско-китайские отношения, social inequality, индекс человеческого развития, Per capita GDP, уровень образования населения, Human Development Index, education level, ВВП на душу населения, human capital, Russian-Chinese relations