Kozyreva P.M., Smirnov A.I. Middle Income Groups in Russian Metropolitan Cities. In: The Middle Income Group in China and Russia. Research Series on the Chinese Dream and China’s Development Path. ...

Abstract

The living conditions in a metropolitan city, as in any other large city, are differentiated by many contradictory features. On the one hand are problems that bring hardship to citizens' lives such as overpopulation, poor environment, social isolation, frantic pace of life, enormous information flow, depression and stress. People living in large cities become extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, rampant crime, theft, robberies, murders, terrorist attacks and various emergencies. The vulnerability of people living in such cities is exacerbated by constant crises and pressure imposed by immigrants. On the other hand, there are great opportunities for employment, receiving a prestigious education, an interesting job and specialization, realizing carrier ambitions, solving financial problems, accessing high-quality medical and other services on a paid and free basis, and enjoying various cultural leisure and entertainment options. These features largely determine the population size and composition, the pace and principal trends of development, and the level and quality of life of the middle income groups in metropolitan and other large cities, i.e. those groups that are actively engaged in business and production, promote production development by being consumers of bulk goods and services, and provide a considerable share of tax revenues to the budget.