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Little Towns of the Irkutsk Region: Analysis of Socio-Economic Situation

The article examined socio-economic issues of little towns in the Irkutsk region in retrospect and in perspective of their development. The author explored the place and role of little towns in the history of Russia and its regions, identified a group of little towns, conditions for their formation, based on the population settlement and industrial development of the region. In the article the author defined the concepts of a city-forming enterprise and a monotown that are widely practiced in urban settlements of the region, and devoted special attention to the analysis of the demographic status of little towns, population dynamics, and natural and migration movements. The research revealed the processes of natural population decline caused by a decrease in the birth rate and rise in mortality, as well as the migration outflow of residents of little towns. The author examined the social situation of urban settlements that suffered extensive losses in the new economic conditions. The research concluded that bed/population ratio in regional little towns, including the number of doctors and nursing staff, is significantly behind the regional indicators. The author put forwards ideas how to preserve the historical and socio-economic identity of little towns.