Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2009 number 4

The paper considers an economic development strategy for Russia and its macroregions as a political document defining key principles of public policy and commitments of supreme federal and regional authorities in relation to an object of the strategy. The strategic objectives for Russia are to maintain its territorial integrity and win world's leading positions; as for the eastern resource regions - to diversify their economies, achieve population growth and eliminate backwardness of those regions which key indicators are lower than the national average ones. While developing the strategy, we applied a project approach together with mathematical methods. Among other things, we presented, in the context of the mathematical models, the operational definitions of the investment projects effects (direct and indirect; internal and external).

The paper offers the concept, methodology and methodical scheme to measure the spatial transformations taking place in economy; the comparative assessments of regional development in Russia over the period 2009-2012; a stable clusterization technique for regional indicators; the long-term forecasts (for 2009-2030) of how the RF regional structure will change; and the assessment of dynamics of the ordered sets of regional clusters.

The paper analyzes the characteristics observed in the development of Russian central and periphery regions over the period of the national economy growth in 1999-2007; and assesses and analyses the dynamics of such regional "center-periphery" inequalities on the base of both several indicators and integrated "center-periphery" inequality coefficients. The paper shows that economic growth of those years was accompanied with growing "center-periphery" inequalities in the beginning of the period, and with higher periphery indicators growth by the end of the period. The latter contributed to the lower "center-periphery" inequalities. The paper identifies the periphery regions which mostly contributed to such lower inequality.

The paper considers the issues of how
the crisis can be diagnosed in Russian
regions and how the national anti-crises
program can be regionalized including
the question of efficiency of such
regional anti-crises programs. We
analyses the potential anti-crisis
scenarios and how the current crisis may
affect the future trajectory of regional
development. On the base of the
calculations made by applying the
interregional intersectoral models, we
presented some variants of a long-term
forecast for the spatial socio-economic
development in the Russian Federation.

The paper analyses potential impacts of recessionary events on the dynamics of regional development. Our calculations have been made by applying an optimization forecasting model to the money flows observed in the Novosibirsk Oblast. We treated the recessionary impacts as follows: a reduction in regional financing by the federal government, devaluation of national currency, transformations of overdue repayment of debts on issued loans, and a reduction in capital projects financing. We show that it is the policy concerning the investment of construction projects - first of all, large ones - proved to be a key factor affecting the socio-economic development in a region.

The author proposes an indicator - a coefficient of regional innovation readiness - for using in analysis, and shows how it can be quantified. The paper shows an intimate connection between such coefficient and a labor productivity growth. Having quantified the parameters of industrial development in the Sakhalin Oblast, the author shows that, for the period up to 2025, this region will mainly develop according to an investment scenario.  Some economic inertia will also be in effect.

Range of goods produced in Siberian
regions, geographical priorities of an
export-import policy in regions, their
high activity and industrial potentials
allows us to state that the regions are
ready for better and wider export-import
activity. We identify two clusters of
regions characterized by different
capacities, and the ways of improving
the management of their operation in
foreign markets of food and agricultural
raw material. We assess the potentials
of key exported products with
consideration for an import-substituting
development strategy; identify and
assess a set of products of critical
import-dependence; and present our
evaluation of prospects in import
substitution.

The paper considers the issues of the
long-term development in the Yamal-
Nenetz Autonomous Okrug. We show that
the current financial and economic
crisis may significantly affect the
implementation of the large-scale
projects of system-forming character for
this region. We also evaluate the export
risks for the Yamal Natural Gas
Production Project if European partners
switch over to other gas markets. Should
the Project be withdrawn, the regional
fiscal losses will be so high that the
complete revision of the Yamal socio-
economic strategy will be required.

Dynamics of key reproductivity indicators for both the Privolzhsky Federal District and Russia in whole demonstrates the similarity of socio-economic conditions and dynamics of demographic processes taking place there. As we determined, over almost two passed decades the steady depopulation had been observed in the District. We also identify the trends concerning the birth and death rates, and show the reserves to make the demographic situation in the District sounder.

The paper proposes a new classification of sectoral market players (firms) by indicators such as "concentration of firms" and "soundness of leading market positions". This classification allows identifying the several types of markets which can be characterized by their market power and models of players' behavior. We analyses Russian markets by applying such classification criteria, and show that the "concentration of firms" for all markets under study proved to have high values. This means that there can be observed the dominating players in the markets, while of a different dominating degree (therefore, market power). As such players dominate in markets, no further development of liberal forms of competition may be expected, as well as the players' behavior models prevailing in markets is far from traditional forms of competitiveness.

The paper shows a present state of the
Siberian scientific, technological and
innovation potential which includes a
number of scientific achievements of
world's significance, a developed system
of higher education and scientific
personnel training, and an advanced
industrial complex including the
knowledge-intensive sectors. We identify
the key challenges of future development
and key problems required to be resolved
to build a holistic innovation system in
Siberia which could adequately solve
such challenges; and propose a scenario
of how the existed potential could be
targeted on innovation development that
allow better competitive advantages of
SFD and more favorable conditions of
life.

The paper considers theoretical issues and methodical approaches of what would be the research and information tools, how they could be built and applied to a regional strategic decision-making system. We present a case-study concerning the situation analysis of the issues of the long-term development in the Khanty-Mancie Okrug; and can conclude that combining both the quantitative methods and models and the qualitative approaches to the analysis of real administrative situations would be successful providing that certain conditions are ensured.

Having analyzed the Russian applied future energy consumption techniques, the author focuses on regional components, and shows some dispute aspects. The author offers and validates the ways of how to improve a current future energy consumption technique. The paper presents the data concerning the Krasnoyarsk Kray and calculated according to both current technique and improved one.

The paper analyzes tendencies in informatization of public and municipal governance, and shows the role which e-government plays in providing public and municipal services. The author presents his theoretical considerations concerning power sharing between federal, regional and local authorities on issues of e-government. He also describes the institutional features of forming e-government in municipal administrations.

The paper shows that a multi-level
management system applicable in market
environment proved to be inconsistent
with network-economy. A two-level
management system is considered more
applicable in the context of network-
economy as it allows reducing the time
required for forecasting, planning,
accounting, analysis, and control over
production. The author proves that
management systems in contexts of market
economy, network-economy and "command-
hierarchy" economy differ from each
other in to what degree they are
oriented on client's demand for a
certain product.

The paper identifies the regional research inequalities in six states of the European Union, and shows that decentralization of science and R&D would contribute to the enhancement of regional cohesion and should became a priority of economic strategies.

The paper shows what specific features of the economic structure in Heilongjiang Province allow reducing negative impacts of the financial crisis on different spheres of the Province economy, and describes the economic and social measures which central and province governments undertakes to come out of a recession.

The complex analysis of the oil policy conducted by the Republic of Kazakhstan identifies potential ways of its diversifying. The best variant to develop the oil-and-gas sector is gradual increasing of the volumes of oil-and-gas processing and covering of the inland and foreign consumers' demand for wide variety of oil-products.