THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS IN RUSSIA: REGIONAL PECULIARITIES
N.A. Kravchenko1,2, A.I. Ivanova1,2
1Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
2Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, regions of the Russian Federation, vulnerability and resistance factors, social capital
Abstract
The spread of the COVID-19pandemic is highly differentiated both among countries and areas within countries. This paper’s main objective is to identify regional characteristics influencing the extent of coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation during the second wave of the pandemic. We employ econometric modeling methods to assess relations between regional characteristics that reflect vulnerability or resistance of a region to infection and the scale of coronavirus proliferation. Among the resistance factors were the wealth and social capital accumulated by the region’s population. Residents in better-off Russian regions are less exposed to infection, while more impoverished regions, densely populated ones, regions with worse environmental issues, and the ones with older populations appear to be more vulnerable. We show the role of social capital in pandemic resistance: superior quality social capital is associated with lower infection and mortality rates. The results may inform regional policy measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other infections potentially.
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