Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2025 number 3

In 2024, the head of the Ministry for the Economic Development of the Russian Far East stated: “The main challenge in the development of the Far East and the Arctic is retaining the population" (https://roscongress.org/materials/aleksey-chekunkov-v-novoy-globalnoy-sisteme-koordinat-rol-dalnego-vostoka-budet-vozrastat/). This phrase entered the vocabulary of politicians and publicists and came to mean not a ban on moving to a new place of residence, but, firstly, various ways of encouraging the local population to stay and work in their region and, secondly, preferences for those who decide to move to work and live in areas of particular importance to the state. The article reviews examples of such territories in pre-revolutionary Russia, the USSR, and the Russian Federation, the legitimacy of their status, and preferential regimes. It systematically analyzes the reasons creating two huge megaregions of special state significance - the Far East and the Russian Arctic - whose ambitious development plans require additional labor resources. The article examines the list and adequacy of measures used to “retain the population," the objective difficulties in implementing state personnel policy, and possible ways to overcome them.

Improving the energy efficiency of the constituent parts of the Russian Federation in the context of their sustainable development is fully in line with the global “green agenda " and, due to the adopted domestic regulatory documents, represents a state task. Sustainable development is subject to a number of conditions and factors, including the availability of regions’ own energy resources. Energy self-sufficiency in the general energy sense implies the self-sufficiency of regions not only in terms of electricity, but also in terms of other fuel and energy resources (coal, gas, oil, etc.). However, this article focuses on the issue of regional self-sufficiency in electricity. In this regard, the aim of the article is to construct typological groups of regions depending on the degree of influence on their sustainable development of such indicators as the region’s energy security and the share of energy losses in power grids. The study covers 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation based on data for 2022 and is based on a methodology developed by the author, which first involves assessing the country’s regions according to the analyzed indicators and then typologizing them. As a result, quantitative and qualitative parameters made it possible to form four groups of regions, differing in terms of sustainable development characteristics. In order to increase the level of sustainable development and energy efficiency of regions, authorities should adopt not typical but typological decisions for each identified group, taking into account the impact of the region’s energy self-sufficiency and energy losses on the gross regional product and gross regional product per capita. This study contributes theoretically to solving the scientific and practical problem of levelling energy imbalances in regional electricity production and consumption models. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the results obtained can be used by regional authorities in implementing energy policy in the region, and the proposed tools and mechanisms can be directly applied in their practical activities.

Today, Russia, while adapting to strategic challenges primarily related to the changing world order, is creating its own model of a sovereign national economy. One of the important considerations for achieving this goal is the development of interregional interaction within the country as a tool for fulfilling the potential of its territories. This article studies the problem of structural and technological proximity (STP) of regions as a significant factor in activating economic ties between the subjects of the Russian Federation through the example of the Kemerovo Oblast - Kuzbass. The methodological toolkit for assessing the STP of regions is tested. In order to measure it, the official data of Rosstat for 2022 were used. According to the calculations, the subjects of the Russian Federation, which currently have the strongest positions for the development of cooperation with Kuzbass, were identified. They represent the main macro-regions of the country. Within the framework of a possible partnership with the participants of this group of territories, the Kemerovo Oblast is able to act as both a supplier and a recipient of not only capital, but also knowledge and technology. The latter is especially important in the situation of reforming the resource (raw material) model of Kuzbass performance. The findings can be used to update the strategic planning documents of the Kemerovo Oblast, develop programs and projects aimed at strengthening the processes of its integration and cooperation with other Russian regions through the development of intellectual resources and capital exchange channels.

The article considers the factors of competitiveness of creative industries in Russian regions with a focus on the role of personal branding as a tool for promotion and self-fulfillment of the creative class. The subject of the study embraces the practices of creating and promoting personal brands in the conditions of digital environment and high information saturation. The aim of research is to identify the key strategies ofpersonal brand formation in the creative sector and evaluate their effectiveness to improve the competitiveness of professionals and regions as a whole. The hypothesis is analyzed that successful development of the creative economy requires not only state support, but also natural market mechanisms, including competition, networking and personal brands. The research was conducted by a survey of384 representatives of creative industries in Krasnoyarsk Krai (February-April 2024), the sample was formed by river-sample technology. The respondents represented such spheres as art industry, design, music, theater, cinema, education, media and others, according to the UNESCO classification and the Concept of Creative Industries Development in Russia. The results showed that 42.6% of the participants are purposefully working on their personal brand, and another 36.4% plan to do so. Respondents consider positioning and awareness to be the main attributes of a personal brand. The most popular promotion tool was social networks (27.8%), as they correspond to the logic of the attention economy. More than a third of respondents noted a tangible effect of branding: invitations to projects, new clients, recommendations as a professional and networking. The obtained results can be used to improve the state policy of supporting creative industries, develop the methodological basis for personal branding research and improve the efficiency of professional activity in the creative sphere. The article demonstrates that personal brand is an important resource of competitiveness in the creative economy and requires further study and system support.

The prospects for scientific, technological and innovative development at the level of individual territories depend on many regional characteristics, including the size and balance of accumulated scientific and technological capabilities. The proposed approach to assessing such balance is based on the ideas of innovation and absorption capacities accumulated in a certain territory. The study proposes a typology and positioning of the RF subjects based on the comparison of the highlighted characteristics. The share of people employed in research and development in the total labor force in the region is used as an indicator of innovation capacity. Absorption capacity reflects the localization coefficient of high-tech business. Leading and follower regions are identified for 2016 and 2022. Data from Rosstat and SPARK-Interfax database were used as an empirical basis. The authors performed factor and cluster analyses on indicators describing the state of the region’s economy, its research and technological potential, human resources and digital technologies, as well as the quality of institutions in the field of innovation policy, and identified groups of similar territories. The study identified characteristics that affect the level of innovation and absorptive capacities at the regional level, contribute to their balanced combination, ensuring socio-economic growth and technological independence. These include significant expenditures on research and development, high level of digital technology development, advanced innovation policy. The structure of the economy should be relatively balanced, provide an external environment favorable for the development of new technologies and the production of innovative goods.

The article reviews over long intervals the transition that took place during the Soviet period from an expanded to a narrowed regime of reproduction of the population in Russia, which inevitably leads to depopulation, first latently, and then openly. It is shown that a widespread practice of abortion, which has significantly reduced the number of newborns for a long time, has become the most important factor contributing to the general decreasing trend in the total fertility rate below the threshold level of simple reproduction. In the early 1960s, there was a rapid increase in the number of artificial abortions, accompanied by a drop in fertility. The peak number of abortions recorded in 1965 coincided exactly with the start of the latent phase of depopulation in Russia. In the post-Soviet period, despite a considerable reduction in the number of abortions, both in absolute and relative terms, their number is still high. This has a significant impact on fertility decline, although in recent years the official statistics indicate that there is now less than one abortion for every two births. The article briefly describes the century-old history of legalized abortion in Russia. Its extremely important role in reducing fertility and depopulation in our country is revealed. The long-term and widespread abortive practices, reflecting the reluctance to procreate, systematically undermined the demographic potential and caused enormous damage to demographic security in several important areas for many decades. The authors cite the dynamics of the number of abortions per 100 births in the federal districts in the post-Soviet period, as well as the differentiation of this indicator at the level of federation subjects. The eastern territories consistently show the worst results: the Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts. In recent years, the Siberian Federal District has been ranked first in the country in terms of the number of abortions per 100 births. Among the Siberian regions, the Novosibirsk Oblast stands out, which for many years has been the district leader in this indicator. It is concluded that prevention and minimization of the number of abortions while conducting a well-thought-out and balanced demographic and socio-economic policy aimed at strengthening the family as a pillar of society and improving its financial situation could become a counter-force for increasing the birth rate, especially significant in the context of a prolonged decline in the number of reproductive female populations. The results obtained during the study can be used by federal and regional authorities to make managerial decisions aimed at preventing and reducing the number of abortions, as well as in developing new demographic policy measures and improving socio-economic development strategies in order to create moral and material conditions in society favorable for birth and upbringing of children.

At present, the assessment of the standard of living of the working segments of the population is of particular relevance. The purpose of the study is to adapt the traditional methodology of the HDI approach to assessing the standard of living of the working population in the regions of the Volga Federal District (PFD). The methodology proposed by the authors for calculating the human development index (HDI) of the working population, called “HDI-labor”, includes the following components: 1) the index of median wages, correlated with the cost of a fixed set of consumer goods and services (salary purchasing power index); 2) the index of viability of the working-age population; 3) the index of education, based on the number of students of secondary specialized and higher educational institutions per 10 thousand people of the population. A rating of the regions of the Russian Federation supported by calculations of the new HDI-labor indicator based on data for 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 indicates that the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2021 dropped two positions compared to 2013, taking 35th place. The article also provides comparisons of HDI-labor with HDI-region as a whole and by their components. In 2021, the value of HDI-labor in the Republic of Bashkortostan was 0.375, including the purchasing power index of the median wage - 0.359, the vitality index - 0.311, the education index - 0.454. The value of obtained results is to complement the methodology for assessing the standard of living of the working population based on the HDI approach. This methodology for assessing the standard of living of the working population based on an integral indicator is suggested for use while developing recommendations for improving the standard of living of the working population in the regions of the Russian Federation.

The article considers socio-economic factors of population migration in municipalities on the example of the Sverdlovsk Oblast. The study is based on the concentration analysis of the spatial distribution of migration flows using a combination of autocorrelation and regression modeling methods. The purpose of the study is to identify the significant factors affecting migration flows of population, taking into account the spatial relationship between municipalities. The main objectives of the analysis include the study and identification of statistically significant indicators affecting the resettlement of people. Migration flows have a noticeable impact on the demographic structure of the population, as well as on the state of local and regional labor markets. During the study period from 2010 to 2022, uneven distribution and increased concentration of migrants in large municipalities increased the outflow of population from sparsely populated areas. The use of a set of methods - assessment of migration flows concentration, spatial autocorrelation and spatial regression analysis - allows us to fully determine the zones of concentration of migration flows and identify factors affecting resettlement within the Sverdlovsk Oblast with the further purpose of using the study to adjust and plan the development of the territory.

Since 2023, according to the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, Berezovsky and Beloyarsky municipal districts of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra are the districts of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. These are the two districts where indigenous small-numbered peoples of the region - Khanty and Mansi - predominantly live. The goal of the article is to analyze the situation with indigenous minorities at municipal labor market and to identify peculiarities of their embeddedness. Research hypothesis: In Arctic regions of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, representatives of Khanty and Mansi demonstrate a lower level of employment rate comparing to the rest of the region’s population, which indicates insufficient integration at municipal labor market and a lower level of embeddeness associated with lack of vocational education (65.2% of Khanty and Mansi) and insufficient qualification. The methodology of the research is associated with a comparison of data from open sources. It also includes recommendations for improving the situation at the labor market in the Arctic regions of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, for example, recommendations for of special educational programs, development of traditional crafts, etc. The analysis has shown the correspondence of labor resources with geographic location of enterprises. Khanty and Mansi live in three municipal districts which are considered to be the least balanced in terms of labor market - Berezovsky, Beloyarsky, Kondinsky. The analyzed data for 2023 indicates the aggravation of the situation at municipal labor market for Khanty and Mansi and indicates an acute need for new measures to be taken.

This article is devoted to the analysis of the effectiveness of state support measures for the socio-economic development of Russian regions, based on the assessments by civil servants in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The subject of the study is the perception by regional authorities of various instruments of federal support. The purpose of the work is to identify the problems that arise in the implementation of these measures and to develop proposals for their improvement. The methodological basis of the study was the analysis and generalization of the results of a survey conducted by the RANEPA Center for Regional Policy in cooperation with the Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation on Economics and Finance in September-October 2024. The survey covered civil servants of various subjects of the Russian Federation. The results of the analysis showed significant differences in estimates of the effectiveness of support measures depending on the group of regions. Some problem areas were identified, in particular, the supervision of deputy prime ministers in the federal districts received low marks. The assessment of the release of funds within the framework of debt restructuring on budget loans turned out to be ambiguous. The tools of the “infrastructure menu" and preferential territories, in general, received positive reviews. The findings of the study contribute to understanding the attitude of regional authorities towards federal support and identify areas for improving its effectiveness. The results obtained can be used to improve the mechanisms of state support for regional development, optimize the allocation of resources and increase the effectiveness of the implementation of federal programs. They may be of interest to government authorities, researchers of regional economics and experts in the field of management.

The article examines the most important modern environmental challenges and the risks and threats caused by them, taking into account both national and regional and international aspects of the growing importance of the environmental agenda. An analysis of the cause-and-effect relationships between the presence of hazards contained in a particular challenge and the real damage that can be caused to the natural environment, living conditions and human health has been carried out. Possible ways to prevent potential risks and threats to the environmental and economic development of the country are proposed. Among the identified challenges, emphasis is placed on challenges that contain risks and threats caused by factors of both a global nature and those associated with the peculiarities of the formation of environmental and economic policy in Russia and its regions. These include tightening environmental requirements for products on foreign markets, taking into account the technologies used for their production and the resulting carbon footprint; close intertwining of environmental issues with technological and economic problems; changes in environmental regulations within the country in connection with external sanctions imposed on it, and others. The statement about the existential nature of the considered environmental challenges is substantiated. It is concluded that the existing institutional environment in Russia, which also determines the effectiveness of state environmental policy, requires transformation, subject to active state support in the field of innovation, technological sovereignization of the economy based on domestic best available technologies and other measures based on socio-economic and environmental motivation, based primarily on the principles of economic efficiency and environmental justice. The proposals made for improving the mechanism of environmental and economic policy can be useful in developing instruments for regulating the environmental sphere at all levels of management.

The article discusses new opportunities and risks on the southern border of the taiga, where swamps are being naturally drained due to climate warming. Highlighting the dangers that arise in these conditions, the author puts the high risk of fires first in connection with the need to take emergency measures. The paper notes that drainage of swamps has stopped all over the world and work on their restoration is beginning. The difficulties of assessing the likelihood of fires, as well as developing technologies for marsh restoration (re-wetting), are discussed. Along with new dangers, the author describes new opportunities that appear for the economy in connection with the processes occurring on the southern border of the taiga. Among the new possibilities, the article discusses new directions for the use of peat and a more active involvement of wild plants from the swamp environment in economic circulation. Particular attention is paid to the problem of increasing soil fertility in areas cleared of swamps and taiga. Options for changing crop rotations and introducing new agricultural crops into them are also considered.