Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2026 number 1

This article covers the development of a section of the Knowledge Base of the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which focuses on analyzing corporate cross-sections and cooperative ties in the economies of Siberian regions. With socio-economic processes getting more complex, it is super important to reflect hidden interregional and intersectoral interactions. The authors justify the need to move from traditional analysis of statistical “points” to the study of real and potential links between economic entities, including value chains, logistics flows, and institutional constraints. A methodology for establishing a database that includes qualitative and quantitative parameters of corporate cross-sections and cooperative ties between the economies of Siberian regions is presented. The structure of the database, its functions, and stages of implementation are disclosed, including the development of a user interface, data collection and systematization, testing, and integration into the overall architecture of the Knowledge Base. The potential for applying the developed tool not only in scientific research but also in the practice of project management, spatial planning, and interregional cooperation is noted. The project is based on the principles of evolutionary economics, an interdisciplinary approach, and the traditions of the Siberian scientific school.

The article presents the results of many years of research into the urban environment of Russia’s closed administrative-territorial formations (CATFs), which are unparalleled in other countries in terms of their number and diversity. It shows that the latter is linked to the peculiarities of the formation of the defense potential of the USSR and Russia in a hostile environment and the need to ensure the security of strategically important facilities. Due to the secrecy of information, there have been virtually no publications on various aspects of the functioning of CATFs for half a century. However, since the early 2000s, articles and monographs have begun to appear in Russia on the history of their creation, legal grounds, and contemporary socio-economic realities. At the same time, the subject of such works is, naturally, not secret facilities, but the specifics of the urban environment of closed administrative-territorial formations. Based on an expanding array of open information, this article highlights the features, essence, and causes of the new problems facing closed cities. In conclusion, it presents some thoughts on the hypothetical functioning of CATFs in the format of a federal territory.

The model of the region’s market system in the second decade of the 21st century, while retaining its fundamental features, faced a number of challenges of a financial, economic, socio-demographic, and political nature. The resolution of accumulated and current problems in the functioning of this model is hampered by socio-economic contradictions, the elimination of which will become possible in the near future. Based on comparative analysis, expert assessments, and a synthesis of domestic and international experience, this article examines the current dynamics and structure of the region’s market system and assesses its role in socio-economic development. The region’s market system is considered an integral part of the broader regional socio-economic system; it influences and is influenced by the region’s industrial, social, environmental, and other subsystems. A systemic-reproductive approach to the study of the region’s market system is proposed, which considers economic activity as a set of interrelated cycles, starting with production and ending with the consumption of products and services. The article discusses modern theories and concepts of the regional market system, principles of comprehensive research of the market system, methods of analysis and forecasting of market processes, problems of developing a competitive environment and market infrastructure in the region, and problems of spatial interaction. The author reviews the contemporary theories and concepts of the regional market system, the principles of comprehensive market system research, methods of market process analysis and forecasting, issues of competitive environment development, market infrastructure in the region, spatial interaction issues, and reproductive and institutional aspects of the market system. The author provides a summary of market-forming patterns, external economic relations, and state regulation at the regional level. Models of managing the development of the market system of regions, features of the mechanism of interaction between economic entities in the territory, objective conditions, and principles of management are considered, taking into account recent structural shifts in the economy of the Russian Federation. Promising areas of research into the problems of the regional market system and the development of a reproduction model of its functioning are substantiated, ensuring the implementation of market relations that mediate commodity, financial, and information flows between various economic entities. Conclusions comprise growing risks to the region’s market system associated with the acceleration of technological progress, the fragmentation of regulation of commercial and financial and credit activities, and the tightening of investment attraction policies. The obtained results may be of practical use while formulating a state policy aimed at mitigating differences between Russian regions.

Developed university ecosystems are based on the concept of productive cooperation within the “university-student-regional economy” triad aimed at the sustainability of regions in their innovative development by increasing the engagement of young in work. To describe a key mechanism for interaction between youth and business, the concept of productive collaboration is being introduced, where the systemic integration of education, science, and innovation creates human capital supporting high rates of change in technology. This approach overcomes the limitations of analyzing isolated subjects by assessing the synergistic effect of their cooperation at the regional level. The purpose of the article is to reveal the concept of “university ecosystems” and analyze the quality of university ecosystems for the sustainability of regions. Data synergy for typology of regions was ensured from four federal sources for 88 Russian regions: monitoring the effectiveness of Russian universities 2021-2023, the best startups 2022-2024, the list of student design bureaus 2025, and Rosstat statistics 2023. Using comparative analysis and graphical visualization methods, the regions are compared along two key axes: the depth of integration with the labor market (practice base) and the intensity of innovation activity (volume of extra-budgetary R&D). A typology of sustainability of regions is proposed based on the analysis of the university ecosystems quality: sustainable, flagship, unstable. It was revealed that 21 Russian regions are sustainable in terms of the competitiveness of the university ecosystems, ensuring the formation and development of two types of specialists in demand by employers: those capable of applying innovations and participating in their creation. It has found that sustainable regions significantly outperform other groups in key indicators of innovative and socio-economic development. The research results provide a basis for making informed management decisions. The proposed typology allows government agencies and stakeholders to develop targeted programs: from basic support for the integration of universities and businesses in fragile regions to stimulating breakthrough innovation in stable regions optimizing resource allocation.

This article examines the issue of digital inequality and its relationship with human capital at national and regional levels during the ongoing digital transformation of the economy, where digital skills and competencies are growing in importance. In this context, regional digital disparities may hinder human capital development across different regions. The study evaluates the digital divide between regions with varying levels of human capital development using a four-level conceptual framework of digital inequality. The author hypothesizes that regions with more developed human capital experience not only smaller gaps in digital access and skills but also greater social benefits from digital technologies. The empirical analysis draws on data from the Russian Selective Federal Statistical Survey on the Use of Information Technologies and Telecommunication Networks (2019 and 2023). The results demonstrate significant differences in both information and communications technology proficiency and usage patterns between high- and low-human-capital regions. While residents in less developed regions primarily use ICT for entertainment and communication, those in more advanced regions leverage technology more frequently for education, skills development, and efficient daily living practices that foster further human capital growth. These findings can guide policymakers in designing targeted social programs to reduce regional inequalities.

Since 2014, sectoral sanctions against Russia have had an extremely contradictory impact on the Russian economy, however, starting from 2022, there has been an increase in the scale and number of restrictions imposed. Despite this, macrostatistics confirms the insufficiency of the ratio of planned and actual effects of sanctions pressure, which, despite the attempt to implement the “smart sanctions”, was also intended to affect the deterioration of the standard of living of the Russian population. The goal of the paper is to characterize the effects of the imposition of sanctions on certain parameters that make up the standard of living of the Russian population, both from objective (based on macroeconomic statistics) and subjective (assessed by survey results) points of view. The hypothesis of the study lies in the insufficient effectiveness of the impact of sanctions restrictions from “unfriendly countries” on the Russian population in terms of possible provocation of an increase in protest activity. The publication uses statistical methods, content analysis of academic publications, and elements of institutional analysis. The main scientific result of the work is a contribution to the academic discussion on the impact of antiRussian sanctions on the Russian economy in relation to their effectiveness. In particular, it is shown that, both according to statistical indicators characterizing the standard of living and according to survey data, the effectiveness of the impact of sanctions is objectively insufficient to provoke protest activity.

The article considers aspects of social capacity of space in reproduction of human capital of the Arctic regions of Russia. The comparison of population assessments of the state of health care, education, culture and leisure, as well as working conditions and population growth rates in 32 municipalities of the European part of the Russian Arctic is carried out. The purpose of the study is to identify areas of priority transformations in these areas necessary to overcome depopulation trends at the municipal level. The factual basis is presented by the results of a survey of the population of 32 municipalities of the European part of the Russian Arctic (n=4871). The population growth rate is adopted as an indicator reflecting the resulting social conditions of human capital reproduction. A system analysis of the relationships between the parameters was implemented using the DEA analysis technique. When constructing a model aimed at maximizing the population growth rate (output parameter), eight territories were identified in which the ratio of the parameters under consideration is optimal under the existing restrictions (Arkhangelsk Urban District, Usinsk Municipal District, Kostomuksha Municipal District, etc.). For the remaining territories, priority transformation areas have been established in the areas of healthcare, education, culture and leisure, as well as working conditions to mitigate or overcome depopulation trends. In the area of working conditions, a critically important area is promoting an increase in wages, as well as ensuring the sustainable functioning and favorable prospects of city-forming enterprises, promoting the diversification of the local economy. The practical significance of the study lies in determining the priorities for regulating socio-economic processes in Arctic municipalities to mitigate or overcome depopulation trends.

This article addresses the issue of territorial inequality in access to healthcare services in Sverdlovsk Oblast of Russia. The research hypothesis is that a modified gravity-based model of potential spatial accessibility, with an empirically calibrated distance decay parameter λ , can identify stable territorial disparities in structural inaccessibility of healthcare and associated medico-economic risks, statistically linked to staffing, logistical, and institutional constraints at the municipal level. The aim of the study is to develop a model for evaluating potential spatial accessibility that accounts for territorial heterogeneity and disparities in healthcare resource availability. To achieve this, a modified gravity model was applied, incorporating double normalization and empirical calibration of the distance decay parameter λ . The accessibility index A_i was calculated for 65 municipalities in Sverdlovsk Oblast. These values were used to classify territories into three accessibility levels: high, moderate, and low (risk zones). The results reveal consistent differences among these groups in terms of physician availability, frequency of medical consultations, and medical-economic indicators. Low accessibility in several municipalities is associated with structural inaccessibility, reflected in reduced disease detection rates, fewer preventive visits, uneven distribution of workload among healthcare professionals, and rising local economic losses. These findings are supported by statistical analysis. The proposed model can be applied for monitoring healthcare accessibility, guiding workforce and investment priorities, adjusting patient routing, and informing intergovernmental fiscal policies. The A_i index may serve as an indicator of territorial vulnerability and the resilience of local healthcare systems.

The present article complements and completes the article “State Regulation of Spatial Development in China (with Reference to the North-Eastern and Western Macroregions)”, Region: Economics and Sociology, 2025, No. 4. Drawing on the example of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the PRC, it examines the experience of development and state support of a typical resource-based region, similar in its natural, climatic, and resource conditions to the regions of southern Asian Russia, but which, unlike the latter, has managed to implement an effective program of modernization and diversification of production. We look at the ideology and nature of economic reforms in China and how they have affected spatial development processes. We highlight the common features of the spatial structure of Russia and China as the world’s largest countries in terms of territory, with very large differences between their regions in terms of natural and climatic conditions, resource availability, and transport accessibility. The study shows that they are united by the common problem of a significant spatial “gap” in the levels of economic and social development of their regions, and examines the main differences between Russia and China in addressing this problem. This study demonstrates that China is effectively shaping a new quality of its space, purposefully increasing its connectivity through the implementation of major infrastructure projects. We look at the main parts of China’s positive experience with state regulation of spatial development and see how it could be used in Russia. We point out that institutional factors and conditions are the weakest link in modernizing the Chinese and Russian development models and their spatial segments.

This article examines the impact of environmental policy on the economic development of major industrial cities in Russia and China, using Tolyatti and Changchun as case studies. The results show that in Changchun, a reduction in PM2.5 concentration has a statistically significant positive effect on gross municipal product growth, indicating the effectiveness of the implemented environmental measures. In contrast, in Tolyatti, measures have shown a limited impact on economic dynamics due to the ongoing burden from industrial emissions and transport, as well as insufficient consistency in monitoring and program implementation. The practical significance of this study lies in possible application of its results to adjust environmental policy in industrial centers and develop mechanisms for sustainable cross-border interaction.

Decarbonizing Russian economy requires conceptual scientific justification and a modern system of indicative planning for achieving the strategic goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. Russian regions, except the Sakhalin Oblast, have not yet been involved in the compliance carbon market, and such a wait-and-see attitudes towards climatic agenda require more intense activities on behalf of regional authorities and businesses. The purpose of this article is to present the concept of product life cycle analysis taking into account greenhouse gas emissions and apply this methodology for assessing carbon intensity in the economic sectors of the Novosibirsk Oblast: energy, manufacturing, agriculture and municipal solid waste management. The collected empirical material and research results might be helpful for building the knowledge database for product life cycle analysis and consumption-based greenhouse gas emission accounting within the framework of indicative planning of decarbonization processes in region.

The aim of the study is to create a typology of municipal formations in the regions of Eastern Siberia for the purpose of assessing the impact of large investment projects on their socio-economic development; to compare the resulting types with existing typologies of the regions studied at the micro level, as well as with E.E. Leizerovich’s microdistricts. The author’s methodology takes into account both the characteristics of the territory (level of development, transport accessibility) and the characteristics of large investment projects being implemented there (focus - new construction or development of existing facilities, specialization). The resulting typology showed that underdeveloped, difficult-to-access, and moderately accessible municipalities are characterized by raw material development - the development of new deposits or the expansion of production at existing deposits with a focus on exports. In developed areas, investments in fixed capital are more often directed towards the development of existing facilities, although most of them are also reoriented from the domestic market to exports. Examples of deepening raw material processing in underdeveloped areas, as well as the start of mineral extraction in accessible developed areas, are few and far between. Existing typologies often focus on factors of socio-economic development of territories and do not take into account the vector of their development, while the author’s typology is consistent with T.V. Litvinenko’s typology of resource use transformations, excluding options for the degradation of territorial and economic systems due to the author’s focus on new large-scale investment projects.