Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2019 number 5S

The Baikal region (the Irkutsk oblast, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Zabaykalsky Krai) is considered in the context of distribution of component phenomena of the level of development and social well-being over the macroregions of the Russian Federation with account for the dynamics of these phenomena during 2005-2016. The macroregions of the Russian Federation are compared by the components of the level of development and social well-being. In terms of the status achieved in 2016 and relative to most of the positions considered, the Eastern Siberia, particularly the Baikal region, is the least advantageous as compared to the Far East, and the macroregions located further in the west seem to have the highest values. As for the dynam ics, there are two areas of relatively rapid growth in the Russian Federation. One of them is located in the west of the country and includes the Central Black Earth Economic Region, the Central Non-Black Earth Region, the Northwest, the Southwest, and St. Petersburg. The other one includes the Far East, mainly its oceanic part. The Baikal region is located in a vast area of relatively slow growth. The Irkutsk oblast lags behind the Republic of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai in terms of the rate of progression of some components of socio-economic development and prosperity. It is proposed that the transition of the Republic of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai to the Far Eastern Federal District (FFD) may improve this trend and, in addition, in crease the injustice in the distribution of material goods allowed in relation to the Irkutsk oblast.