RUSSIA’S ASIAN BORDERLANDS: NEW CHALLENGES, RISKS, AND SOLUTIONS
A.K. Tulokhonov, S.N. Ivanova
Baikal Institute of Nature Management, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ulan-Ude, Russia
Keywords: Asian Russia, border regions, “black box”, depopulation, spatial development, comparative analysis, Chukotka, Alaska, Transbaikalia
Abstract
The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the socio-economic development of Russia’s eastern borderlands within the context of a comparative study of the adjacent territories of China, Japan, and the United States. The study examines the socio-economic dynamics of the border regions of Asian Russia in comparison with adjacent territories abroad. The topic is explored through an analysis of the underlying causes of the depressed state of the eastern borderlands of the Russian Federation. The purpose of this article is to identify the factors driving population decline and economic stagnation amid rapid growth in regions with similar natural and climatic conditions in China and the United States. The study’s hypothesis is that the reasons for this lag are not related to geographic remoteness or climate severity, but to institutional flaws in the governance system and the underestimation of development factors. The methodology used is a “black box" approach, which allows assessing the internal content of a system by comparing input conditions and final social outcomes. A comparative analysis of living standards is conducted using the examples of Zabaikalsk and Manchuria, Chukotka and Alaska. The results of the study demonstrate that the key barriers to development include a lack of strategic planning, regression in transport infrastructure, insufficient attention to nationalpolicy, and the dominance of a resource-based economic model. It is shown that effective development of the territory is impossible without transport connectivity, support for indigenous peoples, and economic specialization, taking into account competition from neighboring countries. The application of these results extends to regional strategic planning and the adjustment of the National Development Program for the Far East. The authors conclude that continuing with current approaches risks depopulating Asian Russia. Improving spatial strategy requires restoring the role of science and moving from a capital-centric model to a policy of equalizing living standards across borders.
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