Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2023 number 4

The article introduces a series of multifactor cyclical models aimed at achieving several objectives: shaping macroeconomic parameters on a national scale, translating these parameters to macrozones and regions, and outlining the dynamics and structure of key indicators of regional development (such as GRP, investment, and population income) in their interconnectedness. The construction of these models is underpinned by a methodological fusion of cognitive modeling techniques and triple helix models. The proposed comprehensive methodology combines these models, seeking to establish well-founded compromises in establishing key parameters for the macroeconomic scenario and the equitable distribution of economic results among regions based on predefined settings. Moreover, the study delves into a cognitive model of cyclic interactions within the “regions - federal center - business structures" system. This model allows for an examination of relationships among its participants within forward and backward linkages. It further suggests schemes for summarily assessing the contributions made by each participant to the overall transaction flow between them. We then develop algorithms for adjusting the input and output transactions of stakeholders to converge summary assessments of their activities. The experimental calculations conducted on this model validate certain suggestions from the expert community regarding desirable modifications in the relations between regions, the federal center, and business structures.

This article delves into the complexities of corporate growth, a particularly pertinent issue in today’s geopolitical landscape. It analyses how companies interact with their external environment, constituting the local production system, and explores these interactions as both prerequisites and conditions for growth. We focus on a range of pivotal growth determinants, including company size, industry, presence of agglomeration effects, affiliation with major integrated entities, innovation orientation, customer-centricity, competitive surroundings, and investment activities. High-tech enterprises are at the heart of this investigation. Empirical data was derived from survey responses from 55 companies operating in the Southern Federal District. We employed cluster analysis to probe the interplay among these selected factors and their impact on growth, identifying three distinct clusters. The first cluster encompasses ever-growing high-tech companies, primarily situated in major urban centers. The second one incorporates non-growing companies, while the third cluster comprises growing, albeit low-tech, firms. The industry’s unique characteristics, company size, and customer orientation are noteworthy in these clusters. Although state support plays a vital role in advancing high-tech firms, these companies do not rely heavily on directfinancial aid. Instead, they place a premium on assistance in orchestrating external interactions. These findings may serve to shape government policies related to industrial and innovative strategies.

Utilizing data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, the article assesses the impact of self-rated health and morbidity on hourly wage rates within the Russian labor market between 2015 and 2021. The primary method employed is econometric modeling. Through random effects panel models for the employed population, the study reveals that favorable health contributes positively to wages by 3-4%, whereas poor health leads to a wage reduction of 9%. Gender differences in health’s contribution are absent within the present period, albeit this contribution is generally lower than that of education. Lasso regression analysis demonstrated that health indicators, encompassing chronic conditions and multiple morbidities, served as predictors of wages among men. For women, not all chronic illnesses predicted wages. The study’s findings underscore the urgency of health promotion, capable of elevating labor productivity and wages. Personal health investments involve amplified physical activity, as well as tobacco and alcohol cessation. Proposed state interventions encompass proactive informational campaigns on preventative healthcare, medical evaluations in working environments, regular check-ups, and augmented access to sports facilities. Additionally, state initiatives should be directed towards enhancing employment opportunities, including tailored professional orientation and facilitating labor market integration for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions. These collective endeavors to preserve and build health capital within a market economy seek to bolster labor productivity and represent a potential source of economic growth for Russia in the coming decade.

This article explores social innovations and initiative projects within rural areas of Russian regions. Its primary goal is to develop both theoretical principles and practical suggestions for social innovation projects in Russia's rural regions. These aims are achieved by analyzing existing international and local experiences in executing programs and projects fostering social innovation in rural areas. The study employs methods such as theoretical analysis of publications, including scientific articles and analytical reports, along with quantitative secondary analysis of empirical data. The research hypothesis asserts that social innovations in rural areas, manifested as initiative projects, can effectively address territory-specific priorities and foster positive perceptions of rural living. These innovations activate local initiatives, engage communities and motivate their growth, disseminate new knowledge, and enhance the quality of rural life. A clear link is established between the quantity of implemented social innovation projects in rural regions and the quality of life among rural residents. Additionally, the study concludes that relying solely on local communities as innovation sources is inadequate; diversifying funding sources, particularly by involving businesses, is crucial. Businesses are incentivized to improve rural living standards and boost effective demand. The study’s findings are applicable to federal and regional authorities, guiding their decision-making processes to transform social realities within rural areas.

This article explores aging and old age as the natural and irreversible processes within an increasingly large segment of the population. While these processes share physiological similarities worldwide, their social implications and everyday experiences vary significantly depending on the country’s demographics and socio-economic factors, as well as the cultural traditions and social consciousness of different peoples. Russian old age serves as a compelling case study illustrating these differences. The article shows the challenges Russian citizens face in achieving a long and healthy life, highlighting the stark contrast between political rhetoric promoting active aging and the realities of age discrimination. It also delves into the reasons behind the negative perceptions of Russian nursing homes and their prevalence. The research discusses the motivations of elderly individuals to save for their own funerals, as well as the growing practice of creating hereditary wills. Furthermore, it examines efforts to combat the signs of aging and contemplates the medical and technological prospects for achieving physical immortality. In light of the latter, the article also explores considerations on “how long one should aim to live."

This article presents the results of a study on regional connectivity in Southern Western Siberia, focusing on indicators of population spatial mobility - a variety of interregional interactions. The study identifies various forms of subregional and interregional connected spaces, including conurbation, and explores the utility of different data sources for analyzing the spatial mobility of the Russian population. The research also incorporates statistical data, detailing the socioeconomic and infrastructural characteristics of the Southern Western Siberian regions. It investigates travel times between regional hub cities by various modes of transportation, such as car, bus, and train. The analysis reveals that the shortest travel times between these hub cities are achieved by car. Additionally, the study demonstrates that all cities in the region have better transportation links with Novosibirsk than one another, indicating the region’s monocentricity in this regard. To determine the migration connectivity of Siberian regions, the study employs Rosstat data to calculate both the absolute size and intensity coefficient (velocity) of interregional migration flows between pairs of regions. The study finds that regions with stronger migration links between them exhibit higher connectivity. Moreover, the presence of several pairs of territories with intense migration exchanges suggests a polycentric pattern in macroregional migration interactions. Using sociological data obtained through telephone surveys of the population in Tomsk Oblast and Altai Krai in 2021, the study characterizes spatial mobility. It examines parameters such as intensity, travel direction, modes of transportation used, and the purpose of travel for episodic trips outside the region. The analysis reveals that the structure of priority travel directions for episodic mobility aligns with those of intensive migratory flows. Passenger cars are the predominant mode of transport for episodic trips, and the primary goals of such mobility are social, recreational, and labor-related. Ultimately, the study underscores that regional connectivity through population mobility is primarily driven by the desire to maintain social connections.

In the current context, effectively managing interregional migration flows is a vital tool for implementing state policies related to socio-demographic and economic development within territorial systems. This management also plays a significant role in ensuring national security. This article focuses on analyzing key trends, dynamics, and migration patterns within the Russian Federation, using the Republic of Bashkortostan, one of the country’s most populous regions with substantial migration activity, as a case study. By employing statistical data analysis methods, we identify the primary factors that underpin the relationship between key socio-economic indicators of regional development and the mobility of its residents. We propose a clustering approach to group Russian regions based on their attractiveness for migration. Finally, we present a framework for calculating an integrated measure of migration attractiveness among Russian regions using parametric and cluster analysis methods.

This article presents an author’s analysis of the factors that affect the growth of entrepreneurship in social work at the regional level, with a focus on the Republic of Karelia, spanning from 2015 to 2023. This period witnessed significant changes in the legal framework governing social services and social entrepreneurship. Our approach to this analysis is dynamic, building upon our prior study published in the journal “Region: Economics and Sociology" in 2019. Consequently, we employed diachronic and factor analysis as our primary methods. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the barriers identified in 2019 remained unresolved during subsequent periods, potentially exacerbated by emerging factors and circumstances. Our research outcomes provide an understanding of entrepreneurial activities in the social work sector, encompassing state institutions, commercial enterprises, socially-oriented NGOs, and self-employed individuals in the Republic of Karelia today. We have identified both facilitating and inhibiting factors contributing to the development of entrepreneurship in social work. These findings hold relevance for regional authorities actively engaged in shaping and executing social policies. They can serve as a foundation for engaging with the public to disseminate knowledge about entrepreneurship within the social sphere. Furthermore, our research methodology can be readily applied to other regions of the Russian Federation, particularly in the North and the Arctic, characterized by vast distances between settlements and low population density.

This article analyzes two large-scale railway projects, namely, Barentskomur and Severosib, both of which have been under discussion for nearly a century regarding their feasibility. The uncertainty surrounding the outcomes and costs of these north-south megaprojects holds significant strategic implications for Russia. Moreover, in the long run, it may exert an ambiguous impact on social performance. While existing methodologies associate uncertainty with varying degrees of risk and in justifying the design suggest a set of measures to mitigate these risks, both probabilistic and improbable, this article introduces an alternative perspective. Here, we examine the factor of uncertainty in terms of opportunities it presents for the future, adopting a constructive approach. To address the emerging challenges, we employ the tools of neo-system analysis as developed by J. Kornai and G. B. Kleiner. Neo-system analysis, in this context, refers to the creation of a multidimensional future using a comprehensive system for evaluating large-scale projects, supplemented by information and expert technologies. We demonstrate how a suite of domestic software products, originating from the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering within the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Siberian Transport University, expands the capabilities of expert methodologies. These tools are invaluable for providing recommendations to decision-makers who deal with intricate investment decisions under conditions of risk and uncertainty.

Given the increasing disparities in socio-economic development across Russia’s regions, empirical assessments of the public sector’s activities at the regional level catch the attention of researchers. Russia’s federal structure confers equal status to all its constituent entities, implying an expectation of equitable state performance throughout the country. A review of existing studies on the public sector performance shows that they lack a comprehensive assessment using Russian data in a regional context, which has defined the purpose of this research. Our assessment methodology centers on constructing a composite index incorporating 74 indicators of regional socio-economic development, where the public sector plays a pivotal role. We have modified the Public Sector Performance (PSP) assessment methodology by expanding the number of considered indicators and implementing a different standardization approach. Indicator weighting was determined through expert evaluations of the state’s influence on them. The article calculates a composite PSP index for each region and sub-indices for eight categories: Transport Infrastructure; Healthcare; Education, Science and Innovation; Sports and Culture; Social Support; Safety; Ecology; and Economic Development. The Gini coefficient indicates low differentiation in public sector results across Russian regions. However, Moscow and St. Petersburg significantly lead the final rating, with more pronounced gaps in the first three categories. These findings provide valuable insights for authorities, enabling them to identify regional weaknesses, address sector-spatial gaps, draft state program adjustments, and shape a pool of interregional collaborations. The aim is to transfer the most successful management cases, projects, and practices from leading regions in the relevant areas.

The Russian Far East functions as a “contact zone" connecting the national economy with Asia-Pacific nations. Other things being equal, to fully unlock the potential of this region, it is essential to minimize the obstacles hindering its trade and economic engagement with foreign markets. Given the rising external barriers faced by the entire national economy, there is a growing possibility that the Far East of Russia may increasingly redirect trade toward China. This could lead to adverse consequences, as it would create an overreliance on a single foreign market.

Research on energy development in Eastern Russia, in light of the nation’s evolving energy sector technologies, is both multifaceted and intricate. Against the backdrop of new challenges driven by geopolitical dynamics and sanctions on Russia, the Eastern regions play a pivotal role. The global mandate for economic decarbonization, endorsed by the Russian government, necessitates a reevaluation of energy sector growth and its integral energy systems. This study examines regional features of energy systems in Eastern Russia to discern influential factors impacting territorial and production structures, energy consumption, transport infrastructure construction in the eastern part of the country, energy exports to Asia-Pacific nations, and the efficacy of energy distribution to isolated and remote areas. The analysis identifies several categories of regional energy system features in Eastern Russia, including socio-economic, infrastructural, sectoral, fuel and energy balance, and environmental-climatic aspects. These interconnected features must be considered when formulating energy development strategies, especially in the context of transitioning to low-carbon technologies.

This article delves into the challenges of strategic planning and management for the socio-economic development of regions and municipalities in the face of new realities. It also dissects the spatial aspects of regional development. We bring to light various pressing issues, spanning organizational, institutional, socio-economic, financial, and legal domains, that affect strategic planning. One notable finding is that socio-economic development exhibits substantial spatial disparities among regions and municipalities. It becomes evident that current strategic planning, management practices, and institutional mechanisms inadequately consider the unique characteristics of each region and the pivotal role that spatial factors play in driving economic growth. Our work advocates for the adoption of a systematic approach to regional and municipal strategic planning to enhance the efficacy of decision-making processes. It traces the evolution of strategic planning methodologies in tandem with the increasing socio-economic priorities shaping state development. Moreover, the article analyzes strategic planning documents and offers insights into the primary stages of building a contemporary planning and forecasting system in Russia. Drawing from the accumulated experience of planning and forecasting within regional and municipal administrations, we put forth recommendations aimed at improving regional and municipal planning and management, ultimately bolstering its efficiency.