Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2024 number 1

The article aims to review and analyze the predominant trends in studying Siberia’s economy over the 300-year history of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). It demonstrates that the examination of socio-economic processes in this vast region, both in terms of topics and orientation, has been significantly influenced by pivotal factors. These include the macroregion’s role in addressing national development issues and the extent of state involvement in establishing a framework of strategies, measures, and actions to foster favorable conditions for economic activities and population welfare. A notable aspect of RAS’s endeavors has been its consideration of the diverse natural and cultural-historical conditions shaping socio-economic processes in Siberia. Through a blend of extensive applied and field research alongside fundamental (system-wide) studies, the Academy has developed approaches to charting long-term socio-economic trajectories. In certain instances, these approaches have foreshadowed the paradigm of sustainable environmental, social, and economic development. However, the implementation of solutions and approaches in the socio-economic sphere proposed by RAS researchers has encountered challenges. The persistence of a sectoral (formerly departmental, now corporate) basic principle has hindered the subsequent execution of their findings. The practical denial of effective forms of horizontal coordination at the regional/interregional levels for implementing socio-economic development projects has been (and still is) the primary cause of the weak and insufficient application of the generalizations, conclusions, and proposals put forth by RAS staff.

The article delves into the necessity and underlying factors contributing to the formulation of a novel development model for Siberia. It provides definitions and concepts on both national and regional development models. The features and strategies for implementing Siberia’s development model under the current challenges and recent threats are outlined, which include five distinct types of maneuvers and adaptations to new development conditions: structural, transport and logistics, managerial, scientific and technological, and spatial maneuvers. We consider the contours of this prospective model for Siberia’s development, specifically examining its viability during a transition towards a trajectory of Russia’s renewable economic growth characterized by high quality. Six key vectors, representing fundamental principles and directions for such a model, are proposed. Among these, the most dominant are the shift towards a social value model of renewable growth, bolstering the connectivity of Asian Russia’s space, and the establishment of a novel system for cross-border interactions. Drawing insights from the analysis of “The Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives through the Year 2023 of the People’s Republic of China," the study illustrates that China’s strategic plans practically align with such a development model. The conclusion offers an assessment of the feasibility of the proposed model for Siberia’s development.

In recent years, Russia has undergone a new set of significant transformations, marked by heightened tensions in its relations with the “collective West” and the consequential imposition of sanctions, disrupting vital Western investments and export-import operations. To partially counterbalance this, the nation pivoted towards the East and endeavored to establish a self-sufficient (“sovereign”) economy. The addition of six new constituent entities to Federative Russia, four of which have been subject to the special military operation for two years, has created a scenario where the restoration and renewal of production and infrastructure facilities heavily rely on federal financial material resources. Simultaneously, the accelerated development of defense industry enterprises and facilities in the Arctic zone has led to the concentration of economic and infrastructural potential in select regions, exacerbating depopulation and “desertification" in vast territories. Despite efforts, regional policy, as noted by authoritative scientists, struggles to act as a systemic regulator for spatially mediated reality changes. We, without aiming to cover all aspects and negative consequences comprehensively, pose five key questions for consideration: (1) why recent Russia should be perceived as “‘a different country," (2) the aspirations and adaptability of state regional policy to these altered realities, (3) the implications of the policy of point localization of the country’s potential, (4) the repercussions of the lack of territorialization in federal and regional budgets, and (5) an examination of how scholars address regional policy issues in their latest works.

The study investigates how agglomeration economies operate in Russian regions, conducting empirical analyses of enterprises' performances and exploring their reliance on proximity to large regional markets based on SPARK-Interfax data from 2019 to 2020. Contrary to the prevailing belief that agglomeration effects are confined to specific areas in the central part of Russia, our econometric assessments reveal a substantial influence of agglomeration economies on the efficiency of companies situated throughout the country. Notably, every geographical zone and federal district in the Russian Federation exhibits regions with both notable positive and negligible agglomeration effects, and in certain areas, these effects are even negative. The manifestation of these effects appears unrelated to the density of economic activity or the state of communication infrastructure development. The study underscores that the realization of existing agglomeration potential is hindered by the lack of collaboration among local producers.

The article studies the interregional differentiation in labor productivity (LP) levels underlying the differences in regional economic dynamics. It evaluates the significance of sectoral structure and its modifications in shaping interregional differences in LP levels using the shift-share structural analysis method. The analysis of changes in labor productivity is based on the GVA per employed person in industries according to the All-Russian Classifier of Types of Economic Activities, encompasses data from the Russian Federation’s regions, and spans the period from 2011 to 2021. The findings reveal a trend toward the convergence of regional LP levels. This convergence is chiefly driven by regional shifts arising from intra-industry LP variances contingent on production location, while sectoral shifts indicating inter-industry LP disparities play a comparatively minor role. Contrarywise, the divergence in regional LP levels is predominantly attributed to localization shifts resulting from regional specialization in industries reflective of their comparative advantages. Notably, these localization shifts mostly occur in the Asian regions of Russia.

This paper aims to provide a historical reconstruction of the reasons, preparations, and initial stages involved in creating the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. It explores both objective and subjective factors that contributed to the success of its organizational design. The central hypothesis posits that the establishment of the SB USSR AS aligned with the authorities’ chosen strategy for developing productive forces and their geopolitical priorities. Through a critical analysis of numerous sources, including published documents, this hypothesis is substantiated. The study shows that subjective factors played a major role in project implementation, namely the extensive coalition supporting the project and the significant powers granted to project developers, especially in human resource management. Contrary to the prevailing notion that the human element had a conflict-free role in shaping the SB USSR AS, our research challenges this idea. It chronicles the progression of the idea to establish a fundamental science center in the eastern part of the country and how expertise in this domain was accumulated. Moreover, the article reveals a departure from the conventional separation of science and higher education norms at that time, showcasing how Siberia embodied the opposite concept. Examining the creation of the SB USSR AS provides valuable insights into national science and technology policymaking, spatial development policy, and the crafting of strategic documents across various levels and purposes.

This article explores the challenges in collaboration between science and business within the context of innovation ecosystems, using the Siberian Federal District as a case study. A comparative analysis of research, innovation, and technological development across the district’s regions is conducted. The proposed positioning scheme places each region on a coordinate system representing scientific and technological potentials, reflecting their capacity for knowledge and innovation creation, as well as their ability to utilize and commercialize scientific advancements. The findings reveal distinct categories of regions: leaders with well-developed and balanced ecosystems (Novosibirsk and Tomsk Oblasts), regions with higher scientific potential than technological potential (Irkutsk and Omsk Oblasts, Krasnoyarsk Krai), regions with greater technological development than scientific capacity (Altai Krai, Kemerovo Oblast), and problematic territories (Altai, Tyva, and Khakassia Republics). The study advocates for the necessity of expanding both intra- and interregional interactions horizontally, fostering the exploration of new combinations of regional abilities and opportunities to enhance the sustainability and balance of ecosystems at different levels. The development of an innovation ecosystem in biopharm technologies is presented as an illustrative example of successful interactions among ecosystem participants. Furthermore, the research highlights the increasing role of state in shaping diverse ecosystem development models. It underscores the need for support forms and tools to consider regional nuances, emphasizing a significant expansion of the responsibilities of regional and local authorities.

This article explores the evolution of research within the Novosibirsk School of Economic Sociology (NSES) focused on analyzing social issues related to territorial development, spanningfrom the early 1960s to the present. It elucidates the logical progression and NSES’s key developmental stages, as observed in the works of its founders, successors, and contemporary researchers. The authors examine the consistent transformation of both the scope of the issues investigated and the sociological methodologies employed by the NSES. The research scope, initially centered around studies on rural-urban migration and rural settlement typology, expanded to encompass urbanization processes, population spatial mobility, and, eventually, a comprehensive investigation into the socio-territorial structure of Soviet and Russian society. The article highlights enduring characteristics of the NSES evident across generations of researchers dedicated to spatial mobility and socio-territorial structure studies. These traits include the systematic approach applied to task formulation and research project design; utilization of complementary data sources; conceptual independence from political mainstream perspectives, allowing researchers to draw conclusions that may not align with government policies; a commitment to employing the latest tools for collecting and analyzing sociological data; and a steadfast aspiration for global contextual integration.

The article delves into an analysis of the inaugural conference on the study of productive forces of the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR, convened in Leningrad from April 1 to 10, 1934. Drawing insights from the conference’s published materials, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of participant demographics, sections, discussed issues, and underscore the pivotal outcomes. Through an examination of the socio-economic landscape, we elucidate the conference’s role in steering the development of the republic’s productive forces. Despite regional constraints such as geographical remoteness, sparse population, challenging climatic conditions, and economic disparities across zones, the recommendations arising from the conference, coupled with subsequent political decisions, facilitated the transformation of the agrarian republic into a prominent industrial hub in the eastern part of the country. The significance of a holistic approach to addressing issues of productive force placement and territorial organization is particularly emphasized.

We consider the environment of a specific territory as a regulatable entity, necessitating the formulation of a tailored set of methods and measures for predicting and controlling eco-economic interactions within the region. This approach is vital for steering the region towards sustainable development. Our article focuses on laying out the conceptual foundation for forecasting the environmental implications associated with developing a regional economy amidst contemporary environmental challenges. Given the inherent long-term nature of addressing environmental issues and their intricate connection with the economic and social characteristics of regions, we recognize the need for an environmental protection strategy. This strategy, and the search for effective implementation methods, constitute a crucial aspect of regional studies. Our research methodology hinges on the ideology of strategizing and programming concerning both ecological and economic development for the region. The sustainability of territorial economic systems strongly correlates with the quality of the management system, primarily influenced by environmental policy. Our proposed approach to forecasting the environmental consequences of regional economic development outlines four key research stages. Each is designed to yield specific outcomes, facilitating a systematic analysis of the root causes of environmental challenges within a particular territory. This includes accounting for potential negative consequences and identifying tools for resolution. By introducing these conceptual frameworks for forecasting regional environmental protection activities, our research enables a comprehensive assessment of the environmental landscape. This, in turn, supports more well-informed management decisions in the environmental domain.