Uneven Development of Spatial Economy of the Russian Federation and Differentiation of Growth Factors

The article discusses the problems of spatial development of the Russian Federation, analyzes the causes and trends of changes in the spatial structure of macroeconomic indicators by federal districts in the period 2008–2015 which witnessed the cyclical nature of economic development in Russia, and assesses the factors of regional growth for the period under consideration and the potential for further development of the Russian federal districts.

The research focuses on the economy of the Russian federal districts in the period 2008–2015 characterized by the cyclical nature of the development of the Russian economy. On analyzing the periods of recession alone, it is almost impossible to obtain detailed information about the factors of economic growth. At the same time, analyzing merely the periods of growth does not take into account the possibilities of crises and their consequences. For a more detailed analysis, the time boundaries of the study were divided into three periods 2008–2010, 2010–2013 and 2013–2015.

The work is aimed at analyzing the changes in the structures of macroeconomic indicators of the Russian Federation by federal districts in the period 2008–2015, determining the reasons and tendencies of their changes, studying the factors of regional growth in 2008–2015, and assessing the potential for further development of the regions of the Russian Federation. 

The research toolkit includes the methods for analyzing structural changes as well as the methods of logarithmic and proportional division. The analysis of structural changes was used both when considering GRP growth rate at constant prices and when studying the factors of growth at total labor productivity. Logarithmic division was used when dividing the yield rises by the rises of each of the factors (e.g. decomposition of GRP rises in current prices). Proportional division was used to assess the impact of regional industries on economic growth as a whole.

1. Ershov Yu. S. Features of Regional Economic Development in Russia in 1999– 2013. Regional Research of Russia, 2016, vol. 6 (4), p. 281–291.

2. Ershov Yu. S. Interregional Differentiation and Donating and Recipient Regions: Diversity of Assessments and Conclusions. Regional Research of Russia, 2020, vol. 10 (1), p. 20–28.

3. Ershov Yu. S. Spatial Aspect of the Russian Economy and Prospects of Its Development: Before and After the Crisis. Regional research of Russia, 2012, vol. 2 (1), p. 1–11.

4. Ershov Yu. S. The Siberian Federal District in the Modern Russian Economy. Regional Research of Russia, 2015, vol. 5 (1), p. 58–65.

5. Mikheeva N. N. Factors of Growth in Russian Regions: Adapting to New Realities. Regional Research of Russia, 2018, vol. 8 (4), p. 332–341.

6. Mikheeva N. N. Factors of Growth in Russian Regions: Adapting to New Realities. Regional Research of Russia, 2018, vol. 8 (4), p. 332–341.

7. Mikheeva N. N. The Russian economy resource sector: Its scale and interindustry interactions. Studies on Russian Economic Development, 2006, vol. 17 (2), p. 136–148.

8. Granberg A. G. et al. The impact of the global crisis on the strategy of spatial socio-economic development of the Russian Federation. Regional Research of Russia, 2011, vol. 1 (1), p. 2–14.

9. Ershov Yu. S., Ibragimov N. M., Melnikova L. V. Russian federal districts: peculiarities of economic and social development. Regional Research of Russia, 2006, no. 4, p. 41–56. (in Russ.)

10. Suslov V. I., Ershov Yu. S., Ibragimov N. M., Melnikova L. V. The economy of federal districts: comparative analysis. Region: Economics and Sociology, 2003, no. 4, p. 6–22. (in Russ.)

11. Kudrin A. L., Gurvich E. T. A new growth model for the Russian economy. Voprosy Ekonomiki, 2014, no. 12, p. 4–36. (in Russ.)

12. Mikheeva N. N. Economic growth in the Far East: favorable conditions and constraints. Regional Research of Russia, 2006, no. 4, p. 56–72. (in Russ.)

13. Mikheeva N. N. The diversification of regional economic structure as a growth strategy: pros and cons. Region: Economics and Sociology, 2016, no. 4 (92), p. 196–217. (in Russ.)

14. Malkina M. Yu. Economic growth and structural changes in the Russian economy. Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2015, no. 33, p. 2–14. (in Russ.)

15. Voskoboynikov I. B., Gimpelson V. E. Productivity growth, structural change and informality: the case of Russia. Moscow, HSE Press, 2015, 47 p. (Series: Labor market problems) (in Russ.)

16. Hill Fiona, Gaddy Clifford G. The Siberian Curse: How Communist Planners Left Russia Out in the Cold. Brookings Institution Press, 2003, 240 p.