Vol 9, No 2 (2019)

The paper considers approaches to analyzing and setting directions in the development of Siberia. The view of Siberia widely adopted by the scientific community, taking it to be a socially and economically linked region, is shown to be largely premature. For 60 years, the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences has been developing and elaborating approaches that can provide a comprehensive rationale for the development of Siberia in line with modern spatial economics concepts (creating and distributing value in the interests of Siberia and its individual regions). The approaches developed at the institute make it possible to analyze the synergistic effects from the integrating efforts of individual territories within the Siberian macroregion.

The question this paper raises is whether implicit theoretical premises of seminal strategic planning documents are confirmed by empirical data. It is necessary to answer this question in order to assess the validity of proposed regional policy measures; in this respect, these measures may vary significantly depending on their academic basis. It is shown that, despite the latest achievements in regional science, current regional policy remains trapped in the theoretical frameworks of the twentieth century. That being said, there are obvious problems with empirical confirmation of agglomeration economies. The difficulties in interpreting observable data relate to the use of macroeconomic indicators for testing initially microeconomic models. One is compelled to use this practice for methodological reasons and due to a lack of data. We verify empirically the assertions that the territorial concentration of economic activity in cities and towns creates absolute advantages in terms of production efficiency, ensuring national economic growth and reducing regional disparities. According to our estimates, higher labor productivity is not inherent only to large cities; there is no sufficient evidence in favor of concentrating economic growth in agglomerations; rising interregional inequality is observed in most countries, including ones with high per capita income. We conclude that the results contradict widely disseminated declarations about the higher economic efficiency of agglomerations. It is particularly disturbing that some of these declarations are included in the Fundamentals of the State Policy of Regional Development of the Russian Federation until 2025 and in the Spatial Development Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2025, thus having acquired the force of law.

The article evaluates the state of high-tech and knowledge-intensive business in the regions of the Siberian Federal District and identifies their development constraints and prospects. Approaches to defining high-tech business are compared. Estimates are given for the spatial and sectoral structure of high-tech and knowledge-intensive business. An outline is given of the challenges and opportunities for the development of high-tech manufacturers and service-providers. It is shown that the role of high-tech and knowledge-intensive business in Siberia remains low: they form less than 10% of the regional economy. The service economy, represented by high-tech services, is developing at a higher pace in Siberia: air transportation services come first, followed by high-tech industrial services and small high-tech processing companies. Large high-tech companies are dependent on the government strategy. A strong differentiation exists between the regions of the Siberian Federal District in terms of presence and development of high-tech business. Novosibirsk oblast, Krasnoyarsk krai, and Irkutsk oblast can be considered regional leaders in high-tech production. Empirical data confirms that the most favorable conditions for the development of the new economy exist in regions with advanced science and education.

This paper analyzes regional features of migration of the elderly population in Russia. Data compiled from the 2010 All-Russia Population Census have revealed the share of people aged 60 years and older in the structure of interregional and intraregional migration flows and the intensity of this type of migration. Assessment of the migration intensity of the elderly in Russia demonstrates significant regional differentiation. Compared to Russia as a whole, the Far East and northern territories are distinguished by a high level of elderly migration intensity. At the same time, the beginning of “retirement” departures from these regions usually occurs earlier than is set by the retirement age limit for men and women in Russia. And in general, migration of the elderly from northern regions involves the relocation of the “young elderly.” The overwhelming majority of republics and autonomous entities are among the regions with a low intensity of migration of the elderly. This paper also identifies the main centers of attraction and outflow of elderly migrants within the Russian Federation and general features of elderly migration in Russia.

The article provides insight into the features of economic development in the steppe regions of European Russia. Russia’s steppe zone is regarded not only as a natural and geographical formation, but also as a socioeconomic space with specific problems. The paper presents the results of an analysis of socioeconomic development indicators for municipal units in the steppe regions of European Russia. Clustering-based classification was performed for the federal subjects forming the steppe space. The classification revealed the asymmetry of the economic potential common to the steppe regions of European Russia, which is a decrease in the level of economic development from west to east. The analysis identified regions of advanced development of municipalities: Krasnodar krai, Belgorod oblast, and Samara oblast, and depressed regions: the Republic of Kalmykia, Orenburg oblast, Saratov oblast, and Volgograd oblast. The position of the depressed regions limits the opportunities for integration with the Republic of Kazakhstan and development of cross-border cooperation in analogy with Euroregions. The work differentiates the municipal units based on attracted investments and industrial and agricultural production. The unevenness of economic development in the steppe regions of the Russian Federation manifests itself in polarization of economic indicators of the leading municipalities, the growth of which is primarily determined by natural-resource and spatial factors and sociodemographic reasons. The effect of space shrinkage of socioeconomic development of municipal units in the steppe zone is observed. This is reflected in the rural depopulation, which covers a considerable area, and decline in practical use of the territory. The effect of mutual influence has been revealed, which means that underperforming municipal units found at the periphery of growing regions are primarily border with depressed neighbors.

The focus of present study is the Central Urals region of Russia known for its abundant industrial and mining heritage, dating back to the eighteenth century. After decades of contempt and physical neglect, industrial heritage sites in Russia, and specifically in the Central Urals, are gaining notable interest. However, the tremendous tourist opportunities in the Central Urals are hampered by the lack of tourist infrastructure, deficit of support from local authorities, and shortage of advertisement and visibility. This case study shows how the interplay of local perceptions and business interests in the post-Soviet space defines the pace of change. The authors’ recommendations for revitalizing industrial and mining heritage tourism in the Central Urals are three-fold: improving the quality of domestic tourist sites and amenities before appealing to the international tourist community, pursuing the intersectoral cooperation of various interested actors including regional and local administration, private businesses, investors, and residents, and, finally, obtaining the UNESCO status for numerous unique industrial heritage sites in the region.

Air quality in Russian cities for 1991–2016 is analyzed. Four cities (Bratsk, Magnitogorsk, Chita, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) have been “blacklisted” by the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring virtually every year during this period, as both chronically and extremely polluted cities. A high level of air pollution is observed in the cities of Irkutsk oblast, Krasnoyarsk krai, and Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk oblasts. The determining factors forming the ecological situation in cities depending on their location, specialization, and population size were identified: (1) large emissions from industrial facilities and/or transport; (2) emissions of mainly unidentified sources of pollution; (3) high natural air pollution potential; (4) “import” of pollution from external sources due to the adverse ecological and geographical location. An absolute solution to the problem of polluted air can only be found within the framework of regulating Russia’s territorial development.