TRENDS, PROBLEMS, AND MECHANISMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORTHERN RURAL TERRITORIES IN THE EUROPEAN RUSSIA

Nikolai VOROSHILOV

PhD in Economics, Senior Researcher, Federal State Budgetary Institution of Sciences “Vologda Re-search Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Russia

niks789@yandex.ru

Abstract

The article presents the results of the analysis of trends and issues of socio-economic development of the Russian Federation’s rural territories and subjects, situated in Russia’s European North. It reveals that the key problems of territorial development are unfavorable demographics; poor housing improvement regarding all improvement types; high share of the population provided with bad-quality drinking water; noticeable income difference between rural and urban population, etc. The authors propose a typology of rural territories according to the size of rural population, periphery, and their economic specialization. We reveal that the territories adjacent to large and major towns, as well as ones having agro-industrial and extractive specialization, are developed the most. We substantiate a mechanism for managing Russia’s rural territories in current conditions and propose recommendations for updating their state development policy: 1) to ensure a complete implementation and achievement of goals of the RF state program “Integrated development of rural territories”; 2) to provide an equal availability of state support measures to rural developers; to help provide state support measures for the development of small- and medium-sized businesses in rural areas; 3) to create conditions for attracting non-budget financing investment sources to socio-engineering countryside infrastructure; 4) to develop different forms of agricultural cooperation; 5) to establish professional teams of experts, specialists, and activists, interested in developing rural territories, in each subject of the Russian Federation, etc.

Keywords: rural territories, European North of Russia, socio-economic development, typologiza-tion, control mechanism.

JEL classification: R1, R5

The author declares that this article is original, its materials have not been published anywhere before.

 pp. 93-108

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POPULATION ACCESSIBILITY TO RAIL SERVICES. INSIGHTS THROUGH THE LENS OF TERRITORIAL COHESION

Daniela- Luminița CONSTANTIN

Professor at the Department of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

danielaconstantin_2005@yahoo.com

Corina- Cristiana NASTACĂ

Teaching Assistant at the Department of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

cnastaca@gmail.com

Emilia GEAMBASU

MSc – Administration and Public Management,Faculty of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies; Bucharest; Romania

geambasuemilia@gmail.com

Abstract

Territorial cohesion is a concept that has played an important role in the European authorities’ agenda since the 1990s, being linked to some of the main objectives defined in various EU Treaties (i.e. those envisaging flows, connectivity, spatial nodes, etc.). In this respect, the present research aims to explore territorial cohesion in relation to accessibility so as to provide a comprehensive picture of this subject, employing for the empirical study the Romanian railway system. The main objective is to examine how the Romanian railway infrastructure influences territorial cohesion through regions’ accessibility to infrastructure and rail transport services. The research methodology consists of an exploratory study conducted using secondary data analysis. The collected data have been used to compute a set of indicators (the Engel ratio, the Goltz ratio, and the Hansen accessibility coefficient) that allows the analysis of the degree of population accessibility to railway transport, based on the characteristics of the rail transport service (distance, duration, and cost of travel). The study has revealed that the Romanian railway infrastructure does not have a positive contribution to reducing disparities and strengthening territorial cohesion. Although it is sufficiently extensive, it has uneven growth and low accessibility due to low travel speeds and long travel times. Regarding accessibility, the presence of at least two types of disparities – inter- and intra-regional, has been revealed, due to the fact that disparities in accessibility firstly manifest at the regional level and increase in intensity at the county level.

Keywords: territorial cohesion, population accessibility, railway network, inter- and intra-regional disparities, Romania

JEL classification: R1, R4, R42

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AGGLOMERATION ECONOMICS AND ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION: ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS

Vinko MUŠTRA[1]

Associate professor, Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism, University of Split

vmustra@efst.hr

Hrvoje KALINIĆ

Assistant professor, Faculty of Science, University of Split

hrvoje.kalinic@pmfst.hr

Abstract

This paper constructs the model that links agglomeration economics with information asymmetries. It extends the literature by launching the concept that explains influence of the asymmetric information on agglomeration economies by emphasizing the role of the transaction cost under institutional framework. Consequently, the predictions of the model suggesting that impact of agglomeration economies depends on stages of development highlight the importance of different approach to the agglomeration economies phenomena in developing  and developed countries.

Keywords: agglomeration economics, asymmetric information, transaction costs, institutions

JEL classification: R1, O4, D8

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[1] Corresponding author