DIGITALIZATION OF ECONOMY AND LIVING STANDARDS OF POPULATION IN RUSSIAN REGIONS

Nadezda Vasilievna SEDOVA

Dr. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Russia

nadseva@mail.ru

Lidia Sergeevna ARKHIPOVA

Ph.D. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Russia

Arkhipova.LS@rea.ru

Darya Mikhailovna MELNIKOVA

Ph.D. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Russia

Melnikova.D@rea.ru

Irina Fedorovna ALESHINA

Ph.D. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Russia

Aleshina.IF@rea.ru

Abstract

The study of territorial inequality in the modern economic space corroborates the relevance of the strategic goals of enhancing the living standards of the population amid digitalization of the economy. Despite the regional disparities in the social and economic development of the Russian regions, favorable factors for the responsiveness to digitalization in various economic and social spheres formed. They include the high quality of human capital, a relatively sufficient level of Internet access among population, modern infrastructure in a significant number of the regions, increased organizational costs for the introduction and use of digital technologies, etc. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to assess the indicators of digitalization in the regions, their territorial disparities and model the indicators of living standards as well as the use of information and communication technologies by the population and in organizations. The research features a typology of regions according to the main indicators of digitalization with the identification of the top regions, where capital territorial entities of the Russian Federation and the northern regions with a high household income, an economy dominated either by processing and knowledge-intensive industries, or with a raw-material focus, stand out. It has been noted that over the past fifteen years, interregional differentiation by digitalization indicators has been decreasing, however, problems persist in the eastern remote and underdeveloped regions in the south of the country. The research is of practical value in terms of economic and mathematical modeling of digitalization and internetization process in relation to living standards of the population.

Keywords: digitalization, region (RF subject), indicators, human capital, internetization, modeling

JEL classification: R23, J610

 pp. 47-65

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TERRITORIAL DIFFERENTIATION OF LABOR AS A FACTOR IN THE SUSTAINABILITY OF REGIONAL ECONOMIES

Lidia S. ARKHIPOVA

PhD in Economics, Associate Professor, Department of National and Regional Economics, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia

lidia.arkhipova@mail.ru

Abstract

One of the factors influencing the sustainability of economic processes is the level of labor force territorial differentiation across the country. In locations with high employment rate among the working-age population, as a rule, the indicators of economic efficiency and sustainability are high. The outflow of labor, in its turn, contributes to a shortage of personnel, a reduction in production and an influx of migrants. Therefore, despite the replaceability of the labor force by robotics and digital technologies, for Russia with its vast space, studying the consequences of interregional inequality can identify strategic areas for economic development. Thus, the purpose of the research is to assess the degree of inter-regional inequality in the provision of the country’s regions with labor as one of the economic sustainability factors. The study of territorial inequalities in the economic space promotes the understanding of the importance of the strategic tasks in economic development of a complex, subordinate and multicomponent regional system of the Russian Federation. The processes of territorial inequality are greatly influenced by the migration flows, expressed in the outflow of the population mainly from the eastern regions. Significant migrations are common among rural migrants from the Far Eastern, Siberian and Urals Federal Districts. Therefore, the main influx of migrants is characteristic of the Central, North-Western and Southern districts. The contribution of the present research to economic science consists in justifying the prioritized support and development of the territories that are losing population and, accordingly, labor force.

Keywords: region (RF subject), territorial differentiation, labor force, development factors.

JEL classification: R23, J610

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ASSESSMENT AND MECHANISM OF REGULATING INTER-REGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENTIATION (CASE STUDY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION)

Elena GUBANOVA

Doctor of Sciences (Economics), Professor, Head of the Finance and Credit Department, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Vologda State University”, Russia

gubanova_elena@mail.ru

Nikolai VOROSHILOV

Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Research Associate of the Sector for Research in the Effectiveness of Management of Socio-Economic Systems of the Department for Issues of Socio-Economic Development and Management in Territorial Systems, Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science “Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Russia

niks789@yandex.ru

Abstract

The existence of significant differences in the levels of socio-economic development of Russian regions and the need to determine state impact methods aimed at reducing inequality indicate the existence of territorial differentiation; this is the problem the article authors address. The paper proposes a methodological approach to the assessment of inter-regional differentiation, which helps solve a set of inter-related tasks on the basis of the data of state statistics and expert surveys. To assess the extent and size of territorial inequalities, the variation and Theil indices are used. The correlation and regression analysis discloses a trend to reduce differences among Russian regions in 2005-2017. On the basis of the author’s method, the integral index (aggregating 22 private indicators) is calculated; on its basis, RF subjects are grouped according to a socio-economic development level. The complexity and scale of the differentiation problem is emphasized by the fact that at the end of 2017, 43 subjects belong to the groups with below average and low development levels. The work identifies “backward regions” (18) and “regions with a sign of depression” (13), which should become a priority object of the federal regional policy. The analysis proves the hypothesis about weak influence of the state policy tools of regional development in Russia on processes of territorial development and confirms reduction in the scale and consequences of differentiation. The authors propose a conceptual scheme of the mechanism to manage the process of reducing inter-regional differentiation and overcoming its consequences, which can be used when implementing the Strategy for Spatial Development of the Russian Federation and other strategic planning documents. The results can be used by federal authorities to improve methods and tools for implementing the state policy of regional development, as well as serve as the basis for further research on this topic.

Keywords: Russian Federation, region (RF subject), inter-regional differentiation, gross regional product, convergence.

JEL classification: R1, R5
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