The grouping of regions of the Federal districts of the Russian Federation, basing on their development trends

One of the issues, discussed periodically by domestic experts, is the possibility (advisability) to use Federal districts’ (FD) management bodies in order to implement, as minimum, major interregional projects, as maximum - programs of the economies’ development of FD in total. As one of the arguments «against» the feasibility of recognition of these bodies’ of management right for such a role is the fact that regions, forming each FD, vary considerably in the parameters of their socio-economic development. This argument cannot be considered as valid. Interregional differences within the boundaries of FD are the mirror projection of spatial differences in levels of economic development and social sphere over the territory of the Russian Federation, which not eliminates the need for the implementation of all-national regional policy, but makes this policy necessary. Therefore, management bodies of FD cannot be excluded of the number of actors, involved in the development and implementation of state regional policy of the Russian Federation and subjects of the Federation. However, they must occupy their own place, to the definition of which may contribute the results of the integral assessment since 2000 of trends of investment and social potentials of regions, included in FD in the framework of 4 groups and 12 subgroups of subjects of the Russian Federation. It is also clear that the significance of regional differences in the boundaries of all FD, presented in the article, do not allow to accept the point of view of experts, offering to replace the management of regional development at the level of subjects of the Russian Federation with the management at the FD level. The analysis is based on the methodology, presented in previous publications in the «Federalism»journal.

Federal district, region, regional economy, rating, subject of the Russian Federation, регион, региональная экономика, рейтинг, субъект Российской Федерации, федеральный округ

1. См., напр.: Валент ей С ., Бахти з ин А ., Валенти к О ., Кольчуг ин а А ., Лыко ва Л . Трен д ы развития экономик субъектов РФ // Федерализм. 2013. № 3. С. 167-189

2. Валентей С.Д., Бахтизин А.Р., Бухвальд Е.М., Кольчугина А.В. Тренды развития российских регионов // Экономика региона. 2014. № 3. С. 9-22