SOCIOECONOMIC ASYMMETRY IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS RUSSIA
SOCIOECONOMIC ASYMMETRY IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS RUSSIA

Summary/Abstract: Issues of uneven distribution of wealth have been at the cornerstone of human geography since the inception of this discipline. Inequality in socio-economic values is found at all geographical scales both within and across regions – districts of cities, municipalities of regions, regions of countries. Polarization and alignment processes are subjected to close attention on behalf of research and political institutions worldwide, yet there is still no consensus on their assessment, forecast or possible measures of control and regulation. The aim of our research is to undertake comparative analysis and define the different methodological approaches to the assessment and evaluation of inter-regional divergence and convergence processes. The three major groups of methods are applied to test the divergence dynamics of Russian regions by their socio-economic characteristics – based on settlement patterns, industry clustering, and quality of life. The evaluation process is based on statistical grouping method, correlation and graph analysis using databases of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation. Policy recommendations drawn upon the research results are addressed to public authorities for changes to be implemented in the regional policy.

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