Development of the Russian Space: Barriers and Opportunities for Regional Policy

Abstract

The article considers main concepts of spatial development. It, in principle, cannot be uniform, which is confirmed by the central-peripheral theory and studies of processes of spatial concentration of the economy, including within the framework of the “new economic geography” of the middle and the end of the 20th century. In the conditions of a super-centralized management system and the huge inertia of the Russian space, institutions (political, financial, etc.) play a special role, which allow reducing the objective barriers to the development of regions and cities, making maximum use of their competitive advantages. The author analyzes in detail the barriers to Russia’s spatial development, as well as the experience of carrying out an incentive and equalizing regional policy. With a general assessment of the problem of regional inequality, highlighted are the most important aspects that are necessary to understand the “corridor of opportunities” for Russia’s modernization and development. In conclusion, six main vectors of spatial strategy are briefly formulated, based on the evaluation of development trends not only in a crisis, but also in a longer retrospective.