Institutional conditions for socio-economic development in Russian regions

The paper describes the results of quantitative analysis of institutional conditions in Russian federal districts. The research methodology relies on a set of indicators applied to evaluate the cultur-al, legal, business, innovation, and investment-related aspects of institutional environment. The meth-odological framework also includes a system of criteria (spatial and temporal), which is used to study the indicators and calculate their mean values, dynamic indicators and variability. The parameters were normalized to allow for a more accurate comparison of Russian regions. The findings are pre-sented in the form of tables and a cluster dendrogram, which shows the distribution of Russian federal districts according to different characteristics of their institutional environment. Russian federal dis-tricts can be roughly divided into two groups: those with more or less balanced institutional condi-tions and those with anomalously high or low indicator values. It was found that in some regional socio-economic systems the institutional conditions were favourable for innovation and development although not all the constituent territories enjoyed equal access to these resources, which is supported by the evidence — the regional variability level was high in the corresponding indicators. The method-ology and results may be used by research organizations in their analytical work; by education insti-tutions for student training in the sphere of mass data processing; and by the relevant departments of regional and local administrations to design, adjust, and monitor strategic programs for socio-economic development. The proposed methodology, including the set of indicators used, can be ad-justed and perfected for other research objectives

Small business development and resource use in Russian regions

Relevance. The living standards in any country largely depend on how developed is this country’s business sector. The latter, in its turn, relies on the availability and efficient use of resources. The problem that arises in this respect and that this study seeks to address is how to measure the resource potential available for the development of small businesses in order to choose the optimal strategy of stimulating this sector for this or that region.Research objective. The aim of this research is to study resources available to small businesses and their use in Russian regions.Data and methods. The set of indicators used in our analysis helps us measure the activity of small businesses in Russian federal districts. The key elements of the assessment are based on the official statistics and include the following: average labor productivity of small businesses, the unit turnover per small enterprise, the number of small firms per 10,000 people. Each of these indicators was analyzed by using the methods of mathematical statistics according to the three criteria: stability (S); average values (M); and the variability of the results (V), which characterizes interregional differentiation within a federal district/country.Results. The article proposes a system of indicators for diagnosing small business development based on the concentration and performance of small-sized enterprises. The quantitative results of such analysis can be used for choosing strategies of small business development.Conclusion. There was a significant decline in entrepreneurial activity during the post-crisis period of 2017-2018 in Russia, which could be explained by the impact of foreign sanctions and the difficult economic situation in the country (inflation, a sharp rise in the price of resources, difficulties in communication with international partners, and the difficulty or even impossibility to adopt efficient technologies in a short time). As our analysis has shown, some of the Russian territories still have underutilized resource potential that can be used for stimulating small business development