Geographical Dimensions of Russian Energy Developments

For decades, energy production and use have been of primary importance for the economy of Russia and the former Soviet Union. These newest energy plans support the country's economic connections with the west and global economy. Many factors in energy production and logistics (and politics) promote the integration of Russia with Europe, and almost only with Europe. This economic connection between Russia and the EU countries seems to be profitable for both sides, as their economies are mutually complementary. The formation of such mutual interests causes new security configuration in the foreign policies of these countries. The former empire's parts bordering on Russia in the west, Belarus and first of all Ukraine, have become problematic due to transit payment conflicts. Consequently, the focus of logistic visions is geographically transferred to the north. Russian companies develop northern pipelines and ports as well as plan the construction of new oil and gas pipelines through Fennoscandia. On the other hand, these northern infrastructure plans are also a pure geographical coincidence, in the way that new oil and gas deposits lie in northern high-latitude zones. Logistic investments near the border regions of Finland are supported by the factor that the shortest way for gas (and partly oil) transportation to Central Europe is through the Baltic Sea area. Russian Energy plans bring about re-integration: Close cooperation between Russia and the European Union in the energy field can bring the former COMECON countries and the Baltic states, when they get EU membership, back into the energy system, from which they wanted to be separated ten yeas ago. It seems evident that the Russian Energy developments will have spin-offs to localities of the European North. How, to which areas, and to what extent is worth dicussing and elaborating on.

Selittävätkö hyvinvointierot odotettua alhaisempaa poismuuttoa eräiltä korkean työttömyyden alueilta?

Artikkelin liite saatavana osoitteessa http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201304183191201

Theories of regional development and their relevance to the forest sector.

The paper elaborates upon various theories to explain economic development and restructuring in the forested regions of advanced countries. The concepts of communities based on the forest sector and the concept of restructuring are discussed before presenting the diversity of relevant theories. Different theoretical approaches in geography and regional and socio-economic sciences are analyzed, and the paper concludes that each theory gives only a partial explanation of restructuring under certain conditions. This paper recommends that an explanatory framework should take into account – in addition to general explanatory factors – sectoral, local-specific and policy-related factors and the role of human agency in attempts to explain restructuring and development

Periphery syndrome - a reinterpretation of regional development theory in a resource periphery

A study is made of industrialization and the transition in economic structure as it has affected a remote peripheral region of Finland with a predominantly resource‑based economy over the last twenty years or so. The empirical resultsare used to interpret and develop theory of regional development adequate for describing the transition of this peripheral region from an area dominated by primary‑sector production to one characterized by industry and the service sec­tor. The resource‑based peripheral region concerned is the province of Northern Karelia. A region‑level core‑periphery system is outlined in which the organization of the economy, the division of labour, performance potential and environmental relations are examined by regional and spatial analysis and resource analysis. A model is developed for evaluating the performance potential of an economy and proposing alternative paths of development. Development in a periphery is regulated by external impulses (demand, regional policy, etc.) together with the distinctive features imposed on the economy by its past history. This development can be explained by reference to rationaliza­tion in resource processing sectors, profitability difficulties, poor growth propen­sity and special characteristics of the division of labour and the adoption of new technology. The combined effect of these factors, termed here the periphery syn­drome, leads to differences in affluence and in general to regional differentia­tion in the economy. The syndrome is dynamic in nature. The principal problems following the economic transition are shifting away from rationalization in agricul­ture and towards the structure of industry itself. The resource periphery is be­coming an industrial periphery. The conclusions comprise a set of eight conceptual systems of factors which should be taken into account when studying economic transition and industriali­zation in peripheral regions. These concern development with respect to popula­tion, rationalization, regional policy, the spatial division of labour, spatial cost structures, demand, entrepreneurship and resource and environment factors and the influence of these on regional development in the periphery in question. The differences in development between the sectors of industry are of sig­nificance for regional development as a whole, and allowance should be made for these in the theory. Where theories of development in resource peripheries tend to represent outcomes of a number of external and internal factors and ones applying to individual sectors, the explanatory model evolved here comprises theo­retical concepts of a number of different types

Norjalaisnäkemys Luoteis-Venäjän kehityksestä ja luonnonvaroista

Centre-periphery relations in Russia: the case of the Northwestern regions, Geir Hønneland & Helge Blakkisrud (toim.), Aldershot (2001