Spatial Structure and Directions of Modernization of the Russian Economy

The article presents the results of analyzing changes in the spatial structure of the Russian economy in the post-Soviet period due to the transition to market economic mechanisms and the directions and spatial aspects of modernization, including the choice of priorities for regional policy for solving modernization problems. Based on analysis of trends in the spatial distribution of the population, employment, and production, long-term trends in spatial shifts have been identified: shifts in the population, labor force, and income to the western and southern regions of the country and loss of the relative positions of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions. Shifts in structure of industrial production resulted from the country’s development model, oriented towards the export of natural resources; the shares of the Northwest, Urals, the Volga region, and Siberia increased in the spatial structure of industry. An assessment of the interregional differentiation of indicators of the average per capita production of GRP and average per capita income of the population, which is an important characteristic of the space, shows that after the 2008–2009 crisis, differential scores were relatively stable; it increased, as a rule, in conditions of economic growth; during periods of recession, differentiation decreased due to the deterioration in the position of the richest regions. The contribution of regional factors and shifts in the spatial structure to growth in labor productivity in the Russian economy as a whole is assessed. It is shown that for regions, the choice of the strategy of diversified employment and structure of production is a strategy of stable growth. A significant breakthrough has been achieved by concentrating resources in the most competitive areas of growth, but such a strategy carries risks for a region. The directions of modernization of the spatial structure of the Russian economy are determined. It is shown that for modernization of the real sector of the economy, regional policy is of particular importance, taking into account the diversity of Russia’s spatial conditions and peculiarities. The regional policy proposed for modernization involves the state’s creation of development institutions and formation of a polycentric spatial structure of the economy. An essential element is implementation of a project approach, in particular, the system of national projects.