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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.

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The article discusses the resource potential of Russian federal districts involved in processes of modernization. The theoretical framework draws from Russian and international studies of economic potential, stability and efficiency in regional development and regional imbalances. Methodologically, the research relies on a series of relative indicators of innovation, which can be used to measure federal districts' modernization potential by applying methods of mathematical statistics. The proposed set of criteria allows us to take into consideration both the current situation and the dynamics of innovation development in Russian regions. The selected indicators characterize the returns from innovation investment in socioeconomic systems, the degree of regional differentiation within districts and trends of regional development regarding the efficiency of innovation processes. The proposed approach can be used to measure the efficiency of human capital use. To test the above-described methodology, we decided to focus on the Central Federal District, which has a significant resource potential necessary to meet the demands of intensive modernization. Statistical comparison of the actual and limit values has revealed significant underused resources in this district. These resources can be accessed by stimulating the lagging regions. The described methods and results of this study can be used by research organizations, higher education institutions, regional authorities and policy-makers in the process of preparation, adjustment and monitoring of strategic programs of socioeconomic development.