Agglomeration effects, institutions, and natural resources in the changing economic geography of Russia

Abstract

The paper discusses a number of hypotheses as potential explanations of the spatial income distribution in Russia. The hypotheses include the increasing return hypothesis, the institutions hypothesis and the simple and sophisticated versions of the geography hypothesis. According to the existing evidence, the sophisticated geography hypothesis fits best Russian data. This suggests that the changes in spatial income distribution follow the changes in local geographical characteristics and in their economic value.

Economic and Demographic Dynamics of Settlements in Leningrad Oblast: Influence of Transborder Clustering Factors

“…In particular, A.S. Skorobogatov supports his foreign colleagues [19] and mentions that the geographical characteristics should be considered the main factor of the spatial distribution of income; the presence and significance of geographic characteristics in terms of the relative benefits of staying in a particular territory change over time [14].…”

“…The city dominant peculiar to the territorial organization of society [14] (this primarily refers to larger, metropolitan cities) is generally the result of synergy: people with different skills and professions live together in one community [13], which correlates with the modern concepts promoted within the "new economic geography" [21,[23][24][25][28][29][30]. The transborder interactions initiated by the seaside factor enhance the urban-centric effects [7], lead to differentiation of urban settlements [3], and cause their further segregation in levels and rates of socioeconomic development.…”

Transformation of the Residential System of the St. Petersburg Agglomeration in the 2010-2020

“…В частности, А.С. Скоробогатов [15], на основе методологии «новой экономической географии» [22][23], приходит к выводу, что численность населения растет там, где оно уже было достаточно большим, создавая эффект «снежного кома» …более населенные и богатые территории привлекают дополнительное население и капитал, что делает их еще более населенными и богатыми». Значения коэффициента корреляции варьируются от -1 до +1.…”

Analysis Of Tourist Resources Of The Region: Creating Of The Interactive Atlas

“…Research aimed at studying the tourist and recreational potential of territories remote from megacities and large infrastructure facilities form the idea of a new civilizational paradigm based on a qualitatively new perception of the territory and regional competitiveness (Ukrainsky, 2018). In particular, hypotheses of increasing returns to the region are considered, which is associated with a change in the demand for available resources (Skorobogatov, 2017).…”