The sandwich of Russian space: How different spaces differentiate themes in regional science

Abstract

The paper shows the inseparable connection between the topics of the main centres of Russian regional science and the properties of the space that they are studying. The diversity of the thematic structure of research centres is derived from differences in economic geographical and geopolitical position, sectoral structure of the economy, age of economic development of the studied areas of the Russian space. However, the most important factor differentiating Russian space is the density of economic activity, which determines the level of development of the territory. Within the Russian space, significant undeveloped territories of the North, the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East are of particular interest, in which extensive buffer zones are distinguished between the main settlement zone and low-density periphery. They constitute the essential specificity of the Russian space. Another feature is the presence of colossal "ownerless" spaces that are outside the influence of any nearby major centre and therefore are forced to focus on the federal capital, Moscow.

Impact of migrations on the demographic structures transformation in the Russian North, 1939–2019

“…Second, demographic processes in the North are determined by the remoteness and isolation of communities (Berman & Howe, 2012;Saxinger, Petrov, Krasnoshtanova, Kuklina, & Carson, 2016), peculiar features of the transport infrastructure (Zamyatina, Goncharov, Poturaeva, & Pelyasov, 2020). Although the most remote settlements are less attractive due to the climatic discomfort and the high cost of living, they perform a supporting function for the vast territories, acting as their administrative, transport and cultural centres (Fauzer, Smirnov, Lytkina and Fauzer, 2019).…”

Re-balancing of intensive and extensive factors in the center-peripheral system under the influence of technological development

“…In general, it is assumed that density, geographical proximity, and concentration contribute to the process of interaction between firms, between them and scientific institutions, to the process of knowledge spillover. Questions of a quantitative assessment of the relationship between population density and economic indicators in a certain area were raised in a number of works (Brülhart & Sbergami, 2009;Garces-Voisenat, 2012;Pilyasov, 2020;Zamyatina, Goncharov, Poturaeva, & Pelyasov, 2020). The research data as well as our own calculations based on the example of Russia show contradictory results that do not allow us to confirm the hypothesis about the high degree of influence of population density on intensive development.…”

Attracting highly skilled migrants to the Russian regions

“…The determinants of internal migration may vary by region, especially in Russia (Sardadvar & Vakulenko, 2016, where the settlement structure is very uneven (Ibragimova & Frants, 2020;Zamyatina et al, 2020).…”

“…The determinants of internal migration may vary by region, especially in Russia (Sardadvar & Vakulenko, 2016, 2020), where the settlement structure is very uneven (Ibragimova & Frants, 2020; Zamyatina et al, 2020). The regions in the eastern part of the country are poorly populated and are very far from the regions of the European part – the main demographic and economic centres.…”