Journal articles - Arctic and North
All articles: 1028
Scientific article
A lot has been said about the low quality of territory development programs at the regional and municipal levels in Russian literature. However, rare examples are given to confirm this thesis. In the case of such closely related issues as demographic and the education system development at the municipal level, we consider the territorial planning schemes and show these issues are not given sufficient attention. In terms of demography, the main disadvantages are an insufficiently detailed analysis of the age distribution of the population and its dynamics, analysis of a very short period (1-4 years), underestimation of existing trends (e.g., a wave-like change in the population), and an extremely weak demographic forecast. Concerning the education system, the main disadvantages are a short review horizon (1-3 years), insufficient analysis of trends and justification of the proposed measures, the use of planned rather than real indicators, which leads to an underestimation of demographic trends, insufficient analysis of the accessibility of educational organizations. A more detailed analysis of indicators over a greater number of years should be carried out to improve the quality of the schemes. When developing them, it is necessary to involve a specialist in demographic forecasting. Finally, it is required to create a model scheme that can be guided by developing schemes at the municipal level.
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Revisiting the question of the Russian Arctic policy making
Scientific article
The author discusses the main stages and key documents that have established the Russian Arctic zone as an independent object of the state policy and analyses current issues of the Russian Arctic policy making. It was decided to avoid the clear separation of stages in the policy making process due to the fact that it was not possible to determine the equivalent differentiation criteria. The chosen approach has allowed to achieve certain goals and to draw conclusions about the dynamics of the Russian Arctic policy making, its key points, the meaning and significance of adopted legal acts.
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Rights of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic: problems and solutions
Scientific article
The article reveals the situation of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North of the Russian Federation; it draws attention to the unresolved issues of the collective rights of the indigenous peoples, legal aspects of their ethnicity, public health, and reindeer husbandry, industrial development of the territories, education and language. The author has noted activities of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East. In conclusion, the author states that despite the exist-ing shortcomings because of the self-sufficient public-state and ethnic policy, in the Russian Arctic, there is an ongoing system of ensuring rights of indigenous small-numbered peoples, their traditional way of life and economic activities.
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Scientific article
Onshore hydrocarbon reserves are becoming less significant every day due to their depletion and the increasing complexity of extraction. In this regard, more and more attention is being paid to offshore projects, which are becoming a key area of oil and gas industry development. Despite the complexities of offshore hydrocarbon field development, including high costs, environmental risks and technological challenges, oil and gas companies continue to actively invest in the development of offshore extraction techniques and technologies. All stages of offshore field development involve a number of risks, such as harsh climatic conditions, technical accidents and environmental threats. Experts are trying to identify the most effective options for development, further field exploitation and the design of production gathering and processing systems. This is especially true in northern regions, where the harsh climate and remoteness of infrastructure require a special approach. In such conditions, the probability of error should be minimized, which is why it is essential to analyze the potential risks of a shelf development project. This paper presents an assessment of existing global practices for evaluating and identifying the risks faced by oil and gas companies when selecting onshore and offshore field development projects.
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Scientific article
This paper contributes to filling a knowledge gap by presenting new research within the practical field of road transport. It takes the buyers of road transport services as its point of entry and seeks to answer the follow question: How can buyers of road transport services contribute to safe road transport in northern Norway? A qualitative approach was selected for this study, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with six different buyers of road transport services. By using a modified version of The Pentagon Model, different aspects were analyzed in order to identify organizational characteristics and qualities that will improve the possibility for buyers of road transport to contribute to a safer road transport in Northern Norway and thereby contribute to fewer accidents and near-misses. The following characteristics and qualities were identified: 1) the importance of developing a detailed formal contract with the provider of road transport; 2) being aware of the possibilities with new technologies; 3) understanding that the decision criteria for ordering transport can influence road transport safety; 4) seeing the importance of good communication with both the transport organization and the authorities; 5) recognizing that knowledge of and trust in a transport organization is important but could also affect judgement regarding revisions and controls. This study suggests that buyers of road transport services can contribute to a safer road transport in northern Norway by emphasizing these five characteristics and qualities.
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Role of Consumer’s Cooperation in Arkhangelsk Region in Vital Activity of Rural Population
Scientific article
The paper examined main development trends of consumer’s cooperation in Arkhangelsk region and it’s main role in rural regions infrastructure development. The emphasis was made on the social aspects of consumer’s cooperation activity: supply of goods and services to rural population, their employment and income increase.
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Scientific article
This article contributes to the discussion of the socio-economic indicators of the Arctic territories of Russia and the Arctic territories of the circumpolar countries. Based on descriptive statistics, this article summarizes the results and highlights the role of the Arctic states in the entire Arctic region. The economic development of Arctic territories and their interaction in socio-economic and innovation-technology terms are analyzed. Climate change in the Arctic is expanding the possibilities for utilizing the Northern Sea Route and developing underground resources. Based on empirical findings, a number of recommendations are formulated for effective interaction between Russia’s Arctic territories and circumpolar countries. The paper analyses changes in the level of cooperation between Russia and Western countries, including the cessation of most major joint projects and restrictions on scientific research. It discusses alternative strategies for the region’s development, based on strengthening domestic capacity and cooperation with Eastern partners, such as China. Changes in the Arctic also affect the rest of the world through the Arctic’s role in the global climate system, its contribution to global sea-level rise, and its impact on weather conditions in the mid-latitudes. The study highlights the need to establish a broader set of economic, social and environmental indicators for the Arctic territories of circumpolar countries. Sustainable funding for public monitoring programs and scientific research in circumpolar countries would contribute to the development of research capacity and a more holistic approach to understanding the effective, environmentally sustainable development of the Arctic for all circumpolar countries and the world as a whole. These measures should be closely linked to circumpolar/international initiatives to ensure wider access to information and its effective use in Russia’s cooperation with circumpolar countries.
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Scientific article
During the period of global climate change, the territories of the Russian Federation, within which permafrost is widespread, are at particular risk. The aim of this article is to identify the social consequences of permafrost degradation on the example of a number of rural settlements in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and to determine the emerging mechanisms of adaptation to the challenges associated with changes in the habitual state of the environment. In this regard, for the first time, the villages of Amga, Yunkur, Argakhtakh, Lippe-Atakh and Ulakhan-An, located in Yakutia, were the focus of relevant interdisciplinary research conducted during 2019–2022. The work in these settlements made it possible to establish local features of both the consequences of the degradation of permafrost and the specifics of their perception by the local population. It is noted that in the rural settlements studied, permafrost degradation limits the development of traditional economic activities, including among the Arctic and Subarctic indigenous population, limits the possibilities for the spatial development of settlements, leads to problems with the safety of the housing stock, and hinders transport communication. The observed changes entail an increase in the financial burden on the population, economic entities and local administrations, and negatively affect the social well-being of the inhabitants of the studied villages. At the same time, the conducted research allowed to reveal that the mechanisms of adaptation and sustainability of rural communities that are being formed in this regard are largely based on traditions of rural mutual assistance.
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Rural Yakutia: perception indigenous population сhanges in enviroment
Scientific article
In rural Yakutia climatic factors were added to human impacts on the environment. The phenomena of melting permafrost, rising water in rivers and lakes were recorded in rural areas. Normal Windrose has changed as well as temperature fluctuations in different seasons are marked. Environmental changes are perceived the indigenous population as a serious threat to quality of life.
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Russia and China in the Arctic: Current Status and Prospects for Cooperation
Scientific article
The article provides an assessment of strategic interests of Russia and China in the Arctic. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current state of relations between Russia and China in the Arctic, to determine the prospects for further cooperation. The authors believe that this cooperation should be examined systematically, i.e. from three possible perspectives: economics, politics and society. A significant part of the Russian Federation's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, so its interests in the region have a long history. China positions itself as a “subarctic state”, and its interests in the region have become increasingly manifested over the last decade. In 2017, the countries announced their intentions to promote the alignment of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the EAEU and to link it with the Northern Sea Route project. Factors contributing to the convergence of the two countries’ interests include: the deterioration of Russia’s relations with the collective West, the increasing role of China in Russia’s foreign economy and politics, and the growth of Russian hydrocarbon exports to China. The article provides examples of successful joint Russian-Chinese projects in the Arctic. The authors note that in the field of mineral extraction, successful joint initiatives include a project to drill two exploration wells in the Okhotsk Sea in the Magadan-1 and Lisyanskiy areas. The authors emphasize that there are no large infrastructure projects in the Russian Federation that are financed by Chinese investors, so the country is interested in Chinese investment for the advancement of infrastructure necessary for the development of the Arctic. Currently, cooperation between Russia and China in many areas is at its peak, and it is expected that the two countries will continue to deepen and diversify their interaction. At the same time, cooperation in the Arctic may become a central aspect of this interaction, as it is equally in the interests of both states.
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Russia and India in the Arctic: a case for greater synergy
Scientific article
The article studies the cooperation between Russia and India with specific reference to the Arctic region. The melting of the Arctic sea ice has seen tremendous investment by Russia in the Arctic. It has sought strategic partners for the development of the Arctic, with the primary focus being on the development of the oil and gas industry and the Northern Sea Route. Russia and India have had long-standing diplomatic relations. It has been in diverse spheres such as space, atomic energy, defense, oil and gas, diamond industry, steel industry being just a few ones. Russia’s focus on the Arctic ushers in many more opportunities for Russia and India to cooperate. India is one of the few countries to which Russia has accorded many investment opportunities in oil and gas and the diamond industry. India has made some investments in the oil and gas industry of the Russian Arctic. However, the article highlights that the energy deficit in India is dangerous, and it affects the development of the country. The article suggests more significant Indian investment in the Arctic, including phase II of the Yamal LNG project. It brings out a need for greater cooperation in scientific research, specifically climate change and hydrography, and possible utilization of the immense technically qualified human resource that India has in diverse areas of the Arctic. It is relevant for diplomats, civil servants, oil and gas companies, strategic mineral companies, hydrographic authorities, and researchers in both countries involved in developing the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route. The article may be of interest for relevant courses and programs at universities.
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Russia in the Arctic. Will the State Commission be its helmsman?
Scientific article
The article is focused on the analysis of the decisions on the development and exploration of the Arctic. It also reveals the activity of the State Commission on the Development of the Arctic. It notes the slow solution of problems of energy, information, transportation security of the remote settlements in the Russian Arctic. Unresolved issues of legal support of the guarantee and compensation system caused a certain degree of concern for persons working on the territory of the North in the Arctic. This list of existing problems could be extended. Activities of the State Commission confirm the thesis that Russia intends to provide reliable and long-term national interests in the Arctic.
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Russia remains on Shpitsbergen
Scientific article
The article considers the perspectives of the expanding of the national social-economic activities on the archipelago by the decisions of the government committee on the Russian presence on Shpitsbergen (December 2011).
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Scientific article
Western sanctions have affected the socio-economic development of Russia’s regions and contributed to a systemic transformation of the domestic tourism market. The response to the new, tense reality of international relations and the economy has been a large-scale restructuring of domestic national projects, including in the tourism sector, which has impacted the Arctic regions. The aim of the study was to identify competitive advantages, determine the prospects and key challenges for the development of Arctic tourism in Russia against the backdrop of sanctions pressure from the “collective West”, using the Murmansk Oblast (MO) as a case study. The article identifies the key problem of the MO’s socio-economic development as population outflow. At the same time, it assesses the development of the MO as a destination that is favorable and promising for the advancement of domestic, inbound and international Arctic tourism. Based on an analysis of data from Rosstat and Murmanskstat, the dynamics of tourist arrivals in a number of countries within the Baltic-Scandinavian macro-region (BSM), Russia and the MO have been determined. Problems and prospects for the development of inbound tourism under the sanctions pressure are outlined. The application of systemic and comprehensive approaches, as well as abstract-logical and statistical research methods, has led to the conclusion: due to the annually increasing inflow of tourists and the region’s strategic and socio-economic position, tourism should be regarded as an effective means of long-term, systematic, and cultural development for the Murmansk Oblast, supported by advanced technologies for the North and the protection of the Russian Federation’s national interests and strategic priorities. A proposal has been put forward for the cautious stabilization of international relations with Western countries on a bilateral basis, within the framework of official Arctic and tourism organizations. In order to enhance the competitiveness of the tourist product of the Murmansk Oblast, increase the share of tourism in the region’s GRP, and improve staffing levels in the tourism industry, it is recommended to create an international-level Arctic tourism research and educational campus on the basis of the Institute of Creative Industries and Entrepreneurship of Murmansk Arctic University (ICIE MAU) and to expand scientific cooperation with research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and leading universities of Russia. The results of the study can be used in strategic planning of tourism in the Russian Arctic.
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Russian Arctic by the experts eyes and users of the Internet
Scientific article
Summarizes the results of a survey of the experts and Internet users about the problems in the Russian Arctic.
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Russian Arctic in the Contours of the Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation
Scientific article
During the decade of implementation of strategic planning in modern Russian reality, planning imperatives have also been introduced into the processes of geo-economic and political development of the Arctic, defining the system of goals and functional dominance of this geostrategic region, in particular, in medium-term perspective of budget policy implementation in 2024 and for the planning period of 2025 and 2026 [1]. During this period, Russia’s importance in the system of international relations increased, the country’s reputation and confidence in acquiring the status of a great maritime power, as well as in taking strong positions on land, as a state with centuries-old traditions of developing a large continental civilization, has been strengthened. At the same time, the role of the Arctic has noticeably increased, both among the regional directions of national maritime policy and in Russian foreign policy. Essentially, the Arctic began to determine the degree of state’s greatness at sea and in the world. This requires the comprehensive development of maritime potential. The main thing is to ensure, through the maritime potential, Russia’s guaranteed access to Arctic marine resources and space, including ensuring uninterrupted, preferably year-round, functioning of the national transport communication in the Arctic — the Northern Sea Route — the basis of the system of maritime communications. The Arctic nuclear icebreaker fleet and fleets of reinforced ice-class vessels are rightly considered the symbol of the Arctic maritime potential.
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Russian Arctic increases with islands
Scientific article
Relevance of the topic is defined by the fact that neither the Russian Empire nor the Soviet Union nor the Russian Federation have passed a law that defines the status, composition and the borders of the Russian Arctic, both on land and in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. It is necessary to find system solutions for a number of urgent problems of the Arctic management modernization: 1) monitoring of Russian islands in the Arctic Ocean, administrative, legal and environmental responsibility for the departmental use of their lands and adjacent water area; 2) adoption of the basic federal law "The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation"; 3) effective functioning of the Government Commission on the Arctic; 4) development of interregional integration institutes; 5) implementation of state program "Socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic for the period up to 2020"; 6) transition to project management, the formation of the portfolio of the Arctic projects; 7) the possibility of establishing the Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the Arctic, Arctic state commercial bank.
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Russian Arctic or the Arctic zone
Scientific article
Analysis of data collection results on the topic “Russian Arctic or the Arctic zone”
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Russian Arctic regional development aspects: the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Scientific article
The article focuses on the regional development aspects of the Russian Arctic in case of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The author explains the reason for the 13 Arctic and Northern territories of Yakutia to be legally considered as a part of the Russian Arctic. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has accumulated a long term positive legal experience in regulating the development of the Arctic and Northern ulus (districts) of Yakutia, which is of interest for the law community in other territories of the Russian Arctic. The author analyzes the issues of socio-‐economic development of the Yakut part of the Arctic and the results of the Year of the Arctic 2014. In conclusion some specific recommendations on development of the Arctic territories are to be found.
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