Social and economic development. Рубрика в журнале - Arctic and North
Threats to the sustainable development of the Russian Arctic: poverty
Статья научная
The modern paradigm of the theory and practice of social development is the concept of sustainable development, the emergence and spread of which was associated with the emphasis on environmental pollution and overpopulation of the planet against the background of limited natural resources. Today, sustainable development is defined as the result of the interaction of a man, the economic system, and nature at the global, national, regional, and local levels. It is expressed, to a certain extent, by economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Modern goals in the field of sustainable development are to promote green growth, rational environmental management, ensuring access to quality health and education services, and improving the well-being of the population. The latter implies, first, the reduction of multidimensional poverty, the numerous groups of social localization, i.e., disabled people, families with children, single-parent families, and ethnic minorities. The aim of the study is to assess the level and extent of poverty and its social localization in the framework of achieving sustainable development of the regions of the Russian Arctic. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the rates and proportions of sustainable development of the Russian Arctic depend on the qualitative state of human potential (carried by the population). The qualitative state of human potential depends on the level of well-being of the population, which determines the degree of satisfaction of needs for benefits and access to social services. Poverty as a socio-economic phenomenon creates threats of degradation of human potential. The research hypothesis is based on the understanding that poverty is a systemic factor that limits the possibilities of a high-quality reproduction of human potential and, accordingly, promising opportunities for achieving sustainable development in the Russian Arctic. The research methods were a statistical analysis of the socio-economic situation of families with children in the regions of the Russian Arctic, as well as an analysis of regulatory legal documents governing measures of social support for families, motherhood, paternity, and childhood. The research results are focused on their use for achieving sustainable development of the Russian Arctic.
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Tourism in the Subarctic and the Baltic Sea regions of Europe
Статья научная
It is argued that the cultural dimensions of the Arctic and Subarctic have much to offer contemporary tourism, both as sources of new contents in tours and as an important field in tourism research and management training. In Norway, the Euroarctic is marketed to tourists focusing on nature and wildlife. A limited set of branding elements is used: northern lights, ice hotels, dogsledding, “safaris” for watching: whales, rare birds, and for catching king crabs. Wildlife, like the weather, is unreliable, and disappointed tourists are bad for business, so cultural contents have in practice proved necessary to bring into guide narratives as “backup entertainment” on no-shows of the natural attraction. Much more of the ethnological and historic heritage of the Euroarctic has potential interest to regional tourism development. This article compares tourism in the Euroarctic with that of the southeast Baltic Sea region, to find examples of what this could be and makes some recommendations based on that.
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Tourism industry development issues in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation
Статья научная
The article summarizes the existing approaches to assessing the level of tourism at the local level. It allowed forming a system of key indicators and indicators of the tourism industry activity in the development of the hotel business; the development of tourism business; profitability of tourism and hospitality; the popularity of regional tourism products. Based on the formed system of indicators, the author's technique of a point estimation of development activity for the tourist branch was developed. As a result of testing of the proposed methodology in the Russian Arctic, we could reveal that the weaknesses of the Arctic territories was the low popularity of the local tourist products and low growth yield of the tourism industry, especially among the areas wholly included in the Russian Arctic. The conclusions are consistent with the results of an expert survey of participants of the tourism and recreational cluster of the Murmansk Oblast. A set of measures aimed at the development of the tourism industry of the Murmansk Oblast is proposed: the recognition of tourism as a subsidized industry at the level of the Oblast and its municipalities; consolidation in strategic and program documents of the territory on the formation of the local tourist brand, advertising, and information support of the local tourist product promotion on the internal and external markets; a campaign on the promotion of a positive tourist image of the Murmansk Oblast in mass media.
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Статья научная
In this article, on the basis of conceptual approaches derived from research in the field of theories of spatial economy and infrastructure, the problems of naturally occurring significant changes in the processes of development of natural-economic formations formed in the geostrategic territories of the North-Arctic part of the Far East, representing at the same time the eastern part of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) are considered. Their transboundary role in the global Arctic basin, as well as at the junction of Russia with the state of Alaska, USA, in the Pacific Arctic, also requires intensification of research in this area, especially at the present stage of the well-known difficulties in international cooperation between our country and the United States. All this requires focusing the attention of specialists on the study of these processes, as well as on the closely related issues of the necessity to adjust the methods and mechanisms of state-regional regulation of the development of these economic entities. In the near future, the regulatory tools used should ensure the transition of these territories from the micro-level of primary, mainly raw material, spatial-economic formations to a new stage, to a higher meso-level of industrial development of economic complexes. As studies show, this transition will occur on the basis of advanced creation of a system-organized critical infrastructure, its main elements, which, due to their new spatial configuration, will provide the necessary conditions for this transition and give the opportunity to maximize the use of exogenous factors and emergent effects of the development of economic entities.
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Статья научная
The purpose of the article is to review scientific ideas about the transformation of the Russian Arctic's socio-economic space in the context of geopolitics, macroeconomics, and intraregional factors of development. This review's significance is determined by the fundamental problems that accompany the development of the Russian Arctic, the growing importance of this territory for the national economy. These contradictions' objectivity is confirmed, which naturally indicated the shortcomings of economic theory, which does not allow us to solve these contradictions. For example, the contradiction between the high costs of functioning of the economy, social sphere and the need to raise the level of socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic; between the tasks of increasing the exploitation of resources and the requirements of the environment, etc., that is, what objectively makes it challenging to solve the problem of sustainable development of the Arctic. However, the numerous scientific studies considered, correlated with transformations in politics, economy, and demography, allowed us to assert that ideas have their driving force, influence, and provide transformational processes in the Arctic. The specificity and the strong influence of geopolitics on socio-economic transformations in the Russian Arctic are identified, but at the same time, the significance of the manifestation of expansionism as an internal human need for settlement, fame, and wealth is emphasized, which also ensures the development of the Arctic. Systemic changes are identified, socio-economic trends in the Russian Arctic are presented, which allowed us to establish the positive impact of modern policy on the development of the Russian Arctic, which marks a trend of reducing demographic losses. The prospects for the socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic are considered, taking into account the current situation of the coronary crisis, internal transformation processes, the influence of politics.
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Статья научная
For the sustainable development of territories, it is important to pay special attention to transport infrastructure, which directly affects the level of efficiency and competitiveness of the state (region) economy and forms the creation of a rational logistics system. Transport activates the work of the real sector of the economy (economic entities), carries out freight and passenger transportation, and is one of the significant sectors of the national economy, providing employment to the population, tax revenues to the budget system of the Russian Federation, investment attraction and GDP growth. The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is strategically significant from the perspective of geopolitics and geo-economics in the modern world (12-15% of the country’s GDP, 25% of exports). In the article, the object of study is the Western and Central Arctic of the Russian Federation, including six of the eight subjects belonging to the Arctic territories. The methodological framework of the study is based on review and analysis of regulatory documents and scientific literature that determine trends and prospects for improving territories within the development of transport infrastructure. The information base is regional statistical information. The study and assessment of the level of transport infrastructure development of the studied region is carried out. Economic analysis is conducted using statistical methods that allow identifying the main reasons associated with the ineffective operation of transport infrastructure at the meso-level. Tables and figures are used to visualize the research results. This makes it possible to conduct a comparative analysis of territories by the level of transport infrastructure development, to identify leaders and outsiders to substantiate proposals for stimulating key areas, basing on the review of regulatory documents aimed at increasing the efficiency of functioning of this area.
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Transport and infrastructural basis of the tourism development strategy in the Arkhangelsk oblast
Статья научная
The article, devoted to the analysis of transport and geographical locations, describes possible strategies for the development of tourism in the Arkhangelsk Oblast. The main goal of the research was the development of logistic schemes of the transportation of tourists from the places of formation of tourist flows to the Arkhangelsk Oblast. The methodological basis of the article is to determine the economic distances between potential tourist distribution centers and their places of interest in the area. Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Arkhangelsk were considered as the main cities of departure. Kargopol, Solvychegodsk, Kholmogory and Lomonosovo, Solovki, Kenozersky National Park, and Pinega caves are considered as the main sites of tourist interest in the Arkhangelsk Oblast. It was determined that Kargopol is the most accessible for tourists, and Kenozersky National Park is the most recognizable by tourists but the least accessible. The object of world cultural heritage the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour on Solovki is the most accessible for tourists from the territory of Karelia. It is recommended to optimize the schedule and to synchronize the work of transport for tourists to improve the transport accessibility of recreational facilities in the area. Composed logistic transport schemes allow optimizing the planning of tourist routes in the Arkhangelsk Oblast.
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Статья научная
The article analyzes the participation of foreign investors in the implementation of investment projects in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The features of organizing foreign investments at the regional level are considered. The dynamics of indicators of attracting foreign investment in the Russian Arctic in 2016–2021 is analyzed. It is noted that in the last few years, the attraction of loans from foreign banks has decreased to a minimum, and the entire volume of investment was carried out at the expense of direct investments by foreign investors in large megaprojects of the Russian Arctic. The situation with the involvement of foreign investors in Arctic projects in the context of geopolitical tensions in 2022 is assessed. It is concluded that Western companies are currently withdrawing their assets from joint Arctic projects, while the potential for investment cooperation with Asian, Latin American and Turkish partners in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is increasing. It has been established that the withdrawal of Western investors from joint Arctic projects carries not only financial risks associated with the search for new sources of investment, but also technological risks that necessitate the development of alternative options for obtaining the necessary equipment. As ways to overcome the difficulties associated with the withdrawal of Western investors from Russian Arctic projects, it is proposed to intensify direct state financing of the implementation of infrastructure facilities based on the program method, as well as to direct efforts to create interstate mechanisms for financing large Arctic projects with friendly countries interested in the development of Arctic policy within the framework of existing BRICS and SCO associations.
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Статья научная
This article is devoted to the analysis of the water transport in the European North of Russia. Using the case of the Arkhangelsk Oblast, we present the main challenges and perspectives of river navigation development in light of the area’s history and current situation. Our research shows that, historically, water transport has played an important role in the social and economic development of the Arkhangelsk Oblast and held a leading position in the transportation system. However, due to the transition to a market economy in the 1990s, river traffic lost its competitive advantages. The study presents statistical data showing the negative trends of the passenger inland water transport development. The lack of the state involvement in industrial management has led to the deterioration of the water transport quality and its infrastructure. Despite existing challenges, however, water transport still plays an important role in the socioeconomic development of the Russian North. In recent years, various levels of government have discussed the revival of the river navigation and improvements in its use for regional development. The article discusses prospects for overcoming the existing negative trends in the development of water transport. The focus is made on its connection with the industrial development of the Arctic and the cultural potential of the region.
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