Differentiation in the economic space of the Russian Federation: structural analysis at the level of macro-regions

The article is devoted to the research problem of highly uneven spatial localization of economic activity in Russia. The purpose of the study has been to assess the economic inequality of regions on the scale of federal districts and to assess intergroup differences (between federal districts). Such a goal seems relevant in the context of the state regional policy and the need to reduce the level of interregional differences within the respective macro-regions. The research has been carried out on the basis of the method of measuring inequality in the form of the Theil index and the structural decomposition of this indicator. The article contains the results of a numerical assessment of the Theil index and its structural analysis in a long-term retrospective dynamics - from 1990 to 2020. The choice of the duration of the studied retrospective is explained by the fact that during this period there were significant socio-economic and political transformations that affected, among other things, the economy of Russian regions. Structural analysis of interregional differences has been carried out in the context of macro-regions. The results of the research have shown a high level of intragroup and intergroup inequality at the level of macro-regions and led to the conclusion that it is necessary to develop certain provisions of the state regional policy.