Formation of strategic priorities for old industrial regions' development of southern Russia

In the conditions of turbulence of the world economy, the formation of regional strategic priorities that contribute to ensuring sustainable economic growth and improvement of life standard of the population plays a special role in the sustainability of the country's development. The existing stratification of regions determines the need to study the features of the development of such a category as the “old industrial region.” The aim of the study is to form strategic priorities that contribute to regional development of territories with predominant industrial production located in the south of the country. The methodology of the study includes statistical analysis of individual social and economic indicators of the situation of old industrial regions of the South of Russia in dynamics. The methods of retrospective, factorial, comparative, economic-statistical, and situational analyses were applied. As a result of the conducted research, the definition of the term “old industrial region” is given, which allows to present the specifics of this territorial unit. The paper analyses a number of key economic indicators of the Astrakhan, Volgograd, and Rostov regions, which allows to assess the state of the region and the potential of its innovative development. The authors draw conclusion that, despite the common initial characteristics of old industrial regions of the South that appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union, each of them, having a heterogeneous resource base, needs an individual approach when choosing strategic development priorities based on a detailed analysis of economic indicators as well as their potential. Old industrial regions can move along three different development trajectories: modernization of existing industries with the introduction of innovations; development of new areas of industrial production; orientation to the post-industrial type of economic development with an emphasis on the service sector. At the same time, such regions need attention and involvement from the state, but in different degrees and forms.