The research of regional leveling policies effectiveness in the Russian Federation

The main problem of the Russian Federation spatial development is the uneven socio-economic development of its regions. The article is devoted to the study of the regional asymmetry scale and the effectiveness of the policy pursued by the state to smooth out inter-regional contrasts. The article identifies the differences between the Russian Federation regions, the volume of attracted investments, tax mobilization, and the level of budgetary security. The basic tools of the state regional leveling policy (subsidies, subsidies, budget loans) and its effectiveness are considered. It has proved that despite the use of income redistribution complex mechanisms, inter-regional contrasts in Russia are growing. The regional socio-economic development leveling with the help of inter-budget transfers, firstly, does not solve the problem of regional asymmetry, secondly, deprives “strong” regions of incentives for development and, thirdly, generates dependency of “weak” regions. The leveling directions of the regional differences through improving the system of intergovernmental transfers based on the introduction of social standards, as well as through the removal of infrastructural restrictions in the regional development are proposed.