Economic development of Russia's northwestern regions in 2021: starting point for new trends

The results of 2021 turned out to be twofold for the global economy. At first glance, most countries have managed to implement a set of measures aimed at restoring the economy to the pre-pandemic level. But at the same time, macroeconomic imbalances have grown significantly, gaps in the revenue and expenditure parts of the state budget have increased, and there has been an increase in the number and volume of debts. Although in 2021 the world trade volume recovered and increased compared to the previous year, this process took place along with a significant increase in commodity prices. The purpose of the work is to study the patterns of economic development of the regions of the Northwestern Federal District in 2021. To achieve the goal, we have set the following tasks: to study Russian and foreign specialized works, to analyze the indicators of economic development of the NWFD regions at key stages of the economic process, and to work out proposals for its development. The scientific novelty of the research determining its contribution to science consists in revealing the modern patterns of the processes of economic development of the studied territory at the key stages of reproduction process - production, education and the use of income. In the course of the study, we use general scientific methods: analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization. Based on the national accounts theory, we have analyzed the regional economy. The article presents statistical data and conclusions about the dynamics of economic indicators at key stages of the economic process. We analyze the development of industrial production, agriculture, transport, labor market, the formation of incomes of population, business and budget, indicators of consumer, investment and foreign trade demand in 2021. We present recommendations to eliminate vulnerabilities in the economy of the district. The information base is compiled by official statistical data of the Federal State Statistics Service, and Unified Interdepartmental Statistical Information System. The materials of the article are of practical interest to federal and regional executive authorities, and will also be useful to researchers of the economic situation of the NWFD regions.