The methodology for estimating the level and scale of small businesses development in Volga federal district (on the example of hotels and restaurants)

The article is about the development and application of methodology for assessing small business development areas. Assessment objects are made ​​of municipal and urban populations of the Volga Federal District, the subjects - the size (scale) and the level of economic development of hotel and restaurant service small businesses in municipalities. The size of the economy of small businesses was estimated in ppm of the total values ​​of the Russian Federation, the level of development - on the scale of the stenos. The basic informational materials were continuous observation of the activities of small and medium business by Rosstat.The significance of assessment criteria indicators is determined by their statistical comparison with the vector, which was obtained by the quantitative classification of municipalities and subsequent logical ranking of derived class objects. The evaluation results were mapped using geographic information systems. Cartographic works have shown that the extent of geography and level of development of hotel and restaurant activities in the form of small business is correlated with population size of municipalities, as well as their location relative to major highways. Local exceptions toward high or low levels of development of municipalities are mainly due to the infrastructure belonging to public or private sectors. Thus, the technique allowed to identify spatial patterns of development of the economy of hotel and restaurant services, represented by small businesses in Volga Federal District, which comply with the provisions of modern science. In conclusion, the specificity of the proposed method and its main advantages are highlighted.