Assessment of industrial potential of the region

The article raises the problem to assess industrial potential and ensure its development and substantiates the urgency of the problem for the regional economy. It proves that to form the mechanisms that contribute to the creation of conditions for new industrial growth and development it is advisable to assess the industrial enterprises’ potential, the extent of its use and the possibility for extension. The solution of this task allows us to identify the problems that prevent the formation of the region’s strategic competitiveness and determine the prospects of its development. The article reveals the essence of the region’s industrial potential. It shows that the category “industrial potential” is one of the main components of the region’s economic potential. The work identifies and justifies the structural components of industrial potential and the set of indicators describing the region’s industrial potential. The comparative assessment of industrial potential of the Northwestern Federal district regions reveals that all the regions have an “average” or “below average” level of potential development. The development of industrial potential in the Vologda Oblast is slower than in other NWFD regions. In general, the index values demonstrate the uneven development of all components of industrial potential of the region. The current situation is largely caused by a low technological state of fixed assets, a small number of the enterprises involved in research and development, a decreasing number of qualified workers and negative financial results of many industrial enterprises. The article concludes that to address the problems hindering the development of the region’s industrial potential it is necessary to form balanced industrial policy, which corresponds to the modern economic conditions.