Features of entrepreneurial activity development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Ural federal district entities

Each region has a unique socio-economic and political potential that creates conditions for the development of entrepreneurial activity and business in general. There is a theoretical and practical interest in how much the structure and dynamics of regional development are changing in conditions of tightening and instability of the domestic and world market. The purpose of the article is to study the development of entrepreneurial activity in the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter - SMEs) in the new economic conditions at the level of constituent entities of the Ural Federal District (hereinafter - Ural Federal District). To solve the problems, general scientific research methods were used, including analysis, generalization, synthesis and systematization. The basis for the study was official statistics published by the Federal State Statistics Service, the Unified Register of SMEs, the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System, the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion and other sources, as well as sociological studies and scientific publications on the peculiarities of entrepreneurship development in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation at the country and regional levels. The results of the study indicate a low intensity of the emergence of new enterprises in the Ural Region; the majority of SMEs are characterized by a negative trend and worsening demographics. Among the barriers holding back business development are the bureaucratization of the process of obtaining government assistance, taxes, high interest rates on commercial loans, as well as low expectations of the prospects for the development of their business. Recommendations are presented for stabilizing the situation of running small businesses in the new economic conditions in the subjects of the Ural Federal District. The findings will be useful to researchers in the field of management and regulation of regional development.