Development of the White Sea coast municipalities

In this article we analyze the data on coastal municipalities of three regions of the European North. The purpose of the study is to identify opportunities for socio-economic development of coastal municipalities. We carried out a comparative analysis of the graphs showing the dynamics of socioeconomic indicators over the past decade and considered the reasons for the ongoing processes. We revealed that since the beginning of market reforms in the municipalities located on the White Sea coast, the population has been decreasing, and the further the municipality is from the regional capital, the faster it happens. The economic situation is more favorable in the municipalities of the Arkhangelsk Oblast, located close to the regional capital, and signifi cantly worse in the municipalities of the Murmansk Oblast and especially the Republic of Karelia, located far from Petrozavodsk. The development of the western coast of the White Sea is constrained by the lack of a high-quality road between Belomorsk and Arkhangelsk, which could increase the connectivity of the area. Based on the data for the past two decades, we built mathematical models and used them to develop scenarios for regional development. In the article we considered two scenarios (inertial and innovative) and within their framework we assessed the prospects for the development of coastal municipalities, which allowed obtaining new results. Investment in the west coast municipalities of the White Sea is expected to grow due to the benefi ts associated with the status of the Arctic zone. The future development of Karelian municipalities depends on attracting investment from Sistema PJSFC and PAO Severstal, whose enterprises are located in the Arctic zone. Investments in the development of a federal university and scientifi c organizations will facilitate the emergence of innovative projects if research and education are focused on solving local problems, using local resources and information technology, with the participation of large and medium-sized businesses. Further research will be related to assessing the impact of transport infrastructure development on the White Sea coast.