Regional economic studies: place and role in interregional and interstate cooperation

The article studies the role of regional science and the opportunity of using its tools in spatial social and economic research. The relevance of the topic is explained by the priority influence of geographical location, natural and climatic conditions on the organization of various types of economic life of public law entities. The aim of the study is to find acceptable solutions for intra-, interregional and interstate interaction by all participants in economic relations. Causal relationships in the phenomena and processes under analysis are revealed, general scientific and applied approaches are used: dialectics, analysis and synthesis, comparison, logic and abstraction, induction and deduction, verbal modeling, expert assessments. The relationship between the type and economic situation of administrative and territorial entities, the development of theoretical and methodological foundations of regional science and the use of its tools in economic practice is substantiated. On the basis of the analysis of official information, the emerging contradictions and unifying tendencies in the functioning of regions of different ranks are studied. The conclusion about the desire of constituent entities of federation to expand economic interaction, and the wish of a number of post-soviet countries for the integration of economic relations was made. On the basis of the results of the study, the available set of regional scientific tools, the effectiveness of regulatory measures taken by government authorities is shown. The interstate projects which are currently being implemented and planned for implementation in the nearest future are assessed. The authors make suggestions on the technology for selecting effective economic specialization of regions and embedding their production and infrastructure complexes into the integration processes on the territory of the EAEU. An assessment of the potential for unification processes in Eurasia is made. The presented results can be applied when choosing a problematics for further research and substantiating tactical recommendations that are acceptable for scientific and applied purposes.