Socio-economic conditions of interregional gap and ways to overcome them

The directions of rapprochement between regions and their levels of socio-economic development have been implemented over the past decades in order to eliminate regional inequality. The regions of the Russian Federation have a specific geographical position and the availability of natural resources, which gives rise to their initial difference. The concentration of key resources on one territory entails its further dominance. This raises the problem of social tension and economic decline in territories with limited resource potential. In addition to natural regional differences, there are many factors that create both potential problems and opportunities for socio-economic development. In this regard, the authors of the paper consider the conditions of the socio-economic state and sustainable growth of the regions. The assessment of the internal and external conditions for the existence of an interregional gap is carried out, the main factors of regional development are identified. To smooth the interregional gap, the authors propose a number of comprehensive measures, including those promoting effective network interaction between regions.