The state and role of information and communication technologies in the economy of Russian regions

The paper proposes a methodology for calculating an integral index of information and communication technologies (ICT) for each region and determines the importance of ICT in terms of the overall socio-economic development of the region. Knowledge of the features of economy development, which is increasingly based on information technologies, is necessary not only for the development policy of technologies themselves, but also for the stimulation of sustainable economic development in general and improvement of the life quality. It has been established, that the use of the wide opportunities of ICT for professional and educational purposes in Russia is rather low, both on the part of the population and organizations. This indicates insuffi cient use of the sector’s potential in terms of building up human capital and turning it into the main factor of production in the economy. We proposed a method for calculating an integral ICT index, refl ecting the use of technology in the corporate sector, at the household level, in public administration and in the social sphere. It was found, that the more economically developed a region is, the higher is the value of the ICT index. The dependence of economic development on ICT sector state in the region is confi rmed by estimating the Cobb-Douglas production function in modifi ed form. But the fact, that there are stable coeffi cients, indicating the positive impact of ICT on GRP in Russian regions, is yet to be studied separately. Scientifi c novelty of the work consists in the development and approbation of a methodology for determining the role of the information and communication technologies sector in terms of the overall socio-economic development of the region. Practical signifi cance of the work consists in quantitative assessment of the current level of ICT development in all subjects of the RF and identifi cation of signs of ICT sector’s favorable impact on gross output in the region’s economy. The results of the study can serve as a basis for the development of measures to stimulate economic development by public authorities of the constituent entities of the RF. Realizing the potential of ICT will contribute to increasing output in the regional economy and increasing the welfare.