The strategic dilemma of support settlements: Between self-development and transfer dependence

The relevance of the study stems from the introduction into the Spatial Development Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2030 of a new instrument of regional policy – support settlements, formally intended to become growth points for balancing spatial development. The aim of the work is to identify systemic contradictions in the concept of support settlements as presented in the Strategy and to substantiate necessary adjustments aimed at reorienting this institution from a compensatory to an economically stimulating model of functioning. The scholarly novelty lies in the comprehensive identification and structuring of four key institutional contradictions: between goal-setting and unified instrumentation; in the logic of selecting settlements based on the criterion of "problematic nature" rather than potential; between the functions assigned and available resources; between long-term development goals and the short-term nature of budget planning. The methodological basis of the study comprised systemic and content analysis of the text of the Strategy and related documents, as well as conducting a series of semi-formalized expert interviews with representatives of local self-government bodies from twelve constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The main results indicate that the current implementation of the support settlement institution tends toward the logic of fiscal equalization, and the empirical data obtained confirm the skepticism of municipalities and their demand for economic incentives. A stimulating model has been developed, proposing specific institutional solutions for transitioning to a paradigm of self-development, the key elements of which are a functional typology of settlements, the introduction of special economic regimes, a clear delineation of powers, and a shift to long-term program-based financing. A limitation of the study is its focus on qualitative analysis of the perception of the problem, which determines the need for further quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of pilot projects implemented within the framework of the proposed paradigm.