A spatial analysis of unevenness in the social-economic development of regional municipal units

Abstract

This paper examines a methodology for the analysis of the uneven development of specific areas within a region in terms of their social-economic development and economic potential, as well as existing constraints to exploiting this potential. The authors summarize the most critical issues in the social-economic development of municipal units within the Russian Federation and find one of the main causes of those to be the insufficient consideration of the characteristics of specific areas in implementing policy for the development of municipal units. The paper brings forward a system of indicators for assessing the unevenness of the social-economic development of regional municipal units that is designed to generate a comprehensive characterization of the object under study by way of stage-by-stage examination of its components. To investigate differentiation among municipal units in level of social-economic development, the authors employ a method developed by researcher S.A. Aivazyan. Thus, the study’s major approach is grounded in calculating an integral criterion for the population’s quality of life. The authors conduct a cluster analysis of municipal units within the Republic of Buryatia based on key indicators of economic development, which helps gain an insight into the structure of the territorial imbalance in industrial development. The findings of this study may be recommended for use by federal and regional authorities seeking to enhance their management of the development of a municipal unit based on a differentiated approach.