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Russian Arctic Policy: Opportunities for the Development of the Siberian and Far Eastern Regions

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Abstract

The research is devoted to an impact assessment of the role of the Arctic and state Arctic policy in the socioeconomic development of the Siberian and Far Eastern Russian regions. Today, state policy is largely based on the paradigm of development of the Arctic as a “thing-in-itself,” possessing great value, but institutionally, ideologically, and economically disconnected from all other Russian regions. The Arctic policy predominantly neglects the substantial industrial, research, technological, transport, and human potential of the Siberia and the Far East. Such an approach is fraught with aggravation of the continental curse of Siberia and some regions of the Far East, with the risks of unfulfilled potential of profit-oriented Arctic projects—not considering the possibilities of their integration into the economic-spatial system of added value generation in the country. Based on an analysis of domestic and foreign Arctic state policy, a number of implemented and scheduled infrastructure and energy projects in the region and scientific and public discourse on the regional development of Russia, this paper proposes a number of measures to improve Arctic strategic management. The paper highlights the need to revise the current paradigm of Arctic development and transform the Arctic into a zone of innovative resource and nature-saving development that generates multiplicative effects for the socioeconomic development of Siberia and the Far East.

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Notes

  1. The study largely develops the main provisions of the report “Russia’s Arctic Policy: International Aspects” presented at the XXII April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development hosted by the HSE University (for more details see (Boklan et al., 2021)).

  2. The Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation is an integral part of the Russian North; it entirely includes Murmansk oblast; the Nenets, Yamalo-Nenets, and Chukotka autonomous okrugs; and a number of municipalities in the republics of Karelia, Komi, Sakha (Yakutia), Arkhangelsk oblast, and Krasnoyarsk krai.

  3. Investments in the Russian economy in the Arctic will exceed USD 86 bln by 2025, X Int. ForumThe Arctic: Present and Future,” March 29, 2019. http://www.forumarctic.com/ conf2017/news/ekonomika-i-promyshlennost-/Investitsii_v_ rossiyskuyu_ekonomiku_v_Arktikedo_2025_goda_prevysyat_ 86_mlrd/. Accessed May 15, 2021.

  4. Cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route is growing excellently, the prospects are even better, SeverPress, January 15, 2020. https://sever-press.ru/2020/01/15/gruzopotok-po-sevmorputi-rastet-otlichno-perspektivy-eshhe-luchshe/. Acces-sed May 15, 2021.

  5. http://static.kremlin.ru/media/events/files/ru/f8ZpjhpAaQ0WB1zjywN04OgKiI1mAvaM.pdf.

  6. http://static.kremlin.ru/media/events/files/ru/J8FhckYOPAQQfxN6Xlt6ti6XzpTVAvQy.pdf.

  7. http://gov.garant.ru/SESSION/PILOT/main.htm.

  8. Strategy for Development of Arctic Zone of Russia and Ensuring National Security for the Period up to 2035. http://static. kremlin.ru/media/events/files/ru/J8FhckYOPAQQfxN6Xlt6ti6XzpTVAvQy.pdf.

  9. Cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route is growing excellently, the prospects are even better, SeverPress, January 15, 2020. https://sever-press.ru/2020/01/15/gruzopotok-po-sevmorputi-rastet-otlichno-perspektivy-eshhe-luchshe/. Acces-sed May 15, 2021.

  10. Unified Plan of Action for Implementation of the Fundamentals of State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the Period up to 2035 and Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and Ensuring National Security for the Period up to 2035. http://static.government.ru/media/files/p8DfCI0Pr1XZnAk08G7J3jUXUuDvswHr.pdf.

  11. Russia will build three icebreakers of the Leader project in 2027−2032, RIA Novosti, December 12, 2020. https:// ria.ru/20201210/ledokol-1588562835.html. Accessed September 7, 2021.

  12. The government is thinking about cutting spending on the Arctic by 17 times, RBC, July 30, 2017. https://www.rbc.ru/business/30/06/2017/59550a479a794700f2cca257?from=center_4. Accessed May 15, 2021.

  13. Research funding in the Arctic and Antarctic will be cut by more than RUB 1 bln, TASS, September 17, 2020. https://tass.ru/v-strane/9489041. Accessed May 15, 2021.

  14. Transit statistics 2018, Arctic-lio, February 20, 2019. https://arctic-lio.com/transit-statistics-2018/. Accessed may 15, 2021.

  15. The Danish company abandoned the Nord Stream 2 project, News, January 13, 2021. https://iz.ru/1110994/2021-01-13/datskaia-kompaniia-otkazalas-ot-proekta-severnyi-potok-2. Ac-cessed May 15,2021.

  16. Second Assessment Report on Climate Changes and Their Consequences in Russian Federation, Moscow: Rosgidromet, 2014. https://cc.voeikovmgo.ru/ru/publikatsii/2016-03-21-16-23-52.

  17. Putin has called on the leadership of Surgutneftegaz to support large families, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, July 1, 2021. https:// rg.ru/2021/06/01/putin-prizval-rukovodstvo-surgutneftegaza-podderzhat-mnogodetnyh.html. Accessed July 1, 2021.

  18. ESG—environment, social justice and corporate governance. Environmental criteria determine how responsible a company is in protecting the environment; e.g., it determines the level of pollution or waste and monitors reduction thereof. Social criteria show how a company manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities with which it works. Governance criteria relate to company management, executive remuneration, auditing, internal monitoring, and respect for shareholders’ rights. ESG investments (taking into account the environmental, social, and corporate factors of the company) increased to more than USD 30 trln in 2018.

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Funding

The paper was prepared within the framework of the HSE University Basic Research Program and funded by the Russian Academic Excellence Project “5-100.” Support from the Individual Research Program of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University is gratefully acknowledged.

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Correspondence to A. B. Likhacheva or I. A. Stepanov.

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Likhacheva, A.B., Stepanov, I.A. Russian Arctic Policy: Opportunities for the Development of the Siberian and Far Eastern Regions. Reg. Res. Russ. 11 (Suppl 1), S13–S22 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079970522010051

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