Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial Integration of the Economy: Theoretical Concepts and Problems of Implementation at the Regional Level

  • SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT
  • Published:
Regional Research of Russia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With a critical analysis of theoretical concepts, the article substantiates the essence, “generic” features, prerequisites, and conditions for ensuring spatial integration of the regional economy. It is shown that integration is often interpreted as a synonym for the convergence of territories; however, based on an analysis of the interaction between the municipalities of the Republic of Karelia and Finland, it has been proved that, in practice, it does not always ensure convergence. Considering integration as a process that develops over time and across spheres, using the law of one price, as well as the “flow” approach to assessment, the features of integration processes in the markets of goods and factors of production (labor) of the northern regions were studied. The institutional, legal, and infrastructural aspects of spatial integration are analyzed, as well as the barriers to and problems of its implementation at the intra- and interregional levels. The priorities of state policy to ensure unity of the country’s economic space are substantiated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The problem is characteristic not only of Russia. Thus, accelerated development of China’s export-oriented eastern provinces against the lagging development of the western and central regions led to disintegration of the Chinese space (Guo, 2016).

  2. Competition is also undergoing changes in evolution (Polterovich, 2015, p. 45): the role of institutions of cooperation and horizontal cooperation is increasing therein (Kryukov, 2020, p. 32), both in the business environment and between territorial systems at various levels.

  3. Official site of Industrial Development Fund of Republic of Karelia. https://karelia.news/analitika/10081009/rost-yeksporta-bum-v-turizme-razvitie-arktiki-kak-perezhila-yekonomika-karelii-trudnyy-2022-y/. Accessed April 12, 2023.

  4. The Arkhangelsk timber industry complex has sharply increased its exports to African and Asian countries. https://pravdasevera.ru/2023/01/16/63c51c27d1d3f53209491202.html. Accessed April 14, 2023.

  5. As well, the values of the coefficient in the study period were higher than in the early 2000s (then, the value of βt was 0.20–0.28).

  6. It is calculated as the ratio of the average annual number of unemployed (according to ILO methodology) to the average annual number of vacancies reported by employers to the public employment service.

  7. N. Zamyatina, Salekhard and Vorkuta: On different sides. https://goarctic.ru/society/salekhard-i-vorkuta-po-raznye-storony/. Accessed April 12, 2023.

  8. Territorial Body of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Republic of Karelia. https://krl.gks.ru/. Accessed April 12, 2023.

  9. In the structure of the economies of Finnish municipalities, a significant share is occupied by the blue, forest bioeconomy, distributed bioprocessing, photonics, ICT, the development of materials for the chemical industry, and wooden housing construction. In Karelia, the key industries are forestry and mining, power generation, and food and chemical industries. https://www.euregiokarelia.com. Accessed April 12, 2023.

  10. Analytical Review: Infrastructure of Russia. 2020 Development Index. https://infraone.ru. Accessed April 12, 2023.

  11. Official site of ANO Strategic Partnership Northwest. https://n-west.su/. Accessed April 12, 2023.

REFERENCES

  1. Baklanov, P.Ya., Integration and disintegration processes in the Russian Far East, Reg. Issled., 2002, no. 1, pp. 11–19.

  2. Belousova, A.V., Interregional interactions: Impact on the regional economy (Khabarovsk krai), Prostranstvennaya Ekon., 2012, no. 4, pp. 127–137.

  3. Boe, D., Grasland, C., and Healy, A., Spatial integration, 1999. http://mcrit.com/SPESP/SPESP_REPORT/ spatial_integration.pdf.

  4. Bukharova, E.B., New mechanisms of state regional policy are needed, EKO, 2018, no. 6, pp. 38–49. https://doi.org/10.30680/ESO0131-7652-2018-6-38-49

  5. Bukhval’d, E.M., Legal regulation of strategic spatial and territorial planning, Zh. Ross. Prava, 2019, no. 11, pp. 131–143. https://doi.org/10.12737/jrl.2019.11.10

  6. Bukhval’d, E.M. and Ivanov, O.B., Topical issues of spatial integration of the Russian economy, ETAP: Ekon. Teor., Anal., Prakt., 2015, no. 5, pp. 7–32.

  7. Chelnokova, O., Interrelation and interdependence of convergence and integration in the economy, Izv. Saratov. Univ. Nov. Ser., Ser.: Ekon. Upr. Pravo, 2016, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 154–158. https://doi.org/10.18500/1994-2540-2016-16-2-154-158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Druzhinin, P.V. and Kukareva, T.V., Cooperation of border regions: Karelian practice, Reg. Ekon.: Teor. Prakt., 2012, no. 8, pp. 2–9.

  9. Ekonomicheskaya integratsiya: prostranstvennyi aspekt (Economic Integration: Spatial Aspect), Minakir, P.A., Ed., Moscow: Ekonomika, 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Glushchenko, K., Econometric analysis of the integration of the Russian domestic market, Reg.: Ekon. Sotsiol., 2002, no. 3, pp. 67–86.

  11. Granberg, A.G., Regions in the economic space of Russia, Ekon. Sev.-Zap.: Probl. Perspekt. Razvit., 1999, no. 2, pp. 4–12.

  12. Grigorov, V.E., Experience in the use of horizontal interbudgetary transfers in the Russian Federation at the regional and municipal level, Aktual’n. Vopr. Sovrem. Ekon., 2020, no. 8, pp. 242–253. https://doi.org/10.34755/IROK.2020.98.20.143

  13. Guo, R., China’s spatial (dis)integration as a multiethnic paradox: What do the interprovincial data say? China Fin. Econ. Rev., 2016, vol. 4, no. 1, 21 p. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40589-015-0025-4

  14. Houtum, van H., An overview of European geographical research on borders and border regions, J. Borderlands Stud., 2000, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 57–83.

  15. Kleiner, G.B., System integration theory of enterprise, Montenegrin J. Econ., 2005, no. 2, pp. 21–40.

  16. Kotov, A., The territory requires coherent work: The role of interregional interactions in economic recovery (to the 100th anniversary of the paper by I.G. Aleksandrov “Economic regionalization of Russia”), Prostranstvennaya Ekon., 2021, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 18–34. https://doi.org/10.14530/se.2021.1.018-034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kryukov, V.A., On the relationship and interaction of economic, industrial and scientific and technological policies, Upr. Naukoi: Teor. Prakt., 2020, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 15–46. https://doi.org/10.19181/smtp.2020.2.2.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kryukov, V.A., Lavrovskii, B.L., Seliverstov, V.E., Suslov, V.I., and Suslov, N.I., Siberian development vector: Based on cooperation and interaction, Stud. Russ. Econ. Dev., 2020, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 495–504. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1075700720050111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kurushina, E., Upravlenie prostranstvennym razvitiem na osnove mezhregional’noi ekonomicheskoi integratsii (Spatial Development Management Based on Interregional Economic Integration), Tyumen: Tyumen. Ind. Univ., 2019, p. 78.

  20. Kuznetsova, O., Alternative approaches to determining the role of Russia’s macroregions in the public administration system, Federalizm, 2019, no. 4, pp. 112–125. https://doi.org/10.21686/2073-1051-2019-4-112-125

  21. Lazhentsev, V.N., The north and the integration of socioeconomic spaces: an example in the Russian northwest, Stud. Russ. Econ. Dev., 2020, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 277–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Polterovich, V.M., From social liberalism to the philosophy of cooperation, Obshchestv. Nauki Sovrem., 2015, no. 4, pp. 41–61.

  23. Polyakova, A.G., Modernization of the structure of the economic space of the region, Vestn. Cherepovets. Gos. Univ., 2011, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 28–31.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Sazonova, T., Evaluation of the economic integration of Russian regions: On the example of the Northwestern Federal District, Extended Abstract of Cand. Sci. (Econ.) Dissertation, Veliky Novgorod: Novgorod. State Univ., 2005.

  25. Uszkai, A., Spatial integration and identity: Cases of border regions, GAI Int. Acad. Conf. Proc. Prague, Czech Republic, 2015, vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 24–36.

Download references

Funding

The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 20-110-50192).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Сenter for Research on the Spatial Development of Socioeconomic Systems, Vologda Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 160014, Vologda, Russia

    S. A. Kozhevnikov

Authors
  1. S. A. Kozhevnikov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. A. Kozhevnikov.

Ethics declarations

The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

The article has been substantially revised and expanded by the author for publication in Regional Research of Russia.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kozhevnikov, S.A. Spatial Integration of the Economy: Theoretical Concepts and Problems of Implementation at the Regional Level. Reg. Res. Russ. 13, 386–396 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079970523700818

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079970523700818

Keywords:

Search

Navigation