Russia–Belarus Borderland: Contradictions of Integration and Cross-Border Regionalization. From Friendship to Cooperation?

Abstract

Cross-border regionalization (CBR) is a process and, at the same time, a result of the cross-border interactions development leading to the emergence of cross-border regions. Rethinking the European experience and the postulates of the Soviet school of economic geography, researchers of the CBR are trying to understand the principles of building cross-border regions along the new and the old borders of Russia. However, many fundamental questions remain open. What impact do interstate integration initiatives have on CBR? What makes a more significant contribution to regionalization: the institutionalization of cross-border interactions, good neighborhood relations, or the presence of functional ties between neighbors? The aim of the paper is to contribute to this discussion using the case of the Russian-Belarusian borderland, which is characterized by a low barrier function as well as cultural and historical closeness. The conceptual basis is the understanding of CBR as a process determined by both internal (often “objective”) and external (“subjective”) factors, which makes it possible to reconcile “objectivist” and “constructivist” research approaches. The paper is based on the analysis of official statistical information, the results of many years of field research, including expert interviews as well as expert questioning. The study showed that integration processes slow down the divergence of the regions of the Russian-Belarusian borderland in socio-economic terms, but do not lead to noticeable convergence. The combination of these processes, on the one hand, undermines the potential of the CBR, and on the other hand, creates the preconditions for the formation of “border rent”, the complementarity of labor markets, and the function of a “buffer zone” by the borderland. Along with transit location and location between capitals, CBR is affected by peripherization, which goes hand in hand with the destruction of the cross-border transport connectivity of the territory. The everyday practices of the local residents still create a relatively strong cooperation network, but leaving of the Soviet generations and the ongoing depopulation of the borderland may eventually lead to the degradation of cross-border interactions. It was revealed that the lack of institutionalization and financial support for cooperation is perceived by experts as a serious limiting factor, especially those that have experience in implementing neighborhood programs on the borders with the EU.