Comparative Assessment of the Parameters of Spatial Heterogeneity of the Social Sphere of the Far Eastern Federal District Regions

Abstract

Spatial heterogeneity is an objective reality and a condition for the development of individual territories located in space. The total set of competitive advantages of territories determines the level of development of their economy and social sphere and the level of differences between individual territories. In its turn, from the standpoint of the federal district, the differences between the territories of the constituent entities determine the different positions and roles of the territories within the federal district. Federal executive authorities make decisions on the need to smooth out differences and apply smoothing mechanisms if the differences between the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are significant. In connection with the need to use smoothing mechanisms, the question arises about the measure of calculation and the magnitude of the differences, in which there is a need to apply existing or develop new smoothing mechanisms. The element of scientific novelty presented in the article is an approach to assessing the spatial heterogeneity of the parameters of the social sphere. The possibilities of using the proposed approach are considered on the example of the Far Eastern Federal District and its «new» subjects: the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory, which have been part of the Far Eastern Federal District since the end of 2018. The result allowed us to conclude that certain territories, including the «new» ones, despite comparable development conditions, demonstrate a significant lag in the parameters of social development and they require the application of additional measures of state support.