Tools of the State Regional Policy in the Russian Far East

• Main Author: Sergey Nikolaevich Leonov
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Economic Research Institute of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2017-06-01
• Series: Prostranstvennaâ Èkonomika
• Subjects: regional programs; special economic zones; territorial development zones; territories of advanced socio-economic development; Russian Far Eas
• Online Access: http://www.spatial-economics.com/images/spatial-econimics/2017_2/SE.2017.2.041-067.Leonov.pdf

The tools of the state regional policy in the Far East are varied and include regional programs, special economic zones, territorial development zones, the free port of Vladivostok, territories of advanced socio-economic development, and are aimed at selective support of individual territories. Analyzing the results of application of certain tools is complicated by the lack of unified definition of used terms, lack of information and methods for assessing the role of administrative preferences provided by authorities for implementation of regional projects. It is shown that the evaluation of effectiveness of applying the tools is done only during the validation of necessity of using specific tools, while the monitoring of ongoing projects and programs is done using the indicators of distribution and usage of investments. It is not enough for conclusive assessment of effectiveness. The excessive variety of tools of federal support for entrepreneurship in local zones in the Far East is mostly explained by disagreements between federal ministries. The article shows that the eagerness for creating territories with special regimes created high expectations and led to treating them as panacea, although none of the territories created in the Far East had shown any real effect of distribution of innovations. The conclusion is that it is sensible to improve the existing tools of federal support of local zones in the region, not to create the new ones