Dynamic aspect in territory sustainable development management: The case of the Volga macroregion

Abstract

. The paper assesses sustainable development dynamic aspects in territorial management. The relevance of the work is determined by the importance of territorial management based on the principles of sustainable development and the need to scrutinize the socio-environmental and economic potential of the territories in order to create conditions for the full use of available resources without compromising the quality of life of current and future generations. Methodologically, the study rests on the concept of sustainable development, resource theory of economic systems, the dynamic approach to management, and the methodology for constructing integrated indicators and systems of indicators. In the article, the methods of analysis, synthesis, systematization, statistical observation, etc. are applied. Having shown the advantages and disadvantages of integral indicators found in Russian and foreign studies, the authors focus on selecting official statistics data that adequately reflect the state of the economy, population health and welfare, as well as natural capital. An increase in the level of welfare and population social development, while maintaining environmental sustainability, is regarded as the criterion of sustainability. Addressing the case of the Volga macroregion, we characterize the current state of regional development and scrutinize the dynamic aspect, namely the long-term development trajectory of each of the 17 regions. The research analyzes the growth rates of sustainable development indicators for the period of 2010–2017. The study reveals significant differences in the dynamics across the regions. The Republic of Tatarstan and Nizhny Novgorod oblast demonstrate a positive trend in all the components at initially high values, while the Republic of Kalmykia shows the worst dynamics at low values. The authors conclude that the system of indicators is preferable to the integral indicator and the system for assessing the effectiveness of long-term measures of public policy and related management decisions.