Economic security of the Central Black Earth region: assessment of the state and threats

Abstract

Economic security qualitatively characterizes the economic system, determining its ability to maintain normal conditions for the functioning of the population, the constant provision of resources for the development of the national economy, and the consistent protection of national interests. Due to the development of contradictions both within the region and beyond, there are threats to the economic security of the region. Threats affect local economic processes, causing imbalance in the regional economy, and thus contributing to the loss of control over the stages of reproduction of the aggregate social product. To select the optimal methodology for assessing the level of economic security in the region, the authors conducted a comparative analysis of existing methods, identifying their advantages and disadvantages. An assessment of the current state of the economic security of the Central Black Earth region was carried out using the provisions of the D.V. Tretyakov’s methodology, which showed a fairly high level of economic security of all areas included in the region. The analysis of the main indicators of the Central Black Earth region development, carried out by the authors with the help of “zone theory”, made it possible to identify the main threats: a high level of property differentiation of the population; low spending on health and culture; low level of expenses for education and support of scientific potential and innovation activity; high dependence of the economy on imports; high mortality rates of the population, including infants; insufficient growth of industrial production; high growth rate of consumer prices. Based on the results of the analysis, the authors proposed recommendations for neutralizing threats and improving the economic security of the Central Black Earth region.