Impact of the Ports of the Northern Sea Route on the Development of Focal Zones of the Russian Eastern Arctic

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An attempt is made in this work to identify the mechanisms of the influence of the ports of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) on increasing the efficiency of the formation of focal zones for the development of the Eastern Arctic. The propulsive potential of the transport infrastructure is considered; the importance of the NSR for the integration of the southern and Arctic regions of the Far East is indicated. The methodology of the work is based on the theory of cumulative growth, in which the ideas of the formation of "growth poles" occupy a decisive position. The work uses methods of grouping, logical and comparative analysis. The information base of the study was the data of Rosstat. It is shown that the state’s activity on the development of the NSR stimulates the development of the North Yakutsk and Chukotka support zones, enhancing the transport and raw materials specialization of the Eastern Arctic as a whole. The paper substantiates that in the Far Eastern Arctic, the traditional view of ports as the most important infrastructure assets, which are the business and economic center of territorial development, is insufficient for the recognition of transport infrastructure as a propulsion industry. Transport is a necessary but insufficient condition for the emergence and accelerated development of local "growth poles" in the Arctic. The propulsive effect of the port economy is low and is mainly of an induced nature, when capacities for product processing are created in the port territories, or when the transport infrastructure stimulates the emergence of transport-intensive extractive industries.