Improving the competitiveness and sustainability of a border region

Abstract

Improving the competitiveness of a border region is a scientific problem connected with the peculiar position of these regions on the front edge of the country, which, on the one hand, puts them in a hard dependence on the current state of relations with the neighboring state, and on the other is determined by special factor conditions created by the border. The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of the competitiveness of the border region and offer recommendations for improving the sustainability of its economy. To do this, the authors developed a methodology that takes into account the specifics of the boundary position, and tested it on the example of the Samara region — one of the geostrategic regions of the Russian Federation, which has a common border with the Republic of Kazakhstan. In accordance with the logic of competitiveness as a set of characteristics that provide advantages of one object (a border region) over another one (others), the conducted assessment is made on the materials of eleven subjects of the Russian Federation, located along the perimeter of the territory adjacent to the Republic of Kazakhstan. The conducted analysis allowed to identify two priority competitiveness determinants of the Samara region, ahead of influence of other factors — national priority and financial attractiveness, and to form a list of specific factors of the geostrategic potential of the Samara region, showing the possibilities of entering the world market using the resource «border». The recommendations formulated based on the results include the consideration of specific «border» factors and the determinant of regional competitiveness in the process of working out the strategy for the development of the border region. The results of the study are addressed to the state authorities of the Russian subjects — border geostrategic territories and can be used in the development of strategic documents aiming at regional development concerning the analytical substantiation of regional priorities in border trade and economic and socio-cultural cooperation with the neighbouring territory.