Innovation performance of Russia’s Northwestern regions: a comparative evaluation

Abstract

Innovative activities underpin the economic development and competitiveness of Russian regions. This article seeks to compare the innovation performance of Russia’s north-western regions, which are among the most progressive in the country, and their available resource. A review of the literature suggests that most Russian publications combine systems of composite indices with econometric and statistical approaches to evaluate regional innovation performance. The same methods are employed in this study. Comparative analysis indicates significant differences between the regions in both available resource and innovation advancements. Juxtaposing composite resource availability indices and innovation performance aided in devising a typology of regions and analysing changes in the position in a composite evaluation matrix. The findings demonstrate that Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region comfortably outperform the other northwestern regions in innovation. Regression and correlation analysis reveals that innovation performance depends crucially on earlier achievements and currently available resources. The Novgorod region, however, is making headway without a marked change in the level of resources. Thus, it is important to transfer innovations designed in resource-rich regions to their less well-off counterparts to achieve positive synergy throughout northwest Russia.