The role of the federal policy toward regional development in promoting interregional cooperation in Russia

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the issue of evaluating the regional policy measures with respect to interregional cooperation development in the Russian Federation. One of the aims of the Strategy for Spatial Development of the Russian Federation adopted in 2019 is reduction in the level of social and economic interregional differentiation of Russian regions. This aim ought to be reached through the strengthening of interregional cooperation and coordination of the social and economic development of regions within the macroregions of the Russian Federation. The goal of this research is to analyze in dynamics current contours of the regional policy with respect to its concordance with the aim of interregional cooperation enhancement. The hypothesis of this research is that the contemporary state regional policy did not contribute to the strengthening of interregional cooperation of Russian regions. The main conclusion of the research is that the adopted regional policy to a greater degree stimulated competition between regions for the federal financing rather than interregional cooperation and coordination. This conclusion can be used for correcting the present regional policy of the Russian Federation with respect to the relations between the regional and the federal level and between regions themselves.