Arctic Regions Of Russia Research Articles

The use of the balanced scorecard method in evaluating the investment attractiveness of the region comprising the RF arctic zone

The article discusses the balanced scorecard as a method that allows an area’s investment attractiveness to be evaluated with account of the interests and information needs of all stakeholders in an investment chain. With regard to regions constituting the Russian Federation’s Arctic Zone, the balanced scorecard uses as its underlying indicators 1) availability of natural resources, 2) manufacturing and financial performance, 3) political, economic and social situation, and 4) growth prospects. The article further provides the rationale for the expediency of the balanced scorecard method as a tool for ranking the Russian Arctic regions’ investment appeal with account of investing actors’ interests.

Доктрина продовольственной безопасности России: социально-экономические и социально-биологические аспекты её реализации в Арктике

The article considers socio-economic and socio-biological aspects of the Russian Food Security Doctrine, approved on January 21, 2020. The need to monitor Russia's food security is due to significant changes in “the country's socio-economic development, the emergence of new risks and threats to food security caused by economic sanctions imposed in 2014 by a number of Western countries against our country, the openness of the national food market” in connection with the accession to the World Trade Organization, and the deepening integration within the EAEU. The article examines modern approaches to the definition of state food security. Certain provisions of the Doctrine of Food Security of the Russian Federation are assessed, the analysis of food security in Russia in terms of self-sufficiency, economic and physical availability of food was carried out on the basis of statistical data. Food security in Russia has been achieved for the main items of food products, which is confirmed by the results of the analysis performed. A similar positive trend in the development of our country is confirmed by the estimates of foreign researchers based on the results of the Global Food Security Index monitoring. A comparative analysis of the diet of the population of Russia and the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Oblasts is given. The work focuses on socio-biological risk factors for food security in the Arctic region of Russia.

The Contribution of Natural Resource Producing Sectors to the Economic Development of the Sakha Republic

This paper provides basic materials for considering the sustainability of natural resource development in the Arctic, taking the Sakha Republic as a case study of the Russian Arctic regions. The author clarifies the contribution of the mining industry to the economic development of Sakha with special attention paid to the contribution to government budgets by numerical and statistical analysis of regional and municipal data. The paper demonstrates that the mining industry has been a driving force of the economic growth of Sakha and that the oil sector has sharply increased its presence while the diamond sector has decreased its presence. Simultaneously, it reveals that the mining industry is unevenly developed in Sakha, which has caused significant inequality in per capita Gross Municipal Product (GMP). Then, the analysis of the paper shows that Sakha’s contribution to the federal budget has increased significantly in recent years due to growing oil production and that the diamond sector is still more influential than the oil sector in the contribution to the republican and local budgets.

Пандемия COVID-19 в российской Арктике: некоторые социально-экономические итоги 2020 г.

The relevance of this study is determined by the fundamentally new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected will significantly exacerbate the systemic problems of the Russian Arctic, increase the need for state control over main spheres of life and produce precedents for changes in corporate governance practices in the Arctic. The study intends to identify the current socio-economic dynamics of the Russian Arctic regions under the COVID-19 pandemic. The author set the following objectives for her study: analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic as a threat to the economic security of the Russian Arctic, review of the actions of resource corporations and regional authorities under the COVID-19 pandemic, including in relation to the indigenous population of the North, and analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of the Russian Arctic regions. Among the main socio-economic outcomes of 2020 for the Russian Arctic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the author identifies a decline in economic activity and an increase in unemployment.

Technological Windows of Opportunity for Russian Arctic Regions: Modeling and Exploitation Prospects

The problems of exploitation of technological windows of opportunity are of particular scientific and practical interest in terms of the development of Russia’s national economy, and the Arctic region, which has a strong mineral and raw materials potential, is important in terms of its use for achieving the technological and national security of the Russian state. Considering this, the study of the theoretical and methodical aspects of the development of emerging technological windows of opportunity is important and relevant for the regions of the Russian Arctic zone. The purpose of this study is to assess the potential and reserves for exploitation of the emerging technological windows of opportunity during the deployment of a new technological order by mobilizing material and human capital in the Arctic regions. Methodological tools for the study of this problem included dynamic series analysis, structural analysis, comparison, description, descriptive statistics, cross-correlation analysis, production function model and its visualization. An analytical review of scientific publications, a set of tools and methods of research, allowed to obtain the following scientific results: A significant variability in the contribution of science-intensive and high-tech industry to the formation of gross value added in the Arctic region has been revealed; meanwhile, we can note stable dynamics of the contribution of the Arctic economy to the gross domestic product (GRP) of Russia as a whole. There is a steady excess of the productivity index over the Russian average, which can be regarded as a potential for growth of high-tech components of labor in the development of the economy of the Arctic region. There is a negative statistically significant relationship between the share of the gross regional product of the Arctic in the Russian GRP and the share of gross value added (GVA) of science-intensive products in the Arctic GRP, which can be regarded as a factor preventing the exploitation of the emerging technological windows of opportunity. The construction of a model of production function of technological windows of opportunities for the Arctic zone of Russia pointed to the presence of potential in the exploitation of emerging technological windows in the Arctic zone of Russia in the development of human capital through the activation and use of high labor productivity, creating high-performance jobs. The results of the study, its findings and its proposals can be used in the development, monitoring and implementation of state federal and regional programs and projects aimed at improving the level of technology and science intensity of production in the Arctic zone, improving its competitiveness, which is highly important for the national economy.

Оценка потенциала арктических зон РФ: перспективы развития

This article raises the urgent and at the same time little-studied issue of the Russian Arctic territories’ exploration and development. According to the authors, the Arctic territories’ development is partly the key to the future prosperity of Russia. The Arctic is not only a quite large territory of our country, but also a zone of economic interests of the whole world. Thus, an assessment of the development potential of the Arctic territories is necessary. The authors proposed their own methodology for assessing such potential. The article provides a comparative analysis of nine regions included in the Russian Federation Arctic zone, according to important social and economic parameters: GRP; GRP per capita; population; life expectancy; the land area; production of the mineral reserves (oil, gas); level of tourism development. In the conclusion of the study, based on the data obtained from a comparative country analysis, the authors identified the strengths and weaknesses of each Russian Arctic region, proposed some recommendations for improving the mechanisms for the development of the Russian Arctic regions.

Fertility incentives in the Arctic regions of Russia

Subject. This article analyzes the State programmes of the Russian Arctic regions aimed to implement natalist policies. Objectives. The article aims to identify and classify the tools to stimulate birth rate in the areas that are fully or partially within the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Methods. For the study, we used general scientific and statistical analysis methods, and the graphic visualization technique. Results. The article describes the fiscal, organizational, and economic tools to stimulate fertility in the regions of the Russian Arctic. The article notes the insufficient use of the available set of fertility incentives in the Arctic regions, as well as the lack of a systematic approach to their implementation. Conclusions. It is necessary to improve the State regional programmes of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation in terms of a more complete and comprehensive use of birth rate stimulating tools.

A local perspective on renewable energy development in the Russian Arctic

Many Arctic communities are exposed to energy security risks. Remote settlements rely largely on diesel for energy production, which results in higher consumer prices, negative impacts on the environment and public health. In the past few years, pilot projects for switching remote villages from diesel-generated to wind- and solar-diesel hybrid power plants were realized across the Arctic. Renewable energy projects have a major potential to alleviate energy security risks, promote public health and better environment. Yet, renewable energy does not take hold easily in the Arctic region. Especially in Russia, significant subsidies for fossil fuel present a major disincentive, as well as perpetuate vested interests of national oil companies. Despite the Russian Arctic being a ‘hard case’ for renewables development, there has been both interest in and progress towards the uptake of renewable energy across the Russian Arctic regions. This article contributes to the ‘local turn’ in sustainable energy policy studies by exploring two intertwined questions: which factors contribute to renewable energy development in the Russian Arctic and how do these factors characterise differences between individual Arctic communities? Using a combination of exploratory factor analysis and correspondence analysis in application to the local level (municipal) data, we update the existing models of the factors contributing to renewable energy uptake and put forward four distinct community-level models that describe renewables uptake. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of the local perspective on sustainable energy as a key to explaining differences in observed policy outcomes.

Socio-cultural characteristics of the Russian Indigenous communities in the Barents region

Legal regulation of socio-cultural processes taking place in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region (BEAR) is not effective without involving indigenous communities, which is a specific population group representing the traditional ethno-cultural landscape of the region, unchanged for centuries and affected by globalization. Owing to the cross-border nature of the BEAR, socio-cultural characteristics acquire special synergetic properties determining the vectors of intergovernmental cooperation. With areas of its land making up the largest part of the BEAR, Russia seems to be the key actor in its socio-cultural development. It is difficult to estimate the progress of the unity without understanding the legal and political background of Russia in the field of indigenous issues. This paper sheds light on the policy and regulations on indigenous-related issues in Russia by examining five cases of regions which are part of the Russian Arctic Zone and the BEAR members. The authors compare the essential actions and measures the Russian Arctic regions have taken for complying with the international indigenous agenda. The paper also makes an effort to examine the potential for cooperation in the BEAR through establishing institutional, political and legal mechanisms. The conclusion arrived at is that Russia needs to take major steps to ensure progress and development of its part of the BEAR and to contribute to the BEAR development by fostering further discussion and cooperation on indigenous rights, joint decision-making, clean environment, education and native languages, peace and security.

Migration Attractiveness as a Factor in the Development of the Russian Arctic Mineral Resource Potential

The development of mineral resources in the Arctic territories is one of the priorities of the state policy of Russia. This endeavor requires modern technologies, high-quality personnel, and a large number of labor resources. However, the regions of the Arctic are characterized by difficult working and living conditions, which makes them unattractive to the working population. The research objectives were to study the importance of Arctic mineral resources for the Russian economy, the Arctic mineral resource potential, and the migration attractiveness of Arctic regions. The migration processes in these locations were analyzed and modeled using a new econometric tool—complex-valued regression models. The authors assume that the attractiveness of the Arctic regions is determined by the level of their social and economic development and can be assessed using a number of indicators. A comparative analysis of four regions that are entirely in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation was carried out based on the calculation of integral indicators of the social and economic attractiveness of these territories. Forecasting migration growth using the proposed complex-valued models produced better results than simple trend extrapolation. The authors conclude that complex-valued economic models can be successfully used to forecast migration processes in the Arctic regions of Russia. Understanding and predicting migration processes in the Arctic will make it possible to develop recommendations for attracting labor resources to the region, which will contribute to the successful development of its resource potential. The methodology of this study includes desk studies, a graphical method, arithmetic calculations, correlation analysis, statistical analysis, and the methods of the complex-valued economy.

Проблемы комплексного развития логистической инфраструктуры нефтегазового комплекса

Introduction. The effective operation of industrial production, transport and processing facilities depends directly on the logistics infrastructure. This is confirmed by a significant share of logistics infrastructure costs in the investment programs of vertically integrated companies. Theoretical analysis. A theoretical study of the logistics infrastructure, its current state and prospects for development is carried out, the types of logistics infrastructure and areas of responsibility are analyzed: supply, intra-industry support and sales. Theoretical research methods were used, and the analysis of different types of logistics infrastructure designed for specific purposes at different stages of the life cycle in the supply chains of the investment project was performed. Еmpirical analysis. The possibility of reverse use of logistics infrastructure facilities, i.e., for the supply of oil and gas facilities and the sale of processed products, is analyzed. The concept of logistics infrastructure is specified, which allows to specify their share in investment costs. Results. The approach proposed by the authors will allow to take into account the importance of integrated construction of the logistics infrastructure of the Arctic region of Russia in the foreseeable future, increase the efficiency of investments, and further reduce costs at the stage of operation and elimination of industrial and social facilities.

Assessing the Tourist and recreational potential of the Russian Arctic regions

Assessing the Tourist and recreational potential of the Russian Arctic regions

Sustainable Development of the Slope Lands of the Russian Arctic: Investigation of the Relationship between Slope Aspects, Wind Regime and Residential Wind Comfort

The land-use of slope terrain in the Arctic region is important and relevant, as vast territories that are reserved for proposed cities’ development have disturbed land relief. The relevance of the study is also associated with an increased interest in the development of settlements in the Arctic region, which has great territorial and resource potential. In addition to the complexity of the engineering support of such terrains, there are difficulties in organizing comfortable indoor wind comfort in the residential areas required for population well-being. The study focuses on specific conditions for residential areas design resilient to the harsh climatic conditions on difficult slope terrain to ensure the quality of life of the population in the Arctic region of Russia. The article focuses on the study of wind-chill parameters such as wind velocity and temperature for different slopes. The subject of this research is slope terrain aeration conditions of the Arctic zone in Russia. The research aim expresses the relationship between specific aeration of the slope area conditions and the layout design of residential areas to ensure comfortable living conditions for the population. The study was carried out using mathematical computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling of wind flows in the ANSYS Fluent program. The results of the study are graphs showing the distribution of comfort and discomfort zones in a residential area for different aeration conditions at different slope terrains. Implementation of the methodology for assessing aeration conditions for residential areas on slope terrains was carried out in the city of Murmansk. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that there are no similar studies for the Arctic region in Russia. Research results can be used as a practical tool for justification of residential areas through a sample plan addressing their wind comfortability.

Winter Zooplankton in a Small Arctic Lake: Abundance and Vertical Distribution

Zooplankton assemblages are of great importance in aquatic food webs because they link lower (microplankton) and higher trophic levels (top predators). Small water bodies in the Arctic regions of Russia are less studied in winter because of severe ice conditions. For this reason, we analyzed the winter zooplankton community in Lake Kulonga (western coast of Kola Bay, Barents Sea). A total of 9 taxa were found in the samples. The total abundance varied from 200 to 1320 ind. m−3, averaging 705 ind. m−3. The total zooplankton biomass was 1.8–72.8 mg of wet mass m−3 with an average of 30 mg m−3. These parameters were lower than in other Russian Arctic and sub-arctic lakes in summer. Old copepodites of Cyclops spp. dominated the zooplankton community at deep-water stations in terms of the total abundance consisting of 24–33%. The copepod Macrocyclops albidus prevailed in terms of the total zooplankton biomass comprising 30–33% at deep-water stations while Cyclops scutifer and copepodites Cyclops spp. had the highest biomass at shallow water stations. Vertical distribution demonstrated different patterns at neighboring stations, probably as a result of differences in the density of fish predators.

За пределами статистики: качественное исследование трансформации первичного сектора экономики в постсоветской российской Арктике

The Russian Arctic is at the epicentre of economic, environmental, and social changes. At the same time, the peripheral character of the territory, its strong orientation on primary sector makes the region extremely volatile to suchlike shifts. The study concerns primary sector transformation in the Post-Soviet period when after 1991 significant changes in the economy were observed. The main aim of the paper is to identify the specifics, features and development prospects of the recent primary sector transfor-mation in the Russian Arctic. The statistical methods do not reflect the full picture of the transformation. Firstly, Russia has switched to UN national accounts system only in 1994. Secondly, the Arctic statistics after 2009 for regional level is unavailable. That is why the main method of the research is the expert survey method. The results of the study demonstrate the dominant role of the primary sector and the strong dependence of Russian Arctic regions on these activities. The study identifies the key factors and drivers of the transformation, a specific position of the oil and gas sector and the role of natural resources to be traditionally used in the primary sector. Despite the positive role of economic diversification in the long-term economic development, the corresponding effect for the Arctic regions is not fully expressed. The methodological novelty of the research is an unconventional research method of investigating primary sector transformation on the regional level in the Post-Soviet Russian Arctic, i.e. the expert survey. The method can be applied to other countries and industries.

Seasonal and Decadal Variability of Atmosphere Pressure in Arctic, its Statistical and Temporal Analysis

The paper analyzes the statistical and temporal seasonal and decadal variability of the atmospheric pressure field in the Arctic region of Russia. Schemes for the frequency analysis of probability transitions for characteristics of stochastic-diffusion processes were used as the main research method. On the basis of the given series of 60 years long from 1948 to 2008, such parameters of diffusion processes as the mean (drift process) and variance (diffusion process) were calculated and their maps and time curves were constructed. The seasonal and long-term variability of calculated fields was studied as well as their dependencies on a discretization of the frequency intervals. These characteristics were analyzed and their geophysical interpretation was carried out. In particular, the known cycles of solar activity in 11 and 22 years were revealed. Numerical calculations were performed on the Lomonosov-2 supercomputer of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

ТРАДИЦИОННАЯ И НОВАЯ МАЛАЯ ЭНЕРГЕТИКА В СЕВЕРНЫХ РЕГИОНАХ РОССИИ.

For the North and Arctic regions of Russia the task of the small power generation development is important because there are large areas of expensive decentralized electricity supply (DES) and difficult living conditions. In studying the processes of the small energy development, it is important to detail regional features and economic conditions that determine competitiveness of promising types of energy sources. The article presents the analysis results of the DES of the Russia northern territories on the example of three regions: the Republic of Komi, the Arkhangelsk region, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The analysis aim is to determine the existing prerequisites and barriers to active development of the small power generation in the North. On the basis of the detailed energy-economic indicators and the received generalizations, options for improving the efficiency of autonomous energy supply based on conventional and new small-sized power generation technologies are being considered. The analysis showed that the development of DES zones does not have the institutional incentives and sufficient resource base for qualitative technological modernization. Most of the investment and operating costs of DES in the northern regions are compensated through cross-and budget subsidizations. Traditional diesel generation remains high-cost and low-efficiency, its modernization is carried out at slow rate, the potential of electric and heat energy cogeneration is not used. Renewable energy technologies are not ready for large implementation in local energy systems of the North and Arctic 14of Russia. The renewables projects, implemented over the past five years, are mainly experimental and demonstration. The analysis of the indicators of the "northern" renewable energy projects does not confirm their economic efficiency. The reasons are not only in the high unit investment costs, but also in relatively low utilization rates of the installed capacity (capacity factors) of solar and wind power plants. There is no targeted state support for the development of the efficient small-sized power generation in northern regions.

Российская Арктика: потенциал инновационного развития

The conditions, results and opportunities for the development of advanced high-tech economy in the Arctic regions of Russia are considered. The most sensitive aspects, as well as positive trends in the development are outlined.

Introducing a New Detailed Long-Term COSMO-CLM Hindcast for the Russian Arctic and the First Results of Its Evaluation

Diverse and severe weather conditions and rapid climate change rates in the Arctic emphasize the need for high-resolution climatic and environmental data that cannot be obtained from the scarce observational networks. This study presents a new detailed hydrometeorological dataset for the Russian Arctic region, obtained as a long-term hindcast with the nonhydrostatic atmospheric model COSMO-CLM for the 1980–2016 period. The modeling workflow, evaluation techniques, and preliminary analysis of the obtained dataset are discussed. The model domain included the Barents, Kara, and Laptev Seas with ≈12-km grid spacing. The optimal model setup was chosen based on preliminary simulations for several summer and winter periods with varied options, and included the usage of ERA-Interim reanalysis data as forcing data, the new model version 5.05 with so-called ICON-based physics, and a spectral nudging technique. The wind speed and temperature climatology in the new COSMO-CLM dataset closely agreed with the ERA-Interim reanalysis, but with detailed spatial patterns. The added value of the higher-resolution COSMO-CLM data with respect to the ERA-Interim was most pronounced for higher wind speeds during downslope windstorms with the influence of mountain ranges on the temperature patterns, including surface temperature inversions. The potential applications and plans of further product development are also discussed.

Жилищные условия населения в регионах Арктической зоны РФ, или квартирный вопрос в Российской Арктике

The issues of population providing with comfortable and affordable housing are relevant, because it has special social importance for the socio-economic development of Russia. The availability of housing is a person’s primary need, the satisfaction of which allows solving many social problems. Many problems to improve the living conditions of the population are solved within the framework of the state social policy, including the construction of social housing, housing subsidies, and the provision of preferential housing. The article considers issues related to improving the living conditions of the population in the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation. The paper aims to analyze the living conditions of the population in the Russian Arctic regions and to assess the needs and opportunities of the population in improving their housing conditions. Research methods are analysis and synthesis of statistical information, grouping, generalization, comparison, visualization. The infrastructure and improvement of the housing stock and the housing provision of the population in the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation were assessed. The possibilities and needs of the population of the Arctic regions in improving housing conditions are estimated. The authors said that the specificity and complexity of solving the problem of improving housing conditions in the Arctic regions is, first of all, to increasing capital costs for the construction and maintenance of the housing stock and the high cost of utilities for the population. A set of measures has been proposed for revitalizing and recovering from a pandemic domestic consumer demand of residents of the Arctic regions for improving housing conditions in the region of residence, as well as to create conditions for the consolidation of the population and the solution of social problems associated with housing.