Russian Macro-region Research Articles

Subnational Differences in Inequality Perceptions and Demand for Redistribution in Russia

The article presents the results of inequality perception assessment for the Russian macro-regions (Federal districts) and the demand for redistribution in the context of gender, age, and socio-economic characteristics. The assessment is based on data from the eighth wave of the European Social Survey (2016). The findings show that people in the Central Federal District were more accepting of inequality, while those from Siberia and the Far East were less tolerant. The perception of inequality plays a significant role in shaping the demand for policies aimed at reducing inequality (redistributive policies). Macro-regions fall into three clusters: 1) a cluster with a high tolerance for inequality and a moderate demand for redistribution (southern Russia, central regions, and the North Caucasus), 2) regions with an average tolerance and moderate demand (the Volga region and the North-West), 3) regions with a low tolerance and high demand (Siberia and the Far East). The results of the study confirm that there is interregional differentiation in the assessments of the importance of social equality and justice, as well as in the demand for redistribution within the regions of the Russian Federation. These differences can contribute to increased interregional disparity, reduced investment attractiveness for regions, and an increase in the concentration and centralization of resources in specific territories, potentially harming uniform spatial development efforts.

Трудовая миграция в российских регионах в контексте обеспечения экономической безопасности

In the accepted understanding of the role of labor migration as a leading factor in ensuring the economic security of Russia and its regions, it is necessary to proceed from the content of migration as a complex, multidimensional phenomenon, characterized by multidirectional and contradictory dynamics of the processes occurring in it. In conditions of geopolitical and macroeconomic instability, the diagnosis of these processes is updated in connection with sharp structural shifts in labor migration and changes in their influence on the economic security of Russian regions and the country. Based on a structural-dynamic analysis made with the use of official statistical information, the dynamics and effectiveness of the processes accompanying labor migration and their impact on the economic security of Russia, its regions, and macro-regions were identified. The main trends in labor migration at the macro level are the predominance of internal migration flows over external ones against the negative increase in labor migrants from countries outside the CIS countries and the reorientation of labor flows to other countries; changes in the sectoral structure of migration; and the high share and growth of illegal migration. At the meso level, there is a high level of differentiation in labor migration flows and, as a result, their ambiguous impact on the economic security of Russian macro-regions and their constituent entities. The main factors hindering the positive impact of labor migration on the economic security of the regions of the Southern Federal District are differences in their sectoral specialization; the state of social infrastructure, education, and healthcare; level of employment; environmental and climatic living conditions; composition and structure of the population; and quality of life. The solution to the problems of labor migration in the Southern Federal District, which can ensure an increase in the migration attractiveness of the territories of the macro-region, lies, first of all, in the growth and balance of the quality of life of the population in the regions of the Southern Federal District, increasing the effectiveness of the state regional industrial and social policy, and strengthening the place and role of migration policy in long-term programs of regional development.

Characteristics of Primary Morbidity in the Population of the Far Eastern Federal District (Retrospective Analysis)

Background. The peculiarities of the economic and geographical position of the Far Eastern Federal District determine climatic, socio-biological and medical and organizational characteristics that affect the leading criteria for population health. A relevant and priority direction for the development of the macro-region is the study of the main indicators of population health, reflecting the organizational and economic potential of the region, as well as the preservation and promotion of public health based on the formation of a healthy lifestyle and increasing the availability and quality of medical care. Aims — study and analyse the primary morbidity of the adult population in the Far Eastern Federal District. Methods. A retrospective analytical study was carried out. An analysis of the dynamics of primary morbidity by rate of increase (decrease) and a comparative analysis of average annual primary morbidity, including major classes of diseases diagnosed for the first time in life, in the adult population in the macro-region as a whole and in its 11 constituent entities is given. I–IV, VI–XIV, XVII, XIX classes of diseases were taken into account according to the International Classification of Diseases of the 10th revision. Results. The Far Eastern Federal District ranked 5th in descending order by primary morbidity among other Russian macroregions throughout the study period. There was variability in the primary morbidity ranking among the constituent entities of the district. The dynamics of primary morbidity showed a moderate upward trend in 2017, followed by two years of stable trend, and in 2020 there was a moderate downward trend. The prevalence of disease in patients diagnosed for the first time in the population of the other federal districts of the country was characterised by individual variability. At the same time, in most macro-regions a moderate to pronounced decrease in primary morbidity was found in 2020 (rate of increase (decrease) morbidity: from –2.3 to –7.2%), except for the Central Federal District (rate of increase (decrease) morbidity: –0.1%) and the Urals Federal District (rate of increase (decrease) morbidity: –0.2%), where this indicator remained stable. Conclusions. In the Far Eastern Federal District, characteristic variability in the level, dynamics and structure of primary morbidity among the population has been identified. A general pattern with all-Russian indicators was revealed, consisting in a decrease in incidence in most classes of diseases in 2020, except for X Respiratory disease, in which stability remained. The revealed features of the rank distribution of primary morbidity by classes of diseases in the subjects of the district will make it possible to be based on the principle of targeted distribution of funds when planning the volume of medical care to the population.

Полиэтничен ли современный Юг России?

The activation (and actualization) of transformational processes in Russian society against the background of significantly increased global turbulence initiates priority attention to spatial development, which, in turn, requires a more detailed and correct assessment of the ethnodemographic specifics of the territory. The article focuses on the modern features of the ethnic structure of the South of Russia (Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts), which is ethnogeographically the most “mosaic” macroregion of the Russian Federation, based on a multi-scale analysis of data from the All-Russian Population Census in 2020. It is shown that the idea of the South of Russia as a multiethnic territory rooted in scientific discourse is generally justified (for Russians in the census population – 60.4% with an average for Russia – 71.7), but should be adjusted for regional and municipal taxonomic levels. Thus, out of 15 federal subjects localized in the South of Russia, in 7 the proportion of the numerically predominant ethnic group exceeds 75%, which illustrates their predominant mono-ethnicity (these regions occupy 61% of the territory of Southern Russia, concentrating 67% of its population and 73% of the GRP). The situation is similar in 239 (out of 341) municipalities (urban districts, municipal districts and municipal districts), including such important urban centers as Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Stavropol, Sevastopol. The territorial, residential and economic structure of the South of Russia is shifted, as a result, in favor of regions and municipalities with a clear “ethnic coloring” (including “Russian” in 5 subjects of the Russian Federation and half of municipalities), which allows us to consider the South Russian macroregion as an asymmetric combination of mono- and multiethnic territories.

Assessment of Sustainable Development Potential and the Green Growth of the Russian Macro-Region

The article explores sustainable development in terms of the green growth concept relative to the Ural-Siberian macro-region of Russia. To implement the principles of sustainable development in conditions of uncertainty, environmental preservation and economic progress, the main directions, problems and prospects have been analysed. The study aims to assess the potential for sustainable development of the Ural-Siberian macro-region and analyse the most promising directions in the sphere of the green economy. The results and conclusions of the article can be useful for formulating regional sustainable socio-economic development strategies with regard to the green growth principles.

Моделирование и оценка качества жизни в макрорегионах России на основе методологии экономики качества

The article touches upon the pressing topic of changes in the quality of life in connection with the rapid increase in instability of economic development caused by the exacerbation of key problems in the main areas of human life: economic, social, and environmental. The purpose of this study was to model and obtain quantitative estimates to analyze modern changes in the quality of life of the population. The methodology of quality economics for modeling and assessing the quality of life was selected and justified, and a comparative analysis of changes in the quality of life at the regional level was performed. When constructing a model for assessing the quality of life, the principles and basic provisions of a multi-level quality management system were taken as a basis. A system of indicators in which a generalized indicator of quality of life acts as a result of integral indicators: medical and demographic conditions, socio-economic well-being, comfort and safety of the living environment, was developed. Analysis of the results of the modeling showed that the positive dynamics of the quality of life in Russian macro-regions is characterized by a slowdown in growth rates towards the end of the period under study, and the growth rate of the quality of life in 2020 becomes negative. The obtained quantitative results are in good agreement with expert assessments of the manifestations of economic instability observed in practice, the most striking of which was the coronavirus pandemic

Влияние размещения экономических ресурсов на особенности пространственной организации России

Distribution of economic resources across Russian regions has attracted wide attention due to its significant impact on economic growth potential. Despite numerous approaches to the definition and classification of economic resources, there is no unified comprehensive methodology for assessing their spatial distribution and influence on spatial organisation of the national economy. Therefore, this article aims to study the organisation of the Russian economic space by identifying areas of resource concentration in regions, their spatial relationships and impact on socio-economic development. To this end, index and statistical methods, correlation and regression analysis, cartographic analysis are applied. In accordance with the modern strategic approach to the spatial development of Russia, the study examines the macro-regional level. Natural resources, human capital, and economic development indices were calculated in order to assess the distribution of economic resources and formation of layers (natural, social, productive) of the spatial framework of Russia. These indices are based on socio-economic indicators of Russian regions for 2010 and 2021. To determine areas of resource concentration, a correlation and regression analysis of the influence of indices as a numerical expression of layers of the spatial organisation was performed. A synthesis of the formed layers revealed the following Russian macro-regions of concentration of various economic resources and potential backbone regions of the spatial framework: Central (Moscow, Moscow and Kaluga oblasts), Ural-Siberian (Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous okrugs, Tyumen oblast), Central Black Earth (Voronezh and Belgorod oblasts), Northwestern (St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Murmansk oblasts). The findings can be used to identify ways to improve the organisation of the Russian economic space, increase the effectiveness of regional development policies and expand the methodology for assessing and forming other spatial layers of the economy.

Uneven Development of the Spatial Economy of the Russian Federation and Differentiation of Growth Factors: Period 2016–2019

The issues of spatial differences in the level of socio-economic development of Russian macroregions, are discusses in the article. Authors analyze the causes and trends of changes in the spatial structure of macroeconomic indicators by federal districts and evaluate the main factors of regional growth and the potential for further development of the federal districts of the Russian Federation. The object of the study is the spatial economy of Russia in the period 2016–2019, both in the context of federal districts and in the context of the European and Asian parts. The European part of the Russian Federation includes the Central Federal District, the Northwestern Federal District, the Southern Federal District, the Northwestern Federal District, the Volga Federal District and the Ural Federal District without the Tyumen Region. The Asian part of the Russian Federation consists of the Tyumen region, the Siberian Federal District and the Far Eastern Federal District. The main goal of this work is to analyze the growth factors of Russian regions in the period 2016–2019. The research tools include methods for factorial decomposition of increments into quantitative and qualitative features, methods for analyzing structural changes. The paper shows the impact of price and volume changes on GRP growth, the impact of changes in the number of employees and total labor productivity on volume growth, the impact of changes in sectoral labor productivity and the structure of employees on the growth of total labor productivity. The paper also reflects the reasons for the uneven spatial development of the country and presents the contributions of industries to regional growth.

Inter-sector Inter-Region Model for Russian Economy: Methodology and Application

The paper presented is intended to analyze an approach to a long-term inter-sector and inter-regional economic analysis as based on an optimization model. This approach was developed in IEIE SB RAS and resulted in several directions of application. One of them is investigation of interactions between a national economy and its energy production segment. The model being discussed includes input-output tables for six regions of Russian economy supplemented with model blocks for interregional transportations. It includes a natural block of energy production, processing and transportation. The last version of this model combines 45 products of different economic sectors including 8 ones of an energy sector (rough oil, gas and coal, two kinds of petroleum products, coal processing, electricity and heat), and 6 Russian macro-regions; it is a composition of two sub-models for 2 time periods: 2008-2020 and 2021-2030. Each of the sub-models treats time changes in simplified manner – it means that all the variables are defined for the last year of the period and the variables of the basic year are fixed as exogenous ones. The dynamics of investments into fixed capital is treated as non-linear functions being adapted with the help of linearization techniques.

Assessment of Human Capital in Russian Macroregions

A quantitative assessment of human capital is necessary for both understanding society and implementing effective socio-economic policies. In the present paper, a new approach — the Human Life Indicator (HLI) — was implemented to measure inequality in life expectancy. The Human Development Index (HDI), proposed by the United Nations, does not take into account significant internal inequalities of countries with the same or similar life expectancy. On the contrary, HLI reflects the well-being in terms of years of life, additionally considering the inequality in life expectancy. Presented calculations were based on federal mortality statistics. This study estimated human development of Russian federal districts by comparing HDI and HLI. The analysis revealed that high HDI values, achieved, for example, due to a high gross regional product (GRP) per capita, do not translate into an improvement in the quality of life for the majority of the population. Such situation is observed in the Far Eastern Federal District. The regions that are relatively prosperous in terms of HLI are concentrated in the European part of Russia and the North Caucasus Federal District. Simultaneously, most Siberian and the Far Eastern regions, characterised by high inequality in life expectancy, require the attention of federal and regional authorities. The presented approach to assessing the success of regional development can be used to estimate how the ongoing socio-economic policy and health care reforms influence the quality of life in the regions. This method can also be applied to compare inter-regional indicators of human capital and monitor changes in well-being of the population.

Некоторые теоретико-методологические направления совершенствования поддержки муниципальных бюджетов сельских поселений

Introduction. Solving the problem of improving the quality and standard of living of the Russian Federation’s rural population is associated with the need to develop and apply scientifically based support for municipal budgets of rural settlements to ensure the gradual transition of municipal budgets to replenishment from internal sources, generally accepted within the framework of the international concept of civic-oriented municipal governance. Theoretical analysis. The article develops theoretical problems of the formation of scientifically grounded support for rural settlements’ municipal budgets in conditions of their low budgetary provision. It reveals and scientifically substantiates the need for the development and application of theoretical and methodological foundations for supporting the municipal budgets of rural settlements for the subsequent transition of rural self-government to the implementation of the civic-oriented municipal governance concept based on internal sources of municipal budgets replenishment. Empirical analysis. Methodological directions of scientifically grounded support of Russian rural settlements’ municipal budgets are being developed. An indicator of the quality and standard of living of the rural population is proposed. It represents the expenditure of rural municipal budgets per capita of the rural population. The proposed indicator was calculated and studied at the level of expenditures of the municipal budgets of rural settlements in macro-regions of the Russian Federation per capita of the macro-regions’ rural population. A significant differentiation of the indicator by macro-regions of the Russian Federation was revealed. A significant differentiation of the proposed indicator’s value in macroregions of the Russian Federation has been revealed. The indicator of the rural municipal budgets expenditure per capita of Russian Federation’s rural settlements has been proposed, substantiated and calculated. The groups of Russian macroregions with the municipal budgets expenditures per capita of the rural population are higher, equal and lower than the indicator for the Russian Federation. Similar procedures were carried out on the basis of an empirical analysis of the rural settlements’ municipal budgets expenditures per capita of the rural population of the Russian constituent entities in macroregions with an agricultural orientation. Results. On the basis of the empirical analysis of indicators, characterizing the provision of the rural population with municipal services recommendations are proposed that can be used in the development of regulations governing the support of Russian rural settlements’ municipal budgets.

МАКРОРЕГИОНЫ В ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНО-ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОМ ДИСКУРСЕ ДЕПУТАТОВ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ДУМЫ РФ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ УРАЛА)

The article focuses on the discourse of the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation on the macro-regions of Russia in relation to the provisions of the "Strategy of spatial development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025". The strategy introduces the concepts of "macro-regions", the "geostrategic territories" and the others. The strategy received a critical assessment for its declarative nature and preservation of the binding of macroregions to the grid of federal districts, the inconsistency of goals and meanings of spatial strategizing. It seems that one of the reasons for the unsatisfactory quality of the Strategy is the general discursive uncertainty and lack of clarity of the possible territorial development of the country in the views of the Russian political and administrative class, segment of which is the State Duma deputy corps. The analysis presented in the article tests this assumption on the material of the speeches of deputies at plenary sessions with references to Russian macroregions. The data set is a sample of transcripts that covers the period 2004‒2019 and includes about 150 thousand legislative speeches from more than 1000 deputies distributed among party factions and four convocations. The results of the analysis show the special attention of deputies to remote and border territories, first of all to the "Far East" and "North". This corresponds to the logic of allocating "geostrategic territories" in the Strategy.

Diversification versus concentration analysis in specific economic activities for assessing spatial differentiation within local markets

Diversification and concentration represent essential two opposite trends in many economic phenomena. Monopoly and monopsony are the natural limits in any market's analysis and describe together the range or the amplitude of offer and demand in economics. A lot of statistical indicators or coefficients, quantifying the diversification versus concentration phenomenon (D vs. C), can reveal a market, optimal or not, full or empty, etc. The paper sheds the light on the relatively little explored concept of economic evolution from concentration to diversification across local markets, providing novel evidence on underlining the dominance of diversification process within regions. This paper has applied statistical structure variable-based methods for assessing spatial differentiation degree within housing construction economic activity in macroregion Siberia for the sample period from 2000:Q1 to 2020:Q4. We present empirical elasticities using the multivariate OLS model that summarize the diversification economic response to the increasing processes of urbanization and localization across the Siberian regions. Some final remarks offer a distinct profile of this Russian macroregion under the influence of demographical variability.

Применение индексного метода факторного анализа к исследованию темпов прироста энергоемкости территорий (на примере макрорегионов РФ)

Цель: статья посвящена развитию инструментов, используемых для оценки и анализа сравнительной результативности государственной политики энергоэффективности территорий. Обсуждение: предложена методика, позволяющая дифференцированно учесть влияние технологического и структурного факторов на динамику энергоемкости региона, а не на динамику его энергопотребления. Эта особенность повышает релевантность результатов расчетов целевым показателям стратегического планирования и отличает данную работу от других исследований, основанных на индексном методе декомпозиции. Энергоемкость рассмотрена по всем энергоресурсам, а не только по электроэнергии, что стало возможным благодаря появлению качественно новых данных Росстата. Результаты: выполнен компаративный анализ результативности политики энергоэффективности российских макрорегионов на основе дифференцированного учета влияния технологического и структурного факторов на темпы прироста энергоемкости этих территорий. Расчеты выполнены на основе данных Росстата за период с 2012 по 2017 год.

Interaction of the Russian Far East and Asia-Pacific Countries: Assessment of Institutional and Tariff Barriers to Trade

Due to the considerable distances from the major sales markets of Russia, the Far East has close ties with markets of the countries in the Asian-Pacific region (APR). The current expansion of trade and economic interactions with these countries has a positive effect on the economic development of the Far East. Reducing various barriers to trade with the APR countries can increase the scale of bilateral trade, acting as a source of growth and development for the economy of the Far East. To determine the ranges for increasing trade, the potential for trade interactions arising from the leveling of various barriers was quantified. It is shown that for the Far East a gradual change in the intensity of foreign trade relations was observed in favor of geographically close foreign markets, the Asia-Pacific countries. Based on the constructed gravity dependence, trade barriers for interactions between the Far East and Asia-Pacific countries were estimated and decomposed into the ad valorem equivalent. It was determined that the major source of tariff barriers was the tariff burden on exports and imports, formed by the Russian side. The decomposition assessment showed that the comparative institutional barriers between the Far East and the Asia-Pacific countries were significantly greater than the comparative tariff barriers. This circumstance indicated the insufficiency of reducing tariff barriers for intensifying the bilateral trade between the Far East and the Asia-Pacific countries. The analysis made it possible to assume that the introduction of various types of weakly motivated trade restrictions by the Russian side led to a shift in the customs burden from tariff barriers to institutional ones. In addition to the Republic of Korea, a general vector of intensification of trade between the Far East and the Asia-Pacific countries was observed for China. The estimates obtained suggest that the comparative institutional barriers between the Far Eastern regions and China will continue to decline. It is shown that the leveling of comparative institutional barriers between the Far East and Japan can significantly increase trade interactions between the Russian macroregion and the APR market.

Educational potential of the region: structural components and methodological approaches to assessment

The essence and the key components of educational potential in a chosen territory are investigated. Theoretical basis and methodological approaches are to be used simultaneously to further assess educational potential in the territory; that gave us an opportunity to perform structural systematization of institutional, reproductive, and resource indicators which reflect educational potential’s components. This approach gives an opportunity to carry on comparative estimation of educational potential in a chosen area within the certain time frameworks and taking into account maximum number of parameters that show territorial differences and dynamics of the educational potential’s components. Impact of population density factors along with level and structure of development of a chosen territory on key institutional and reproductive indicators of educational potential in Russian macro-regions was evaluated. We present an argument for analysis of the dynamics of change of sectoral structure of regional economy under the influence of technological transformation is the basis for prediction of the key regional competencies as the basis for formation of qualitatively novel educational potential of a region that will correspond to modern technological paradigm.

Behavioral economy: population in the credit services market

The article discusses topical issues related to the current trends in the field of lending to population in Russia. The purpose of the work is to identify possible risks of individuals' actions in the market of credit services on the basis of analysis of statistical and sociological data. Based on the general scientific dialectic approaches used by the authors, the article shows dynamics of growth in the banks' loan portfolio, growth in lending volumes (banks and microfinance organizations), as well as households' debt from 2013 to 2019 in rubles and foreign currency (in general and in mortgages). Russian macro-regions are ranked by absolute indicator of debt and by its growth rate. Opportunities and risks have been identified for borrowers wishing to take advantage of the benefits provided by the State effective from April 2020 (refinancing, credit holidays). There were assessed the measures applied by the State, in particular, credit holidays for individuals and restrictions for banks in issuing loans through introduction of a mandatory debt load indicator, which will contribute to improvement of the current situation with huge debt and to reduction of social risks. Although in the long run — in terms of the overall impact on the country's economy — a reduction in public borrowing may reduce the contribution of consumer credit to economic growth and slow it down. It is concluded that despite the measures taken by the State, the existing level of the population borrowing is a great danger due to the reduction of income as the economic consequence of the coronavirus pandemic.

Application of a dynamic model for the coordination of general and private interests of sustainable development at the regional level

The article presents the results of approbation of the previously presented dynamic socio-ecological-economic model of the synergetic development of individual entities within the South Russian macro-region, which allows to harmonize the general and private interests of each region. The model is investigated on the materials of the Southern Federal District. The identification of the model for the macro-region of the Southern Federal District was carried out on the basis of the data of the website of the State Statistics Committee, which are in the public domain. For identification, the time series of 2005, 2010, 2015-2017 were taken. This choice is explained by both theoretical reasons (a step of five years was chosen for the long-term data and one year for the near-term data), and empirical (the data of the crisis periods of 2008 and 2012, as well as the years nearest to them, were not taken). As a result of the study, several controversial conclusions were drawn regarding the strategies of the subjects' behavior. Calculations show, in particular, that in the current conditions it is not profitable for any of the regions to develop its own production sphere; the optimal strategy for each of them is only to increase consumption in the hope of the production activity of neighboring regions. In view of the choice of this rational strategy by all regions at the same time, a general degradation of the production sphere and stagnation of the regional economy are predicted. At the same time, it was revealed that a further reduction in production becomes unprofitable for almost all lagging regions (the republics of the Southern Federal District), while the leading regions (the regions of the Southern Federal District) remain profitable for production inaction.

Advanced Solow Model as a Tool for Coordination of Interests of Spatial Economic Systems’ Development

The article presents a dynamic socio-ecological-economic model of the synergistic development of individual entities within the southern Russian macro-region, which allows to coordinate the general and private interests of each region. The maximization of specific consumption is proposed as a target criterion, regarding private interests – for the region, regarding general interests – for the macro-region. The model provides for the possibility of using the available resources of each region, both for solving the problems of its own development, and for the general development goals of other regions as part of the macroregion. The model is investigated using simulation modeling based on materials from the Southern Federal District. There are several debatable conclusions made after the research. Calculations, in particular, show that it is not profitable for any region to develop its own production sector in the current conditions, the optimal strategy for each of them is only to increase consumption in the hope of production activity in neighboring regions. In view of the selection of this rational strategy by all regions at the same time, general degradation of the production sphere and stagnation of the regional economy are forecasted. At the same time, it was revealed that a further reduction in production becomes unprofitable for almost all lagging regions (republics of the Southern Federal District), while inaction remain profitable for leading regions (regions of the Southern Federal District).

Тенденции динамики численности населения и устойчивость социально-экономического развития городов Северо-Западного федерального округа

The Northwestern Federal District is a Russian macro-region that is a unique example of a model region. It accounts for 10 % of the country’s total area and 9.5 % of its population. This article aims to trace the patterns of city distribution across the region, to assess the conditions of differently populated cities and towns, and to identify sustainability trends in their socio-economic development. Population change is a reliable indicator of the competitiveness of a city. As a rule, a growing city performs well economically and has a favourable investment climate and high-paid jobs. The analysis revealed that population change occurred at different rates across the federal district in 2002—2017. A result of uneven socio-economic development, this irregularity became more serious as globalisation and open market advanced. The study links the causes and features of growth-related differences to the administrative status, location, and economic specialisation of northwestern cities. The migration behaviour of the population and the geoeconomic position are shown to be the main indicators of the sustainable development of a city.