Territorial Structure Research Articles

Impact investing: A study of structural transformations of a macroregion's social services

Subject. This article discusses the issues of investment policy and support for the social sphere. Objectives. The article aims to analyze changes in the sectoral and territorial structures of investments in the subjects of the Ural economic region (macroregion) for the period from 2005 to 2021. Methods. For the study, I used the economic and mathematical research methods. Results. The article finds that despite the increase in investment in education and healthcare in the Ural macroregion, in general, there have been no significant structural changes in favor of these sectors. Noticeable changes in the sectoral structure of the economy are recorded in the Orenburg Oblast and the Udmurt Republic. Relevance. The research results can be used to develop regional programmes to support economic sectors.

Новый взгляд на национально-государственные преобразования на юге РСФСР: Рец. на: Гунаев Е. А. Национальные автономии Юга России в советский период: территориальное устройство и система управления (на примере Калмыкии) / отв. ред. К. Н. Максимов. Элиста: КалмНЦ РАН, 2022. 400 с.

The review was devoted to the monograph by E. A. Gunaev (Kalmyk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences) “National Autonomies of the South of Russia in the Soviet period: Territorial Structure and Management System (on the example of Kalmykia)” (Elista: KalmSC RAS, 2022. 400 p.). The monograph was written on the basis of a wide range of sources and literature, including 30 files from 6 funds of 3 state archives, 425 publications of documents and research. E.A. Gunaev identified three stages in changing the administrative-territorial structure and management system in the national autonomies of the South of Russia: 1920–1943, 1944–1976, 1977–1991. Each stage is presented in a separate chapter of the monograph. The author proposed a historical and legal analysis of the problems under consideration with an emphasis on the study of regulatory aspects. Of significant interest is the study of the problem of legal succession between national autonomies, recreated after the rehabilitation of repressed peoples, and their national-state formations before forced eviction. E.A. Gunaev distinguishes between the categories of continuity, legal continuity and succession, and analyzes the possibilities of their use within the framework of the issue under consideration.

Methodology for Assessing the Quality of the Economic Space of the Region

Introduction. The relevance of the topic is determined by the need for theoretical and methodological justification and practical study of the problem of measuring the quality of the economic space of Russian regions and its influence on the development of the regional economy. The absence of this type of research increases the significance of this work. The purpose of the study is to develop methodological issues for measuring the quality of the regional economic space and substantiate the methodology for its integral assessment. Materials and Methods. The object of the study was Russian regions and their socio-economic state. The authorsʼ methodology is based on system analysis, econometric modeling using indices calculated on panel data for regions, as well as the method of expert surveys. To obtain quantitative estimates of the economic space based on Rosstat data, an information base was created for 85 regions of the Russian Federation, covering the period from 2007 to 2021. A typology of Russian regions has been carried out according to the level of the integral indicator of the quality of the economic space. Results. An original methodological approach is proposed, based on a systemic assessment of the total influence of a set of factors on the quality of the regional economic space. Within the framework of this approach, a methodology for measuring the quality of the economic space of a region has been developed and tested. Regions were grouped according to the level of the economic space; based on econometric modeling and empirical data, the influence of the economic space on the gross regional product per capita of Russian territories was established. Discussion and Conclusion. It is proposed to carry out a relative assessment of the quality of the economic space using a system of indicators grouped into three blocks: “input”, “process”, “output”. Such a structure of indicators is capable of systematically reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of a particular region, the sources of regional spatial dynamics, and therefore can be used for an integral assessment of the level of development of territories. The results of the study can be used in the development and implementation of regional economic policy, and will also be useful to specialists and government officials involved in the development of strategic directions for improving the territorial structure of the Russian Federation.

USE OF DIGITAL MODELS OF GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE TO IDENTIFY PALEOVOLCANIC STRUCTURES CONTROLLING PORPHYRY ORE OBJECTS

The article is devoted to the implementation of the methodology for paleovolcanic structure analyzing using 3D visualization of the model of the geological territory structure based on the relief digital model. The approach used made it possible to identify two paleovolcanic apparatuses and their structural elements: cone fragments, explosive domes, porphyritic stocks, ring fault zones with localization of dike belts in them. This, within the framework of the evolution model of porphyry ore systems, made it possible to identify promising areas for prospecting on ore objects of a given type. The procedure was checked on the basis of geochemical survey results. The regular control by the selected structural elements of geochemical fields was shown. The analysis of the spatial position of the selected structural blocks with a certain geochemical characteristic rather well into the evolution model of the porphyry ore systems. In all cases the control of geochemical halos by porphyry stocks is noted, the material rock complexes that are fragments of the zonal stone hat of the porphyry ore object, are quite clearly distinguished. Within the area of work, three ore-magmatic systems can be identified at a low level of erosion shear, potentially accompanied by porphyry-type ore mineralization.

Роль центральных и региональных органов власти в развитии системы научных организаций в Красноярском крае в 1950–1970-е гг.

The formation of scientific organizations, as well as their networks, are traditionally determined through an economic base – by the need to develop either individual sectors of the national economy, most significant in a certain period, or the entire economy. At the same time, specific influences generated exclusively by the political sphere of public life are beyond consideration. This article attempts to comprehend these processes by examining the formation and development of not central, but peripheral, regional systems of scientific organizations. The author analyzes the role of political entities in the development of the scientific organizations structure of the Krasnoyarsk territory and identifies two main acting actors – the state and regional nomenclature with bureaucracy. While the state provides overarching directives and resources, regional elites wield significant influence over the allocation and distribution of scientific resources within the region. This interplay between central and regional actors results in a complex network of scientific institutions characterized by both cooperation and competition. In conclusion, the study underscores the importance of understanding the interplay between political, economic, and institutional factors in shaping regional scientific systems. By elucidating the roles of central and regional authorities, the research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the dynamics driving scientific development in peripheral regions.

ASSESSING THE VIABILITY OF ROMANIA'S NEWLY ESTABLISHED METROPOLITAN AREAS

The legislation of new metropolitan of Romania areas follows the complicated and confusing experience of previous metropolitan areas, instilling a sense of excessive caution among both public authorities and researchers. A review of the literature demonstrates the prevalence of theoretical, methodological and sectoral approaches when dealing with this functional frame of territorial delineation. Our research proposes an exploratory analysis of the major metropolitan areas (MMAs) developed around county seats, in order to understand the medium and long-term dynamics affecting the development of these territorial structures contingent on local governance. By using a methodology based on the harmonisation of statistical series according to the current administrative structure, as well as on the cartographic analysis of demographic trends between 1992 and 2021, the study demonstrates the uneven development trends of major metropolitan areas, increasing the risk of widening territorial gaps.

How territoriality and sociality influence the habitat selection and movements of a large carnivore.

While territoriality is one of the key mechanisms influencing carnivore space use, most studies quantify resource selection and movement in the absence of conspecific influence or territorial structure. Our analysis incorporated social information in a resource selection framework to investigate mechanisms of territoriality and intra-specific competition on the habitat selection of a large, social carnivore. We fit integrated step selection functions to 3-h GPS data from 12 collared African wild dog packs in the Okavango Delta and estimated selection coefficients using a conditional Poisson likelihood with random effects. Packs selected for their neighbors' 30-day boundary (defined as their 95% kernel density estimate) and for their own 90-day core (defined as their 50% kernel density estimate). Neighbors' 30-day boundary had a greater influence on resource selection than any habitat feature. Habitat selection differed when they were within versus beyond their neighbors' 30-day boundary. Pack size, pack tenure, pup presence, and seasonality all mediated how packs responded to neighbors' space use, and seasonal dynamics altered the strength of residency. While newly-formed packs and packs with pups avoided their neighbors' boundary, older packs and those without pups selected for it. Packs also selected for the boundary of larger neighboring packs more strongly than that of smaller ones. Social structure within packs has implications for how they interact with conspecifics, and therefore how they are distributed across the landscape. Future research should continue to investigate how territorial processes are mediated by social dynamics and, in turn, how territorial structure mediates resource selection and movement. These results could inform the development of a human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation tool by co-opting the mechanisms of conspecific interactions to manage space use of endangered carnivores.

Муниципально-территориальное устройство арктических регионов: системно-агломерационный подход (на примере Ямало-Ненецкого автономного округа

One of the primary challenges in municipal reforms lies in the initial perception of the municipal and territorial structure merely as a means of managing administrative entities (cities, settlements, or regions), rather than as a mechanism for unlocking the economic potential of territories. This perspective detrimentally impacts the efficacy of regional strategic planning and hinders the attainment of goals outlined in national Arctic programs. It also acts as a barrier to innovation-driven socio-economic and sustainable development and impedes progress in the quality of life. This article explores the potential of employing an agglomeration-based systems approach to improve the system of municipal management in the Russian Arctic in alignment with sustainable development goals. Drawing upon the newly proposed model of an industrial cluster, alongside historical, socio-economic, and agglomeration-based systems analyses, we delineate the approximate boundariesof naturally forming macro-agglomerations, using the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (which encompasses Western, North-Eastern, and South-Eastern agglomerations) as a case study. The theoretical outcomes of the study include the following: 1) an original model of an industrial cluster, which singles out fundamental elements and aspects of cluster management; 2) a methodology for identifying primary indicators of naturally occurring macro-agglomerations based on the analysis of the fundamental elements identified within the model; 3) a pertinent analytical framework and procedure tailored to the features of Arctic regions. These tools can be used to refine the regional municipal management system and shape socio-economic policies in the Russian Arctic, thereby bolstering the regions' potential to achieve national strategic objectives. In conclusion, we propose recommendations to align the municipal and territorial structure of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug with emerging macro-agglomerations. This alignment is crucial for fostering a synergistic growth effect and realizing the socio-economic and innovative-driven development potential of the territories under consideration.

Submissive behavior is affected by territory structure in a social fish

Abstract Group living may engender conflict over food, reproduction, or other resources and individuals must be able to manage conflict for social groups to persist. Submission signals are an adaptation for establishing and maintaining social hierarchy position, allowing a subordinate individual to avoid protracted and costly aggressive interactions with dominant individuals. In the daffodil cichlid fish (Neolamprologus pulcher), subordinates may use submission signals to resolve conflicts with dominant individuals and maintain their social status within the group. The complexity of the physical environment may affect the value of submission signals compared with fleeing or avoidance, which may require certain physical features such as shelters to be effective. We investigated how the ecological context affected the expression of submission in subordinate daffodil cichlids by examining their behavior under different arrangements of the physical environment within their territories. We altered the number of shelters provided to daffodil cichlid groups and compared the interactions between dominant and subordinate individuals under each shelter condition by scoring the social and cooperative behaviors of the group members. We found that behaviors of group members were modulated by the environment: subordinates displayed fewer submission and fleeing behaviors in more structurally complex environments and dominants were more aggressive to subordinates when more shelters were present. Our results help to elucidate the role of the physical environment in the modulation of social interactions in group-living animals and may have implications for the welfare of captively housed social cichlid groups.

The legal basis for ensuring national economic security on the example of assessing the socio-economic asymmetry of the subjects of the Russian Federation

In this article, an analysis of relevant, according to modern researchers, methods of assessing the socio-economic asymmetry of regions in the aspect of ensuring national economic security is carried out and their significance for the present development of the economy is revealed. As part of such an analysis, the interaction between the socio-economic development of the regions and national economic security is investigated, as well as the types of possible development of regions from which asymmetric is distinguished. Among the methodological foundations for assessing the socio- economic asymmetry of the regions of Russia, the article discusses and notes the dominant advantages of using the following methods: the method of expert assessments, the method of reformatting the territorial and administrative structure of the region to reduce asymmetry, assessing the impact of the industrial cluster on the socio-economic development of the region, SWOT analysis. As an example, calculations of socio-economic asymmetry were made based on statistical data for 2019 and 2020 in the Central and North Caucasus Federal Districts for the fundamental indicator of socio-economic development — the gross regional product. Using the results of the calculations, the relevance of the problem of interregional differentiation of socioeconomic development in Russia for the present period is assessed and some ways of solving such a problem are proposed, possible at this stage.

Тенденції децентралізації публічного управління: сучасний стан та перспективи розвитку

The article deals with the current state and prospects for developing decentralization in public administration by transferring managerial functions and central authorities’ powers to the local administration level. The article emphasizes that despite being tested by war, Ukrainian decentralization received an impeccable assessment from the European Commission, which preceded granting our country the candidate status for the European Union membership. The history of decentralization is analyzed, and successive stages are singled out. The stages mainly relate to the normative and legal regulation of this process: the first stage (2014– 2019), the second stage (2020–2021), and the third stage (2022 – present). The third stage of the local self-government reform seems to be the most difficult since it occurred during the martial law period. The hostilities only emphasized the effectiveness of the decentralization reform: local self-government bodies responded promptly to the situation, resolving issues of settling internally displaced persons, repairing housing for them, providing facilities and premises for evacuated enterprises, and organizing humanitarian headquarters. An essential task of the third stage is adopting the Law on Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding decentralization of power), a prerequisite for continuing decentralization reforms and their completion. The article examines the achievements that are positively reflected in the activities of the united territorial communities due to the decentralization process in the following areas: budget, healthcare, security, international cooperation, culture, education, and service provision. At the same time, the factors complicating the decentralization process and leading to problems in the practical and proper functioning of local authorities are considered. Attention is drawn to the need to adopt important laws, including the Laws “On the principles of the administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine”, “On service in local selfgovernment bodies” (revised version), “On state supervision over the legality of decisions of local self-government bodies”, “On local referendum”, as well as updating laws on local selfgovernment, on local state administrations, etc.

Территориальная производственная система Волго-Уральского макрорегиона: тенденции поляризации 2005–2021 гг. и потенциал развития

The application of a multi-scale approach to the study of socio-economic processes makes it possible to see the importance of large (first, second and third in terms of population in their regions) cities for the formation of a territorial production system of supra-regional education as a whole. In this paper, based on data on the population and the value of the manufacturing industry of large cities of the Volga-Ural macroregion, their dynamics in the period 2005–2021 was traced. Theoretical analysis. The necessity of analyzing the existing territorial structures of the economy at the supra-regional level (macroregion level) is substantiated. The change in the contribution of the largest cities of the VolgaUral macro-region to the population and output of the manufacturing industry of the regions is traced, on the basis of which a typology ofcities by the nature of their influence on thesocio-economicspace is made. Based on the gravitational approach, the potential of the industrial interaction fieldwithinthemacroregion isshown. The problems of its brokenconfiguration are discussed, aswell asregional differences in output by industry. Conclusion The analysis made it possible to identify the comparative dynamics of the socio-economic development of large cities of the Volga-Ural macroregion over a fairly long period and typologize it. The analysisshowed the isolated nature of the individualcores of the territorial production system within the macroregion, as well as the need for industrial policy for a positive transformation of the system.

From goats to Gold Stars: trajectories of consumption, bureaucracy and territory in the Nepal-China borderlands

ABSTRACT Post-colonial legacies of frontier making and border conflicts make the Himalayas a critical place for the study of territorial politics and the governance of space. Following recent calls to address how historical territorial structures shape contemporary experiences across the region, I aim to advance insights about the socio-cultural and political-economic implications of transforming colonial frontiers into post-colonial borders. In this paper, I historicise and assess how new scales of consumption articulate new spatialities of border regimes with respect to the Himalayan frontier in general, and more specifically in the case of distinct bureaucratic systems across sensitive borderland spaces between Nepal and China. To do this, I utilise a material-territorial analytic to demonstrate that modern trade patterns generate new government institutions. In turn, I argue that the administrative effects of everyday consumption practices show how the state operates and takes new shape in historically peripheral frontier and border regions.

The dynamics of international exploitation

This paper develops a framework to analyse imperialistic international relations (IIR) and the dynamics of international exploitation. A new exploitation index is proposed which captures the territorial structure of IIR: wealthy nations are net lenders and exploiters, whereas endowment-poor countries are net borrowers and exploited. Capital flows transfer surplus from countries in the periphery of the global economy to those in the core. However, while international credit markets and wealth inequalities are central in generating international exploitation, other factors, including labour-saving innovations, are shown to be essential in explaining its persistence.

Urban planning approaches to the organization of a medical district

The article defines the direct connection between urbanization and the modern development of medicine as a complex of scientific directions for the development of high-tech medical care. The development of group forms of healthcare facilities as medical and urban complexes in world, Soviet and Russian urban planning practice and theory is presented. A modern trend in the development of innovative territorial formations of a medical organization within the boundaries of urbanized territories has been revealed. The concept of a medical area has been introduced. The object of the study is the medical district. The subject of the study is the spatial and territorial principles of the organization of the medical district. The lack of a spatial connection between medical facilities and the urban structure leads to a shortage of territorial growth and development of medical urban complexes, the unavailability of a comprehensive infrastructure for the development of medical science and practice. The research methodology is based on the definition of criteria for the selection of innovative territorial formations of the medical industry in the structure of urbanized territories. 60 medical districts were analyzed. The characteristic of the methodology for determining the planning options of the area, tested at 19 research sites, is presented. The main conclusions of the study are to determine the planning properties of the medical area. Based on the criteria and their characteristics, a systematization of medical districts has been compiled. A modern approach to the spatial organization of innovative territorial formations of the medical structure based on the collaboration of medical facilities and the integration of the medical district into the urban planning structure has been established. The approach of the urban planning organization of the formation of a medical district based on the territorial localization of medical facilities is revealed.

Rezidenţii O.G.P.U./N.K.V.D. din România anilor 1930 Studii de caz: Valeriu Bucicov, Ion Vidraşcu, Petre Goncearuc, Vasile Posteucă, Serghie Nicolau, IV

Based on a thorough research in different Romanian archives, leading to the discovery of previously unknown documents, this study presents the personal and professional biographies of five communists from Bessarabia acting as illegal residents for the Soviet intelligence, revealing the depth of the Soviet espionage penetration into the Eastern Romanian territory, military and civilian structures. The study covers both the data-gathering activity of the five, before the war, and their spectacular trajectories, as leaders of the new regime, in the first years after the war. Their extraordinary political evolution – but also very similar among the chosen group – is a model story about the human resources the Communists relied on before and during WWII and the troubled relationship between the „old guard” of the „Moscovites” and the thirst for power of the ethnically Romanian new leaders.

Definition of the city in the legal aspect of urban development

The article provides a general overview of the definition of a city in the legal aspect of urban development. The relevance of the study is due to the lack of a generally accepted legally fixed definition of a city at the federal level, the variety of interpretations of this concept at the regional level and the identified cases of inconsistency of administrative boundaries with real urban boundaries. This leads to the fact that the established categories of settlements are often a reflection of administrative management, rather than the real spatial structure; there is no clear understanding of the degree of real urbanization of Russia and the number of cities in it. The study examines cases of inconsistency between the administrative boundaries of cities and their actual spatial characteristics. The object of the study is the definition of the city, the subject of the study is the representation of the concept of the city in the legislation regulating urban development.The article analyzes the upper-level regulations, laws on the administrative and territorial structure of various subjects of the Russian Federation, and statistical data. Various approaches to the concept of a city in the legislation on the administrative-territorial structure of the subjects of the Russian Federation are identified and the signs of classifying a settlement as a city contained in them are considered. It is established that the definition of a city in the legal field is vague, its urban planning and spatial planning aspects are lost. The city ceases to be considered as a real physical space and is replaced by administrative-territorial and municipal categories. It is necessary to develop a unified conceptual framework and criteria fixed at the federal level for classifying settlements as urban, taking into account regional peculiarities. The development of a unified methodology for determining the criteria of urban structure based on spatial characteristics will help determine the number of cities in Russia and determine the real degree of urbanization of the country.

Agricultural clusters in the regional development strategic planning system

The world experience of the development of integration processes shows that integrated enterprises are more efficient and adapted to the conditions of the market economy due to the creation of a single progressive process of manufacturing and promoting products from their producers to end consumers. In today's conditions, the country has not yet developed a system innovation development mechanism. A comprehensive solution to the problem of innovative development of the agricultural sector is the formation of a cluster policy at both the state and regional levels. Adjustment of state and regional strategic plans and target programs considering the cluster initiative will allow to achieve the target strategic guidelines for the development of the agricultural cluster, to ensure the implementation of the goals and objectives of the development of the territory of the region. Strategic planning for the development of the region's economy, including the agricultural and processing sectors, should be based on the peculiarities of the territory, considering the disparities in the development of individual districts. The established sectoral and territorial structure of the Mykolaiv region and the natural and climatic conditions of the region determine the directions of clustering of the agricultural sector and the limits of influence of cluster structures as growth points. The implementation of the project of the formation and development of an agrarian cluster in the system of strategic management of the Mykolaiv region requires a review of the provisions of the main strategic plans of regional development, the "Strategy for the development of the Mykolaiv region for the period up to and including 2027", as well as medium-term plans and programs, strategies of industry direction and targets programs of regional and sectoral development. Keywords: clustering, agricultural sector, economic development, regional policy, strategic planning.

Trends and peculiarities of local budgets functioning in the conditions of war

The paper summarizes the theoretical and applied principles of functioning of local budgets as a component of public finance, an instrument for ensuring financial self-sufficiency, regulating socio-economic development and stimulating investment activity of regions and territorial communities, and identifies their features (territorial affiliation, dependence of the volume of local budget funds on the economic potential of the territory, social orientation, dependence on interbudgetary transfers, imperative and regulatory certainty of budgetary. The paper examines the impact of fiscal decentralization on the functioning of local budgets and the ability of local governments and executive authorities at different levels of administrative and territorial structure to exercise delegated and own powers. Based on the use of methodological tools of the dialectical approach to cognition of the essence of local budgets, a comprehensive scientific approach to this definition is formulated in terms of essence, content, form and as a phenomenon. The social purpose of local budgets is clarified, the realities are analyzed and the peculiarities of their functioning in wartime are revealed. The expediency of changes in the budget process is argued, changes in budget and tax legislation are characterized. Based on the analysis of the dynamics, composition of revenues and expenditures of local budgets, the main problems of formation and use of budgetary resources of local governments are identified. It is argued that one of the most important problems in the organization of budgetary relations at the local level is the discrepancy between local budget revenues and the need of local governments and local executive authorities for financial resources to ensure the provision of quality and affordable public services to the population.

Regional Characteristics in the Dynamics and Location of the Rural Population of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Today, population settlements of the Republic of Uzbekistan, especially rural settlements, ensure the increase of the main population. Therefore, in this article, rural population settlements in the republic, the number and increase of their population were studied in the section of economic districts and regions. The reforms carried out in Uzbekistan in the last 30 years and how their results are reflected in the size, number and weight of rural settlements were proved by determining the rate of population growth, distribution in the territorial structure, density of villages and the distances between them.The unique geographical location of Uzbekistan and the location of the rural population of the regions in it, the role and importance of the increase in the rural population in the growth of the country's total population were revealed. In particular, the crowded and dense concentration of villages in the Ferghana Valley, which occupies the first place in terms of population density not only in the republic, but also in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, which has a large land area and a small population, and the increase in the number of rural residents in the Navoi regions, the differences in the territorial structure were clearly highlighted. Efforts were made to thoroughly research the effect of the work done on increasing the level of urbanization in the republic, the role of the rural population and the actual situation within the framework of rural districts and villages.