RESEARCH OF FACTORS OF BALANCED SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA'S ARCTIC TERRITORIES

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of identifying and systematizing the factors of balanced spatial development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The relevance of ensuring balanced spatial development of the Russian Arctic is due to the strategic importance of the region for the country's economy, the high concentration of resources, and the pronounced differentiation of socio-economic conditions between individual territories. The main scientific result of the study was the classification of the factors of spatial development of the Arctic zone based on their impact on the balance of the regional economy. It has been established that the stimulating factors include a rich natural resource potential, a high level of wages that provide migration attractiveness, the development of the Northern Sea Route, the formation of a network of support settlements, the availability of tax preferences and government programs, and the expansion of the tourism industry. The limiting factors include the monoprofile nature of the economic structure, the instability of labor resources due to high staff turnover, low transport connectivity and a lack of social infrastructure, institutional inconsistencies and uneven financial support for regions, as well as climate risks that threaten the sustainability of infrastructure. Ambiguous factors have a dual effect: resource wealth both stimulates investment and perpetuates resource dependence; high incomes attract labor, but maintain dependence on the shift work system; climate change increases the availability of territory, but exacerbates environmental threats; and institutional mechanisms can promote the development of specific areas while exacerbating spatial growth disparities. Achieving balanced spatial development in the Russian Arctic is only possible if a comprehensive account is taken of the diverse factors that determine the dynamics of socioeconomic processes in the macroregion.