Subject The article discusses the positioning of a provincial region among other regions of Russia, referring to the case of the Mari El Republic. Objectives The study evaluates the position of the Mari El Republic as part of the geoeconomic space of Russia, through the comparative analysis of nature and climate, sectoral structure of the economy, socio-economic development and growth rate. Methods Based on the comparative analysis, I devised my own method involving multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis and analysis of structural differences and relying upon the Ryabtsev index. The correlation analysis is used to study how the dynamics of key sectors influences the economic growth. Results I evaluated the positioning of the Mari El Republic among the Russian regions and grouped those regions which are comparable with the Mari El Republic in terms of sectors with uneven socio-economic development and growth rates. The article presents a map of the region’s positioning and the effect the development of key sectors has on the economic growth in rapidly growing and stagnating regions, which are comparable with the Mari El Republic. Conclusions and Relevance The Mari El Republic is presented as an agri-industrial region demonstrating the low growth potential. The article indicates the regions demonstrating a sustainable and high growth, which are comparable with the Mari El Republic. They could be used for the benchmarking analysis to outline development strategies of the Mari El Republic. Growth in the process manufacturing is what mainly drives the economic development in rapidly growing regions. To ensure the economic growth, the agricultural development is not sufficient as a strategy (animal husbandry, in particular), since it will require substantial investment from the State. As part of the State aid, executive authorities should keep an eye on the shrinking small business and medium-sized and high-tech enterprises. It is important for regional authorities to determine and understand the region’s position as part of their monitoring of the socio-economic situation.
Zubarevich N.V., Safronov S.G. Inequality in the Socioeconomic Development of the Regions and Cities of Russia in the 2000s. Sociological Research, 2014, vol. 53, iss. 6, pp. 48–68. URL: Link
Kolomak E.A. [Uneven Spatial Development in Russia: Explanations of New Economic Geography]. VoprosyEkonomiki, 2013, no. 2, pp. 132–150. (In Russ.) URL: Link
Moroshkina M.V. [Trans-regional differentiation of subjects of the Russian Federation]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika =Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2014, vol. 13, iss. 45, pp. 20–28. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Wallerstein I. Analiz mirovykh sistem i situatsiya v sovremennom mire [World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction]. St. Petersburg, Universitetskaya kniga Publ., 2001, 414 p.
Friedmann J. Regional Development Policy: A Case Study of Venezuela. Cambridge, M.I.T. Press, 1966.
Prebisch R. Periferiinyi kapitalizm: est' li emu al'ternativa? [Capitalismo periférico. Crisis y transformación]. Moscow, ILA Publ., 1992, 337 p.
Krugman P. Increasing Returns and Economic Geography. Journal of Political Economy, 1991, vol. 99, no. 3, pp. 483–499. URL: Link
Copus A. From Core-Periphery to Polycentric Development: Concepts of Spatial and Aspatial Peripherality. European Planning Studies, 2001, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 539–552. URL: Link
Glaz'ev S.Yu. [Applied results in the theory of world economic structures]. Ekonomika i matematiceskie metody = Economics and Mathematical Methods, 2016, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 3–21. (In Russ.)
David P. Why Are Institutions the “Carriers of History”? Path Dependence and the Evolution of Conventions, Organizations and Institutions. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 1994, vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. 205–220. URL: Link90002-7
Martin R., Sunley P. Path Dependence and Regional Economic Evolution. Journal of Economic Geography, 2006, vol. 6, iss. 4, pp. 395–437. URL: Link
Nureev R.M. [Russia after the crisis – gauge effect]. Journal of Institutional Studies, 2010, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 7–26. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Auzan A.A. [Path Dependence Problem: The Evolution of Approaches]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Ser. 6: Ekonomika= Bulletin of the Moscow University. Ser. 6: Economics, 2015, no. 1, pp. 3–17. (In Russ.)
Tsvetkova G.S. [Positioning of the Russian regions in the coordinates of the world economy]. Kreativnaya ekonomika = Creative Economy, 2010, no. 4, pp. 28–33. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Tsvetkova G.S., Tsvetkova I.G. [The Mari El Republic in the context of international indicators]. Vestnik Mariiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Ser. Sel'skokhozyaistvennye nauki. Ekonomicheskie nauki = Vestnik of the Mari State University. Chapter: Agriculture. Economics, 2016, no. 3, pp. 90–95. (In Russ.)
Rodionova E.V., Danilova E.A. [Development of animal husbandry in the Republic of Mari El]. Innovatsionnoe razvitie = Innovative Development, 2017, no. 12, pp. 140–143. (In Russ.)
Ryabtsev V.M., Chudilin G.I. [Structural and dynamic analysis of investment climate indicators in the Samara region]. Voprosy Statistiki, 2002, no. 3, pp. 30–38. (In Russ.)
Golovin V.A. [Analysis of Factors and Development Potential of Economic Clusters by Economic Activities in Mari El Republic]. Ekonomika regiona = Economy of Region, 2017, no. 13, pp. 1068–1079. (In Russ.) URL: Link
Gumarova F.Z., Shcheglova I.O. [Analysis of investment activity in the Republic of Mari El]. Fundamental'nye issledovaniya = Fundamental Research, 2018, no. 12, pp. 83–88. (In Russ.)
