Spatial clustering for reducing intraregional unevenness

Abstract

Growing interregional inequality in the Russian economy adversely affects the territorial integrity of the country’s socioeconomic system and limits the possibilities for the economic development of territories. The research aims to design a new method for clustering Russia’s macroregions with a view to reducing spatial heterogeneity by exploiting the potential of interregional interaction. The new economic geography, regional and spatial economics constitute the methodological basis of the study. The research applies multidimensional statistical methods. Based on the calculation of the Theil index the paper investigates the unevenness of regional development in federal districts and macroregions, which are specified in the Strategy for spatial development of the Russian Federation until 2025. The paper concludes that the suggested territorial organisation of the national economy based on the identification of the 12 macroregions does not quite help reduce the socioeconomic differences between regions keeping them trapped in the current heterogeneity. The paper develops a method for delineating the macroregions that decreases their spatial heterogeneity and favours interregional interaction in order to reduce the differences in the territorial development. The method relies on a gravity model and cluster analysis as tools used by spatial economics.