Intraregional shifts in Entrepreneurial Activity of Kemerovo Region – Kuzbass during Pandemic and Geopolitical Changes of 2020–2022

Entrepreneurial activity has a serious impact on the development of regions and municipalities, especially remote, peripheral ones. The most important aspect of the small and medium-sized enterprises’ activities study in the region is the analysis of differences between territories in the levels of entrepreneurial activity, as well as the assessment of relevant processes dynamics in various external conditions. The purpose of the study is to identify intraregional differences in the entrepreneurial activity of the region, to assess the nature and significance of their changes based on the materials of the Kemerovo Region – Kuzbass in 2020–2022. The indicator of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises normalized per 10 thousand people was used, as well as descriptive statistics methods, paired samples t-test, pair and rank correlation coefficients. In 2020–2022, inter-municipal fluctuations in entrepreneurial activity practically did not depend on the population density or the spatial position of the municipality. The agglomeration factor did not contribute to a faster recovery of the medium-sized enterprises’ sector. It was revealed that remote peripheral areas are not outsiders in terms of entrepreneurial activity, which contradicts existing theoretical concepts. The minimum entrepreneurial activity is observed in small towns and rural areas adjacent to the cities of the Kuzbass agglomeration, which can be attributed to different possibilities of consumer demand migration, but requires further research.