Guiding a Russian region’s development under the moral paradigm: A case of the Republic of Crimea

Methodological and practical aspects of guiding the socio-economic development of Russia’s new regions are being actively conceptualized. The study attempts to identify the strategic avenue for governing one of Russia’s regions, namely the Republic of Crimea, in the context of moral imperatives. Methodologically, the work relies on a set of scientific concepts, such as state (regional) governance and new public management, as well as the provisions of humanistic, evolutionary, institutional and economic theories. The research methods are systematization, content analysis, analogical reasoning, and comparativeanalytical approach. The empirical evidence covers regulations and governmental programmes by the RF Government, executive authorities of the Republic of Crimea, and materials of the Simferopol and Crimea Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church for 2005–2023. The paper presents a scientific explication of the moral paradigm in the context of state (regional) governance. We have substantiated a strategic direction of Crimea’s socio-economic development based on moral principles, including: dominance of the recreation sector generating a multiplier effect for related industries in the region; transformation of the functions and structure of the Crimean economy due to the special military operation in Ukraine and the rise in the moral component; the growing importance of healthcare and tourism industries in Crimea’s economic space. The findings of the research contribute to the development of theoretical and methodological provisions of state and municipal governance.