PROBLEMS OF MUNICIPAL ENTITIES UDC 330.34:332.122(470.13-772) © Burtseva I.G. © Burtsev I.N. Comparative evaluation of the economic development of underdeveloped areas in the Republic of Komi * The development of northern territories is always one of the priorities of state policy in Russia. The northern regions, on the one hand, are rich in mineral resources, forest and water resources; on the other hand, today they are the areas with stopped productions and redeveloping cities, rapidly losing their population and infrastructure. The development of new northern territories is extremely slow; the most part of their mineral potential is not ready for industrial development and requires further geological exploration and economic evaluation. The article deals with the developmental problems of the northern regions in the case of some territories of the Republic of Komi. Northern territories, development, resource potential, underdeveloped areas, progress, socio-economic analysis, evaluation. Irina G. BUR TSEVA Ph.D. in Economics, Academic Secretary of the Institute of Socio-Economic and Energy Problems of the North Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural RAS Department [email protected] Igor N. BURTSEV Ph.D. in Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Deputy Director on Science at the Institute of Geology of the Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural RAS Department [email protected] The Republic of Komi is an old industrial areas, selection of promising directions of resource region, but despite this, a large part their development and the ideology of their of its territory is characterized as under- resource potential. developed and under-populated. The aim According to these objectives, the economic of this study includes the determination situation in some regions in the Republic of of the least economically developed and Komi has been estimated; the districts have redeveloping territories, location of the similar been differentiated based on their industrial * The article was prepared as a part of the Ural RAS Department’s Interdisciplinary Project “Strategy for the Integrated Socio-Economic Development of the Ural North territories that are insufficiently explored and poorly involved in the economic turnover”. 132 4 (22) 2012 Economical and social changes: facts, trends, forecast PROBLEMS OF MUNICIPAL ENTITIES I.G. Burtseva, I.N. Burtsev development indicators, population’s incomes The ratio between the same indices in the and infrastructural conditions. According to second group of districts is 12 – 13 times. This the types of districts, the opportunities for their group consists of Troitsko-Pechorsky District development have been considered on the base and Udorsky District. of available mineral resources. The third group of districts includes Knya- There is an analysis of the indicators that zhpogostsky District, Ust-Vymsky District, characterize the total level of economic Ust-Tsilemsky District, Izhemsky District, development of a territory, the level of an Syktyvdinsky District and Intinsky District. infrastructural component and demographic The industrial production rate in these areas is 3 – 5 times lower than the republican average situation in order to determine the threshold rate. The district of Vorkuta can be included values that allow us to consider the territory as in this group; per capita production rate has insufficiently explored and poorly involved in halved in this area since the 1990s. the economic turnover. The fourth group of districts is obvious: it The following general economic indices includes Usinsk, Pechora, Ukhta and Sos- have been chosen: per capita industrial pro- nogorsk industrial hubs. Vuktyl has the special duction and the volume of capital investment, position here: there was a significant drop in its wage rate and the share of unprofitable industrial production in 2000 – 2005. enterprises [4]. Some indices (average per Considering the dynamics of industrial capita industrial output, average wage, average production for the period since 1990, it is per capita investment) have been correlated easy to see the rapid decline in such districts as with the average figures for the Republic in Koygorodsky, Kortkerossky, Priluzsky, Sysolsky, order to assess the situation in the districts at Ust-Kulomsky, Troitsko-Pechorsky and the regional level. Udorsky. At the same time, there was an Investment infrastructure has been esti- increase in the sharp differentiation of those mated in terms of the number of construction districts in terms of industrial output in the companies and the amount of building period from 1990 to 2005. That differentiation materials, as well as by the density and the had smoothed a little bit only by 2009. So, if length of a road network. In addition, the the difference in per capita industrial output average per capita indices of production and between the “poorest” Ust-Tsilemsky District electricity and heat transmission have been and the “richest” Usinsk District was 6.4 times considered. To assess the degree of territorial in 1990, then it was 314 times in 2005. development, socio-economic indicators have An average per capita level of investment has been considered as another indicator that been studied in the dynamics from 1990 to characterizes the total economic situation in 2008 – 2009. the districts and the level of investment activity Tables 1 and 2 show the most important (table 3). indices of the economic situation in the cities The following groups of districts have been and regions of the Republic of Komi in 2009 [6]. identified on the base of the ratio in the average The group of districts that have the lowest republic level. The group of districts that have industrial production indices consists of the the lowest per capita investment rates includes following southern agricultural areas: Troitsko-Pechorsky District and Ust-Kulomsky Koygorodsky District, Kortkerossky District, District: the share of investment in these areas is Priluzsky District, Sysolsky District and 20 times lower than the average investment rate Ust-Kulomsky District. Per capita industrial in the Republic of Komi. In addition, there was production in these areas is 20 – 30 times lower a rapid decline in capital investment in these than the average rate in the Republic. areas in recent years. Economical and social changes: facts, trends, forecast 4 (22) 2012 133 Comparative evaluation of the economic development of underdeveloped areas in the Republic of Komi Table 1. Indicators of overall economic development of the cities and districts in the Republic of Komi Average per capita Ratio of an average per Ratio of an average wage district investment Share of capita industrial production index of the districts City / District in regard to average unprofitable index of the districts to an to an average national per capita republican enterprises,% average republic index index,% investment Syktyvkar 0.69 89.1 0.7 35 Vorkuta 0.67 115.6 0.2 34 Vuktyl 1.86 121.8 0.1 60 Inta 0.25 97.2 0.1 30 Pechora 1.07 106.1 0.7 27 Sosnogorsk 1.15 101.8 0.5 48 Usinsk 5.30 163.6 2.9 31 Ukhta 1.87 120.8 3.7 38 Izhemskiy 0.40 61.7 0.4 75 Knyazhpogostsky 0.11 70.2 0.2 50 Koygorodsky 0.03 54.7 0.1 50 Kortkerossky 0.03 56.4 0.1 60 Priluzsky 0.05 59.7 0.1 40 Syktyvdinsky 0.28 72.6 0.2 39 Sysolsky 0.03 56.1 0.1 83 Troitsko-Pechorsky 0.07 55.6 0.04 50 Udorsky 0.08 55.4 0.1 70 Ust-Vymsky 0.18 72.8 0.15 50 Ust-Kulomsky 0.03 53.9 0.04 80 Ust-Tsilemsky 0.36 62.4 0.3 – For reference only: Per capita industrial Average per capita Average wage absolute figures for the production investment 38 20.8 thsd. rub. Republic of Komi 254 thsd. rub. 113.5 thsd. rub. Table 2. Per capita industrial production in the city / district in regard to per capita production in the Republic City / District 1990 2000 2005 2009 Syktyvkar 1.16 0.83 0.84 0.69 Vorkuta 1.06 0.96 0.87 0.67 Vuktyl 1.13 0.57 0.13 1.86 Inta 1.42 0.52 0.26 0.25 Pechora 0.67 1.17 0.90 1.07 Sosnogorsk 1.10 1.71 0.84 1.15 Usinsk 1.43 6.66 6.15 5.30 Ukhta 1.15 0.62 1.49 1.87 Izhemsky 0.29 0.06 0.44 0.40 Knyazhpogostsky 1.09 0.25 0.34 0.11 Koygorodsky 0.60 0.36 0.05 0.03 Kortkerossky 0.43 0.13 0.02 0.03 Priluzsky 0.48 0.13 0.04 0.05 Syktyvdinsky 0.53 0.30 0.23 0.28 Sysolsky 0.40 0.12 0.09 0.03 Troitsko-Pechorsky 0.60 0.16 0.06 0.07 Udorsky 2.11 0.38 0.08 0.08 Ust-Vymsky 0.72 0.27 0.47 0.18 Ust-Kulomsky 0.53 0.15 0.02 0.03 Ust-Tsilemsky 0.23 0.06 0.03 0.36 For reference only: Industrial production in the Komi Republic for 1 person, thsd. rub. 3.2 51.2 148.1 254.4 134 4 (22) 2012 Economical and social changes: facts, trends, forecast PROBLEMS OF MUNICIPAL ENTITIES I.G. Burtseva, I.N. Burtsev The per capita investment rate is 18 times Per capita investments are 3 – 4 times lower than the average republican rate in the higher than in the Republic in the districts that second group of districts. It includes most are attractive for investment. This group southern districts of the Republic: Koygorodsky includes Usinsk and Ukhta Districts, which are District, Kortkerossky District, Priluzsky the stable oil production and refining centers. District, Sysolsky District, as well as Inta and This ratio has been remaining over the last 20 Vuktyl.