The concept of “competitiveness”, generated by the phenomenon of competition, has been studied by economists since the middle of the 18th century. At the same time, in modern economic science there is still no single generally accepted interpretation of the content of the category “competitiveness”, nor is there a single generally accepted approach to the methods of its assessment and formation.

Traditionally, in studies of recent decades, competitiveness is considered in relation to goods, enterprises, firms, corporations, i.e. economic entities and countries. At the same time, some authors interpret these concepts as identical, others reduce the concept of enterprise competitiveness to the concept of product competitiveness, and others relate the concepts of “competitiveness of a product,” “competitiveness of an enterprise,” and “competitiveness of a country” systematically, including all the previous ones in the last category. However, an important element of the systemic competitiveness of the state is the competitiveness of the region, which, however, is not considered as such in the above and many other works. Our point of view on the relationship between the concepts of competitiveness at different levels of the economic system is as follows: the competitiveness of the products of national enterprises ultimately indicates the competitiveness, firstly, of these enterprises, the cluster or industry in which they belong, and secondly, of the region where these enterprises are located, and, finally, thirdly, the country as a whole. Since the competition of enterprises in the market takes on the nature of competition of the products they produce, organizations are indirect carriers of the properties of competitiveness through their goods and services.

The described relationship between the competitiveness of a country, region, industry, cluster, enterprise and product has the structure presented in Figure 1.

Rice.

In the system of concepts of regional competitiveness, we propose a distinction between general, economic and strategic competitiveness.

The overall competitiveness of a region is characterized by the presence of resource potential, as well as a set of very diverse conditions for territorial development, the implementation of which ensures the region’s leading position in world exchanges and a high quality of life for people in a given territory.

The economic competitiveness of a region is its ability to effectively use the economic development resources available in the region and produce goods (services) that meet the highest demands of the demand of national and international markets, create conditions for ensuring sustainable growth of the competitiveness potential of business entities through systemic innovation, effective reproduction and capitalization of regional resources, and also provide comparatively high level life of the population.

Strategic competitiveness of the region - the goal of achieving the overall competitiveness of the region in a strategic perspective through the implementation of all available factors of regional development and effective adaptation of the region to constant changes in the external environment.

The strategic competitiveness of a regional economy is understood as a system of its highest properties in the foreseeable future, ensuring the region’s leading position in world exchanges and creating conditions for achieving high income for owners of all types of capital in a given territory. These systemic qualities are achieved on the basis of sustainable economic development of the region.

The economic competitiveness of a region is the leading, but not the only factor in its overall competitiveness. It is multivariate, so a competitive region must have either a diversified innovative economy with a predominant importance of the post-industrial sector, or a unique single-sector production, subject to significant exports and real participation of the region’s population in the distribution of income received.

IN Lately, despite the globalization of industries, the role of the country and region where the company is based has increased. Significance local conditions to create competitive advantages for business was studied in the theory of international competition by M. Porter. The competitiveness of a region, according to M. Porter, is the productivity (performance) of using regional resources, and first of all work force and capital, compared with other regions, which is integrated in the size and dynamics of gross regional product(GRP) per capita (and/or one worker), and is also expressed by other indicators.

European expert D. Sepik notes that competitiveness at the regional level is much more difficult to determine than at the enterprise level. Firstly, because competitiveness at the regional level is usually considered within the framework of a macro concept, and not as a specifically regional issue. Secondly, because there is no broad consensus on competitiveness at the macro level. Thirdly, because the very definition of competitiveness evolves over time. In the EU, an economy is considered competitive if its population has a sufficiently high and growing standard of living and a high level of employment on a sustainable basis.

Modern researchers note that the concept of regional competitiveness was introduced into scientific circulation relatively recently in the works of I. Busygina, L.S. Shekhovtseva, G.A. Untur and others. Among the well-known works that propose specific indicators for assessing the competitiveness of a region are the publications of A.Z. Selezneva, L.S. Shekhovtseva, V.E. Andreeva, S.G. Vazhenina, A.R. Zlochenko, A.I. Tatarkin (for federal district), S.V. Kazantseva.

In the monograph by A.Z. Seleznev explores the problems of Russia's competitiveness. It is proposed to determine the competitive positions of regions at the market level on the basis of thirteen indicators. These include indicators: the capacity of raw materials, materials, fuel and energy resources produced in the region; provision of production, market and social infrastructure; degree of equipment wear and prospects for its replacement; remoteness of suppliers and consumers of the bulk of imports and exports (at least 60% of the volume); the presence of transport highways, sea and river ports, international communications infrastructure; environmental situation; provision of highly qualified personnel, etc.

S.G. Vazhenin, A.R. Zlochenko, A.I. Tatarkin propose to evaluate competitiveness federal districts(macroregions) according to the following parameters of their economic behavior: labor costs and their structure, intensity of renewal of fixed assets, investment market conditions, innovative mobility.

S.V. Kazantsev proposes to evaluate the competitiveness of regions in relation to the region’s GRP Country's GDP in per capita terms. The assessment of competitiveness factors is based on relative indicators, such as the territory of the region, capital investments, fixed assets, cash income, density railways and roads, loans, number of people employed in R&D.

With a systematic approach to the competitiveness of the region, several areas of its study can be identified, and first of all, the following:

• 1) effective, considering the results of the functioning of the region in terms of its competitiveness;
• 2) factorial, which considers the sources of development of the region and the creation of its competitiveness;
• 3) process, taking into account the conditions of reproduction of the population, goods and services, regional potential, etc.

These directions flow from the mission and functions of the region, which form the basis for the definition of the concept of “region”. A region is a state-territorial entity that has administrative boundaries (sometimes state borders for border or exclave territories) and governing bodies, which ensures: the quality and standard of living of people (population); conditions for conducting and developing entrepreneurship; use, reproduction and renewal of territorial potential (economic, social, natural resources, scientific and technical, innovative, cultural, etc.) in the interests of living and future generations within a single national space.

The competitiveness of a region is the property of a region as an economic system to function and develop in a market environment, to effectively ensure the processes of reproduction of people, goods and regional potential, which can be studied in different aspects and at different levels.

The concept of regional competitiveness, taking into account different aspects and levels of consideration, can be given on the basis of a modification of the definition proposed by A.Z. Seleznev. The competitiveness of a region is the position of the region and its individual subsystems, industries, producers in the domestic and foreign markets, determined by economic, social, political, environmental and other factors, reflected through indicators that adequately characterize this state and its dynamics.

This concept includes different levels of regional competitiveness: macro-, meso- and microlevel. At the macro level, the competitiveness of a region is considered as a whole by territorial entity (integrated competitiveness) or by its components (economic competitiveness, social, managerial and others) and can be used for interregional comparisons both within the country and with other countries. At the meso level, the competitiveness of a region is analyzed by its intraregional components: territorial complexes, economic sectors, industries, municipalities. At the micro level, the competitiveness of the region is studied for specific types and segments of markets, for individual producers and groups of goods, for intra-industry and intra-municipal entities. At the micro level, the economic competitiveness of a region is, first of all, the ability of regional producers to sell their goods, increase or maintain shares in domestic and foreign markets, sufficient for the expansion and development of companies, for increasing the standard of living in the region, for maintaining a strong and effective state.

The competitiveness of the region can be analyzed in other aspects. When taking into account the time factor, current and future competitiveness can be considered, while taking into account the type of behavior of the region as an economic entity - operational, tactical and strategic competitiveness.

Let's consider the definition of these types of competitiveness, keeping in mind that a region can simultaneously be both a subject and an object of formation of competitiveness.

Current (actual) competitiveness characterizes the actual (existing) state or position of the subject (object) at the current moment in time. Prospective competitiveness reflects the possible (predicted, future) state or position of the subject (object) at a promising point in time.

Operational competitiveness means the state or position of a subject with inertial development and passive behavior. Strategic competitiveness expresses the state or position of a subject (object) from the point of view of its ability to achieve strategic development goals with active (proactive) behavior. The strategic competitiveness of a region characterizes the ability to make timely and comprehensive changes in the internal and external environment, ensuring the effective achievement of development goals. It is associated with the region’s ability to effectively create new functions, goods, services, produce old ones with new quality, at a new technological level and ensure the development of the region on an innovative, intensive basis.

Thus, the competitiveness of the region is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon and can be considered in various aspects, often intertwined:

• - by elements of the economic system: resource, factor, result, flow, etc.;
• - by system functions: economic, social, managerial, infrastructural, institutional, environmental and other types of competitiveness;
• - by levels of the economic system: macro-, meso-, microcompetitiveness;
• - in relation to the host country: internal and external competitiveness;
• - by the time factor: current and future competitiveness;
• - by type of behavior: operational, tactical and strategic competitiveness.

The general definition of a region's competitiveness can be formulated as follows: the competitiveness of a region is the position of the region and its individual producers in the domestic and foreign markets, determined by economic, social, political and other factors, reflected through indicators that adequately characterize such a state and its dynamics.

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Plan

Introduction

1. Regional competitiveness

1.1 The essence of regional competitiveness

1.2 Factors of competitiveness

2. Methods for measuring competitiveness

2.1 Methods for assessing competitiveness

2.2 Assessment of the competitive environment of regional markets

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Issues of regional economic development and competitiveness of regions are one of the most important ensuring the state of any state, since fulfilling the task of increasing GDP Chainikova L.N. Methodological and practical aspects of assessing the competitiveness of a region: monograph / L.N. Chaynikov. - Tambov: Publishing house technical. University, 2008. perhaps if competitive regions appear in the country. This raises questions about what a competitive region is, how to compare the level of competitiveness of different regions and how to measure the level of competitiveness of a region, that is, what are the indicators of such competitiveness.

Among the definitions of the concept of competitiveness available in the literature, the interpretation proposed by A.Z. Seleznev: “The competitiveness of a region is the position of the region and its individual producers in the domestic and foreign markets, determined by economic, social, political and other factors, reflected through indicators that adequately characterize this state and its dynamics.”

The purpose of this course work is to find out what constitutes regional competitiveness and evaluate it.

The purpose of the work, in turn, determines its specific tasks, the main of which are:

· reveal the essence of regional competitiveness;

· consider competitiveness factors;

· study methods for assessing competitiveness;

· Assessment of the competitive environment of regional markets.

The object of the study is the region.

The subject of this work is the competitiveness of regions and methods for measuring it.

1. Regional competitiveness

1.1 The essence of regional competitiveness

Regions of Russia at this stage of economic development are subjects of management, where the goals and objectives set for society are directly implemented. Regional statistics reflect absolute and relative indicators of socio-economic development, their dynamics and place in national economy, but does not provide a direct answer regarding the competitiveness of the region.

The competitiveness of a regional economy is the ability to implement the main target of its functioning - sustainable socio-economic development of the region while ensuring a high quality of life for its population. Competitiveness is realized through competitive advantages, which are grouped into basic and providing (or deep) and surface signs of the region's competitiveness. However, their essence is the same.

The first (basic) include:

· natural raw materials,

· labor resources and their qualifications,

· scientific, managerial potential,

· industrial base.

The second (providing) include:

· entrepreneurial climate,

· quality of management potential,

labor cost,

· infrastructure.

In domestic economic science, the competitiveness of the region as economic phenomenon is one of the poorly developed ones. According to a number of authors, “to a certain extent, such comprehension is hampered by the seeming obviousness of the content of the category “regional competitiveness”, its proximity to the category of efficiency: they are often considered as one-dimensional, although the former is based on the latter, carries with it complex interrelations of economic entities - individual firms, corporations, industry associations and national complexes."

The acquisition of economic independence by regional systems in market conditions necessitates a reassessment of the position and functions of each region in the coordinate system of the economic space in which decisions must be made to ensure the conditions for its sustainable development. In this case, it is necessary to take into account some phenomena and processes that lead to changes in the nature of the behavior of the region’s control structures. Instead of industry specialization, strictly planned investment and budgetary and financial processes, the market gives rise to the aspirations of each subject of the Federation for self-affirmation and choice economic structure, capable of ensuring its reliable position in the market space of the country and the world. Any decision related to interregional interaction is assessed from the point of view of economic benefits and the possibility of achieving budgetary and financial stability, as well as the implementation of strategic objectives of the socio-economic and environmental development of the region.

All subjects of the Federation participate in the market space, whose interests intersect, forming a competitive environment. The winner in this environment is the region that has the most reliable competitive positions, providing favorable conditions for effective entrepreneurial and commercial activities. In this case, the region acquires a predominant position in the market space, which gives it the opportunity to extract maximum benefits for the development of productive forces and territorial organization farms.

According to R.I. Shniper, as long as there are regional differences in “the potential for production development in the degree of influence of natural-economic and resource factors on the economic structure of regional systems, the place and importance of each region in the market space will be determined by specialization and territorial division of labor.”

In the literature devoted to the problems of regional economics, the issue of the competitiveness of regions as an economic category has not yet been sufficiently studied.

Competition is accompanied by concentration and centralization of production and capital in the most promising areas for market development. It strengthens the power of big capital and generates incentives for the development of production of goods needed by the population. At different stages of development of market relations in each region, it manifests itself differently. regional economic competitiveness

With the transition to a market, regional systems are endowed with the functions of economically independent subjects of market relations, the most important of which are:

· coordination and protection of the interests of the region within the country and abroad;

· strengthening the competitive position of the region through scientific preparation of the territory in order to attract investors and improve the economic structure;

· creating conditions conducive to the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the region, as well as the stabilization and expansion of production capabilities of state and municipal property;

· creation of a system of regional benefits and guarantees for the activities of entrepreneurial, commercial structures and investors;

External extension economic potential and expansion of trade and economic ties between the regions.

The listed functions contribute to the formation of a socio-economic and legal environment that guarantees business and commercial structures reliable “rear” support in the sense of social, economic and environmental security, and thereby increases the competitiveness of the regional system.

The subject of competition between the subjects of the Federation may be government programs and projects related to the location and territorial organization of the economy, as well as the decision social problems Regional Economics: Textbook/Ed. IN AND. Vidyapin and M.V. Stepanova. - M.: INFRA-M, 2007. Given the constant lack of resources, only regions with the highest level of competitiveness will be able to apply for participation in the implementation of such programs and projects.

During the period of the formation of market relations and primitive accumulation, competition comes down mainly to extracting the greatest income by any methods and means, including criminal ones. This phenomenon is temporary. With the development of regional relations with a solid infrastructure base and reliable legal basis, competition should become a factor “stimulating the effective placement and territorial organization of productive forces, improving the economic structures of the region, expanding the range and improving the quality of products and services in accordance with modern requirements of domestic and world markets.”

Reliable competitive positions are becoming the most important conditions for the sustainable development of the regional economy. The principle of economic independence of the subjects of the Federation makes significant adjustments to their financial and economic situation. The stable development of the regional economy is directly dependent on the availability of appropriate socio-economic, scientific, technical and human resources potential, and this determines the attractiveness of the region for the location of new and reconstruction of existing industries, and thereby for the creation of new jobs. In turn, the growth in the number of workers determines the socio-economic well-being of the population and the improvement of the financial and budgetary condition of the region.

In the market space of the country, the influx of capital into a particular region no longer depends on centrally accepted industry solutions, but is entirely determined by the competitive capabilities of the region and the prospects for their expansion. Entrepreneurial capital flows into those areas and areas of activity where competitive production can be located and profitable businesses can be organized. Each region is called upon to assess its competitive position in order to facilitate the region's involvement in the implementation of programs for the location and territorial organization of productive forces.

The competitiveness of a region is understood, first of all, as the presence and implementation of the competitive potential of a given region. At the same time, the competitive potential is multifaceted and is formed as diverse characteristics of the region’s ability to participate in competitive relations, both between regions and in national competitive relations, interacting with other countries of the world. The competitiveness of the region in the above sense of the word is described by such characteristics as the competitive advantages of the region in the most various fields and sectors of the economy and social sphere, the conditions of existence of the region (climate, geographical location), the presence of natural resources, the intellectual level of development of the population.

The scientific understanding of regional competitiveness, which began in recent years, is taking place in the context of a long-term, deep economic crisis in Russia. The situation in industry and the agro-industrial complex over the past period of reforms has been marked by significant losses: in less than 10 years, Russia's production potential has more than halved. The output of almost all main types of products decreased significantly. The list of high-tech technologies lost during these years includes hundreds of items.

The content of competitiveness is a set of basic and supporting characteristics and the design of their interaction in the form of institutional characteristics. In other words, the competitiveness of a region is economic category, expressing the relations of interaction between the system of productive forces of a certain territory, economic relations and the institutional form of the occurrence of these processes, carried out as a synergistic effect of such interaction.

Modern economists introduce the concept of competitiveness into the formation and maintenance of sustainable competitive advantages. M. Galvanovsky, I. Trofimova, V. Zhukovskaya write that competitiveness is “the possession of properties that create advantages for an economic entity to win in economic competition.” In accordance with the above definition, the ability to successfully compete in the market is determined by the presence or absence of a competitive advantage in comparison with other entities. In other words, competitive advantage forms the basis of competitiveness at any level, including regional.

It is necessary to distinguish between the competitiveness of a region as a potential opportunity to participate in competition with other regions based on the possession of a sufficient level of components that form this potential, when the integral element of competitiveness is the concept of competition, and the competitive position of the region. These two concepts in science often replace each other, since in practice competitiveness is very difficult to define, much less calculate. The competitive position is clearly manifested in the economic, social and political behavior of the region. In this regard, this position is often presented as a sign of the strong or weak competitiveness of a certain region. Therefore, only a clear division of these categories will allow us to distinguish competitiveness as an objective characteristic and competitive position as the subjective behavior of a region as an economic entity.

The competitiveness of the region includes the concept of risk as the most important characteristic economic processes region. Therefore, the competitive position and the characteristic of competitiveness as a set of potentials incorporates the rationale for the inherent risk this region. Risk is present in the entire system of potentials that characterize competitiveness, and in the competitive position of the region, since this position may carry varying degrees of risk in the economic, political and social behavior of the region.

1.2 Factors of competitiveness

In various sources, the concept of “factors” is often identified with the concept of “sources” of a region’s competitiveness. These concepts can be distinguished as follows.

Sources - These are the resources of the region.

Factors- everything that can provide and influences the best use of existing resources, the actualization of potential resources and the creation of new resources, that is, everything that influences the transformation of resources into specific advantages.

Regarding the factors ensuring the competitiveness of the region, there are three groups:

· cluster approach;

· innovative system of regions;

· all other factors for creating a competitive region.

In accordance with the cluster concept, the competitiveness of a certain region depends on the presence of a cluster of interrelated industries. Clusters are geographically concentrated groups of interconnected enterprises, specialized service providers, as well as non-profit organizations and institutions related to their activities in certain areas, competing, but at the same time complementing each other. It is clusters that create the critical mass necessary for competitive success in certain industries. Therefore, one of the tasks in the system of increasing the competitiveness of the region is to identify the potential for clustering of the region.

The second group of views is united by linking the competitiveness of the region with the presence of an innovation system. They reflect the fact of accumulation of knowledge and the role of the historical path of development in ensuring the viability (which in evolutionary economics is identified with competitiveness) of regions. The accumulation of knowledge and institutions that promote innovation, according to evolutionary theories, increases the vitality of regions and is of paramount importance in ensuring national competitiveness. The essence of the approach is that the interaction of institutions, supplier-consumer relationships and other agents generates a critical mass of knowledge. The approach contains the integral role of institutions in the accumulation of technological capabilities and in economic change, as well as the role of innovation in creating and maintaining competitiveness. Focusing on innovation in competition seems to be a more promising approach today. Ultimately, victory in the competitive struggle is celebrated by those market participants who take an attacking position in the innovation war. The fact is that no matter how high the risk of innovation is, failure to implement it creates an even greater risk.

A separate group includes factors that are either presented only in a staged version or have not yet become the object of attention of researchers, for example, the role of the state in ensuring the competitiveness of the region. It is believed that the creation of a region's competitive advantage is carried out through special policies that favor certain industries at a time when they become weak.

Important economic importance regains the economic and geographical position of the region, which was in the mid-90s. declared unimportant. Today, opportunities are increasing for individual regions to use their economic and geographical location to create competitive advantages through the formation of transport corridors. As a local advantage, the opportunity to access the flow of goods and provide services for the transit of goods can be used.

Increasing values ​​in the world healthy image life and sustainable development approaches increases the recreational value of regions where conditions exist for this, giving a chance to provide benefits to these regions. The increasing opportunities for global tourism also increases the chances of many regions, as examples of a unique culture, to attract effective demand.

A separate factor is the image of the region, or in terms of economic psychology, the image of the region, its reputation. The region as a specific “product” is also an object of choice for target consumers: investors (as a place to place capital), businessmen (as a place to locate trade and production operations), residents (as a place of residence), workers (as a place of work), executives (as a venues for business and political events), tourists, etc. The image of a region can have both a stimulating and an inhibitory effect on the behavior of target consumers. Image management serves to increase the competitiveness of the region.

The formation of a competitive way of thinking is an important factor in the competitiveness of the region.

A number of researchers argue that the quality of products produced by regional enterprises is a significant factor in the region’s competitiveness. “The coming century must become the century of quality, as opposed to the bygone century of productivity. It is quality that can ensure high competitiveness, constant growth of the sales market and increased profits. It (quality) is the most accurate and generalizing indicator of scientific technical progress, culture and labor discipline."

2. Methods for measuring competitiveness

2.1 Methods for assessing competitiveness

A number of researchers have attempted to quantify the region's competitiveness. Various techniques have been developed. But among the indicators there were always indicators of the standard of living of the population, investment attractiveness.

To date, there is no unambiguous approach to quantitatively measuring the competitiveness of a region. Finding an integrated indicator of competitiveness is problematic, since, as a rule, the compared characteristics are heterogeneous and incomparable in terms of physical characteristics, there is a need to reduce different indicators to a homogeneous basis.

If an indicator of the competitiveness of regions is necessary to compare them with each other, then it is important to determine the ordinal relationship of the objects being compared. Therefore, the rating method has become widespread in comparative studies. In turn, the choice of indicators for measuring characteristics in the rating is variable and depends on the methodology incorporated in the rating and transaction costs for measurement. You can use different methods for constructing a rating: point, index.

The selection of factors should be based on reasonable criteria. Comparing regions according to all the characteristics that distinguish them from each other (territory, numbers, and so on) apparently makes sense for characterizing and comparing regions. But to create a competitiveness index, it is much more important to highlight the factors that characterize competitive success and the accumulated potential of competitive advantages from the point of view of the main sources of these advantages: factor, investment, infrastructure, innovation, information, institutional. Another important condition for the calculation is the selection of adequate specific indicators.

IN modern conditions there is an objective need to systematize knowledge about various aspects of regional competitiveness, including its quantitative assessment, which serves as a guide and basis for developing a competitive strategy for the region and its socio-economic development.

The most common method for assessing the competitiveness of a region is the expert method. This is a method of organizing work with expert specialists and processing expert opinions, expressed in quantitative or qualitative form, in order to prepare information for decision-making. The estimates of a group of experts are considered as a set of independent identically distributed random variables with values ​​in the corresponding space of objects of numerical and non-numerical nature. The final expert opinion should be found as the average expert opinion, as a solution to the optimization problem - to minimize the distance from the candidate to the average expert opinion. It is believed that a decision can only be made on the basis of the agreed opinions of experts, therefore those whose opinions differ from the majority are excluded from the expert group. Conducting expert research is based on the use of modern methods of applied mathematical statistics, primarily objects of a non-numerical nature.

The organization and procedure of expert assessment may vary depending on the capabilities of the researcher, that is, the collection of experts requires a certain interest on their part; such an approach should provide a comprehensive assessment of the region, an assessment of the total impact of positive and negative factors on the competitive position of the region.

The difficulties of using the expert method lie not only in processing the results of the work of the expert commission, but also in the availability of experts, the operational organization of their work, significant financial costs, as well as the degree of subjectivity of the assessment.

2.2 Assessment of the competitive environment of regional markets

To assess the competitive environment of regional markets, criteria such as the number of sellers, barriers to entry of new firms into the market, sensitivity to changes in prices and differentiation of goods offered, the behavior of subjects in the market, conditions for promoting goods on the market, the possibility of introducing new products to the market, etc. .

The main indicators for assessing the competitive environment regional market are the following:

Market concentration index, determined by Chainikova L.N. Methodological and practical aspects of assessing the competitiveness of a region: monograph / L.N. Chaynikov. - Tambov: Publishing house technical. Univ., 2008. as a share of total sales of goods (or of total capacity, number of employees, physical volume of output) accounted for by several large firms, ranked according to their market share. It can be calculated for any number of firms. For each individual market, the value of this indicator will be different. For consumer goods The recommended figure is no more than 45%. For the capital goods market it can be up to 70%.

Lerner index focused on measuring and describing the results of market functioning and the behavior of firms.

This index reflects the deviation of price from marginal costs associated with inefficient allocation of resources under monopoly conditions.

To assess monopoly power, an indicator is also used that determines the degree of market concentration based on the Herfindahl-Hirschman index. When calculating it, data on the share of the enterprise’s products in the industry is used. It is assumed that the greater the share of an enterprise's products in the industry, the greater the potential for the emergence of a monopoly. When calculating the index, all enterprises are ranked by specific gravity from the largest to the smallest.

Conclusion

As a result of the work carried out, the following conclusions can be drawn.

The competitiveness of a regional economy is the ability to implement the main target of its functioning - sustainable socio-economic development of the region while ensuring a high quality of life for its population. Competitiveness is realized through competitive advantages, which are grouped into basic and providing (or deep) and surface signs of the region's competitiveness. However, their essence is the same. The first (basic) include natural resources, labor resources and their qualifications, scientific and managerial potential, production base; the second (providing) - business climate, quality of management potential, labor costs, infrastructure.

It should also be noted that in the domestic economic conceptual tools several years ago there was no term “regional competitiveness”, therefore, in the literature devoted to the problems of regional economics, the issue of the competitiveness of regions as an economic category has not yet been well studied.

Competitiveness factors are everything that can ensure and influence the best use of existing resources, the actualization of potential resources and the creation of new resources, that is, everything that influences the transformation of resources into specific advantages. The following factors are distinguished: the role of the state, the economic and geographical position of the region, the recreational value of the region, the image of the region, the formation of a competitive way of thinking, the quality of products.

Developing a methodology for assessing the competitiveness of a region is a complex task, which consists not only in the selection of single indicators, but also in the need to find theoretical approaches that would become a methodological basis and ensure the objectivity and reliability of the assessment.

The most common method for assessing the competitiveness of a region is the expert method. This is a method of organizing work with expert specialists and processing expert opinions, expressed in quantitative and/or qualitative form, in order to prepare information for decision-making. Conducting expert research is based on the use of modern methods of applied mathematical statistics, primarily objects of a non-numerical nature.

Another method that has become widespread is statistical scoring. It is often used using the reduction of numerical values ​​of statistical indicators to point estimates on some scale and also cannot fully reflect the degree of differentiation of statistical indicators by region due to the inevitably limited number of applied data “breakdown” intervals or a predetermined range of point estimates .

A single indicator of the share of unprofitable organizations negatively affects the competitiveness of the region. Consequently, negative values ​​of absolute and relative changes indicate a positive impact on the competitiveness of the region.

In order to increase the competitiveness of regions, it is necessary to develop a Program for increasing the competitiveness of regions, the basis of which should be a Program for Improving the Quality of Regional Products.

Bibliography

1. Gavrilov A.I. Regional economics and management: Tutorial for universities. - M.: UNITY-DANA, 2009, - 239 p.

2. Granberg A.G. Fundamentals of regional economics: textbook for universities. - M.: State University Higher School of Economics, 2006, - 496 p.

3. Kachalina L.N. Competitive management / L.N. Kachalina. - M.: Eksmo, 2006, - 459 p.

4. Competitiveness of regions: theoretical and applied aspects / ed. Yu.K. Persky, N.Ya. Kalyuzhnova. - M.: TEIS, 2003, - 472 p.

5. Morozova T.G., Pobedina M.P., Polyak G.B. Regional economics: Textbook for universities. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - M.: UNITY, 2001, - 472 p.

6. Regional Economics: Textbook / Ed. IN AND. Vidyapin and M.V. Stepanova. - M.: INFRA-M, 2007, - 666 p.

7. Regions of Russia. Socio-economic indicators. 2007: stat. Sat./Rosstat. - M., 2007, - 991 p.

8. Fetisov G.G., Oreshin V.P. Regional economics and management: Textbook. - M.: INFRA-M, 2008, - 416 p.

9. Chainikova L.N. Methodological and practical aspects of assessing the competitiveness of a region: monograph / L.N. Chaynikov. - Tambov: Tamb Publishing House. state tech. University, 2008, - 148 p.

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The essence and characteristics of methods for typologizing regions. Ways to solve regional socio-economic problems. Differences in the levels of economic development of territories. Priorities of regional development, typology of regions as management objects.

abstract, added 01/14/2011


Methods for assessing the competitiveness of Russian regions. Factors of their socio-economic development. Economic assessment competitiveness of the Volgograd region. Problems and directions for its improvement. Competitive advantages of the Volgograd region.

course work, added 10/29/2012


Strategy for socio-economic development of regions. Subjects and objects public policy in area. Analysis of theoretical and practical experience regulation of regional development in modern conditions. Problems and strategic goals in Russia.

course work, added 11/29/2016


Analysis modern dynamics regional processes in Russia. Reasons for differentiation of regional development. Determination of the main directions of development of the unified economic space of the state. Alignment of socio-economic development of regions.

course work, added 09/24/2014


Theoretical basis research on the socio-economic development of Russian regions. Basic theories and development trends, analysis of differences in main indicators and dynamics economic indicators regions, promising directions for their development.

scientific work, added 03/27/2013


Goals and criteria for social development of the region. Factors of socio-economic development, independence and competitiveness of regions, forecasting their development. Modern methods regional development management. Regional Development Rating.

presentation, added 12/01/2010


Government regulation socio-economic development of the Russian Federation. Formation of programs for the socio-economic development of Russian regions. Mechanisms of regional economic regulation using the example of North-West Siberia and the Far East in 2010.

course work, added 10/18/2013


Development of regions taking into account the rhythm of development of productive forces. Analysis of resource cycles I.V. Mosquito. The concept of territorial production complexes N.N. Kolosovsky. Competitiveness of spatio-temporal reproduction clusters.

The development of market relations determines the development of competition in various industries and spheres of the economy. Competition is key concept, expressing the essence of market relations and which is understood as the struggle for a limited resource (for example, natural resources, market demand, qualified personnel), which cannot be obtained by everyone at the same time. Competition- This economic process interaction, interrelation and struggle between enterprises operating on the market in order to provide better opportunities for marketing their products and satisfying the diverse needs of customers. Competitiveness- a phenomenon derived from competition, which in a general sense is understood as the ability to compete (compete) of subjects of market relations for factors of production.

The creation of a civilized market, the globalization of economic relations and a new stage of economic development have sharply aggravated the problem of competitiveness at all its levels: products, enterprises, industries, regions and the country as a whole. In the hierarchy of competitiveness, the competitiveness of the region occupies a special place. This is explained by the fact that regions are subjects of market relations, where the set goals and objectives of meeting the socio-economic needs of the population are directly realized, in achieving which their competitiveness is essential. The competitiveness of a region in modern conditions is a readiness to respond to the challenges of the global environment, the ability to adapt to changes in its conditions, to search for and protect local competitive advantages, to maintain or improve the position of the regional economy in competition.

A well-known researcher in the field of competitiveness, Professor at Harvard University M. Porter, considering the essence of competition between regions, believes that it is a consequence of competition among firms. It links territorial competition to the ability of a region's industries to innovate and modernize. Differences in regional values, culture, economic structure, existing organizations and historical development, in his opinion, contribute to the achievement of successful competition in a particular region. Porter defines the competitiveness of a region as higher productivity (productivity) in the use of regional resources, primarily labor and capital, compared to other regions, which is integrated in the value and dynamics of the gross regional product per capita (and/or one worker), and also expressed by other indicators.

Currently, the economic literature has not developed a unified methodological approach to determining the competitiveness of a region. The following approaches are known.

• 1. Competitiveness as the ability to withstand competition in commodity markets region.
• 2. Competitiveness as the ability to improve the standard of living of the population of the region.
• 3. Competitiveness as the ability to identify, create, and use competitive opportunities in the region.

The above approaches to determining the competitiveness of a region do not contradict, but complement each other, at the same time, each of them, taken separately, cannot be considered as fully reflecting its essence, taking into account factors in the modern economy. This is expressed in the fact that, while characterizing certain important features of the region’s competitiveness, they do not pay enough attention to the systematic nature of this concept.

The use of a systematic approach to revealing the essence of the concept of regional competitiveness allows us to comprehensively consider this economic category.

The competitiveness of a region is a subsystem that is an integral part of a higher level system, namely the socio-economic system of the region. However, the competitiveness of a region is not only a property of the economic system, but also itself acts as a system of properties that allow the region to effectively compete to achieve its goals (Fig. 4.4).

Rice. 4.4.

The competitiveness of a region consists of the following interrelated elements:

• competitive potential of the region;
• factors and conditions for the formation of a competitive environment;
• resource efficiency;
• competitive advantages;
• competitive strategies of business entities;
• state and market mechanisms for managing the economic potential of the region to better meet human needs.

The competitiveness of a region as an economic process is a set of complex, contradictory actions that are influenced by many of the most various conditions both objective and subjective:

• 1) factor conditions of production (provision of the region with raw materials, qualified personnel, developed material and market infrastructure);
• 2) General terms management (development of industries material production, environmental safety, degree of wear and tear of fixed assets, etc.);
• 3) factors of demand for the products of the region’s basic industries;
• 4) social, sociocultural, organizational, legal, political factor conditions, etc.

The competitiveness of a region is influenced by both the overall economic situation in the country, as well as the specifics of individual industries and complexes located in the region.

Research into the nature of the region's competitive advantages is necessary for a deeper understanding of the mechanism of the region's competitiveness. Today, the ability to successfully compete in the market is determined by the presence or absence of competitive advantages of a regional entity compared to other economic entities. The competitive advantages of the region, which form the basis of its competitiveness, essentially determine the level of development of the entire regional socio-economic system.

Porter's theory of competitive advantage is based on a value chain formed as a result of an analysis of the activities of an economic entity that directly creates value for the consumer.

The concept of “competitive advantages of an object (subject)” is revealed in the works of the Russian scientist-economist R. A. Fatkhutdinov. According to his theory, the basis of competitive advantage is any exclusive value that an object possesses, giving it superiority over competitors. At the same time, value is understood by Fatkhutdinov as something special that an object or subject of management owns, strives to preserve, or have in the future. The competitive advantages of the region are determined by the following groups of factors:

• the country's competitiveness;
• natural-climatic, geographical, economic and socio-economic parameters of the region;
• entrepreneurial and innovative activity in the region;
• the level of compliance of the region’s infrastructure parameters with international and federal standards;
• level of international integration and cooperation of regions.

A region's competitive advantages are the specific features and characteristics of a region that are important to its target markets and distinguish it from other regions. Regional competitive advantages are ensured through competitive resources, which in modern conditions include not only and not so much traditional economic resources, but rather tangible and intangible elements of the region that have market value or contribute to increasing demand for other elements of the region. Non-traditional resources include a scientific and educational complex, original crafts, and a developed transport network.

Competitive advantages are those factors that already provide advantages of the analyzed object (subject) over competitors or will provide in the future when implementing planned activities.

The creation of competitive advantages of the region occurs on the basis of modern achievements of scientific and technological progress, development economic theory taking into account the processes of globalization of the economy. Each region is characterized by a certain set of competitive advantages, determined by the combination of industries and clusters, specializations and level of economic development, directions and structure of interregional and international interactions. In enhancing the competitive advantages of regions, the development of the infrastructure base, primarily its elements such as transport, communications, communications, computer networks, ensuring the formation, processing and use of market information, is of great importance.

Regional competitive advantages are created on the basis of the high intellectual capabilities of its population, personnel of enterprises and organizations located in a given territory, ensuring the development and production of competitive products with high consumer properties, minimal resources and energy costs. At the same time, the management system for the creation of regional competitive advantages should be built according to the laws of market relations, competition, management (management), etc. In modern conditions, the policy of strengthening and developing the competitiveness of the region is based on the fact that its competitive advantages are the means by which it can become better than its competitors and achieve its main goal - a high standard of living for its population, corresponding to both domestic and world standards.

The competitiveness of the region is a consequence of the presence of competitive advantages of market entities; therefore, it is necessary to create and maintain them. This process can be facilitated by identifying and analyzing the state of existing regional competitiveness factors in order to identify strategic opportunities for the formation of new competitive advantages. In the long term, the competitiveness of a region should be determined by the ability of state and market institutions to create effective mechanisms for transforming regional comparative advantages into competitive ones and their continuous development (adaptation, renewal and improvement). In these conditions, the state’s task should be to help regional and local self-government bodies create mechanisms for identifying pockets of competitiveness and disseminating positive experience throughout the country.

The competitive advantages of the region are determined by both internal and external conditions and factors:

• 1) production conditions (provision of the region with raw materials, qualified personnel, developed material and market infrastructure);
• 2) general economic conditions (development of sectors of material production, environmental safety, degree of wear and tear of fixed assets, etc.);
• 3) factors of demand for the products of the region’s basic industries;
• 4) social, sociocultural, organizational, legal, political conditions, etc.

The competitiveness of a region is influenced by both the general economic situation in the country and the specifics of individual industries, production complexes, and clusters located within the region itself.

Regional competitive advantages- this is a set of social, natural, economic, scientific and educational, technical, information, innovative, institutional conditions that have developed in the region and distinguish it from other regions, determining the long-term prospects for the life of the region’s population.

The peculiarity of competitive relations between regions (for economic resources in general) on modern stage is that the processes of globalization are erasing national economic boundaries, and this leads to an expansion of opportunities for attracting resources (objects of competition) by regions of the country from external sources.

The competitive advantages of a region are an integral indicator formed from the advantages of enterprises and organizations producing competitive goods and services. The production in the region of competitive products that are in demand by consumers both in the domestic and world markets is one of the main factors of its competitive advantage. The task is for the region, as a socio-economic system, to contribute to the formation of competitive advantages of enterprises and firms located on its territory by creating a competitive environment and developing innovative potential, which can be characterized as opportunities determined by scientific and technical factors.

The concept of a region's competitiveness is directly related to the concept of competitive potential, i.e. its ability to create new competitive advantages in the long term based on innovation.

The following approaches to determining competitive potential are known: factorial, expert, and identifying competitive potential with socio-economic potential. The latter is formed due to the potential of specific business units based on a synergistic effect 1.

Based on an integrated approach and from the position of sustainable development of the region, the following structure of the content of the concept of competitive potential is identified, including seven private potentials: natural resource, human, investment, production, export, innovation and organizational and managerial. This structure is determined by the logic of competitive management of regional development, which provides for the development of competitive potential as a set of competitive resources and emerging competitive advantages.

Competitive potential is multifaceted and is formed as diverse characteristics of the region’s ability to participate in competitive relations both between regions and in national competitive relations, interacting with other countries of the world. In this case, the competitiveness of the region is described by such characteristics as the competitive advantages of the region in a variety of spheres and sectors of the economy and social sphere, the conditions of existence of the region (climate, geographical location), the presence of natural resources, and the intellectual level of development of the population.

Competitiveness has characteristics, in particular basic and supporting ones (Table 4.7). At the same time, the basic signs of competitiveness include the presence of a region developed system productive forces, and the supporting features are the management system in it. The basic and supporting characteristics of competitiveness constantly interact, creating a synergistic effect of implementing these characteristics in reality.

Table 4.7

Signs of competitiveness (competitive potential) of the region

The content of competitiveness, therefore, is a set of basic and supporting characteristics and the design of their interaction in the form of institutional characteristics. Consequently, the competitiveness of a region is an economic category that expresses the relations of interaction between the system of productive forces of a certain territory, economic relations and the institutional form of the said processes, carried out as a synergistic effect of such interaction.

In modern conditions, there is an objective need for a quantitative assessment of the competitiveness of the region’s economy, which serves as a guideline and basis for developing a competitive strategy for the region and its socio-economic development.

The ranking of the global competitiveness index of countries of the World Economic Forum is currently widespread. Table 4.8 shows the dynamics of the rating of this index in Russia.

The Global Competitiveness Index is made up of 113 variables that characterize the competitiveness of countries around the world at different levels of economic development. The set of variables on 2/z consists of the results of a global survey of company executives, and on! /z from publicly available sources. All variables are combined into 12 indicators that determine national competitiveness.

• 1. Quality of institutions.
• 2. Infrastructure.
• 3. Macroeconomic stability.
• 4. Health and primary education.
• 5. Higher education and vocational training.
• 6. Efficiency of the market for goods and services.
• 7. Labor market efficiency.
• 8. Development of the financial market.
• 9. Level of technological development.
• 10. Size of the domestic market.
• 11. Competitiveness of companies.
• 12. Innovative potential.

A report prepared by the Eurasian Competitiveness Institute highlights the strengths and weak sides Russian economy, which determined the values ​​of the global competitiveness index (Table 4.9).

Strengths and weaknesses of the Russian economy in the field of competitiveness

Table 4.9

In world practice, the regional model of the British Institute of Competitiveness is used to assess the competitiveness of regions. The integral indicator of competitiveness takes into account macroeconomic and microeconomic indicators that are available and comparable at the local, regional and national levels. The peculiarity of the model for assessing competitiveness is that competitiveness is considered as the total result of an economic process, which has a group of input factors, an economic result and a group of output factors (Fig. 4.5).

Rice. 4.5.

In domestic practice, to assess regional competitiveness, a methodology developed by specialists from the Council for the Study of Productive Forces (COPS) in 2004 is used. This methodology takes into account static and dynamic indicators(Fig. 4.6).

Rice. 4.6.

One of the most adapted to modern conditions method for assessing the competitiveness of a region is the system of national accounts (SNA). Assessing the competitiveness of regions is possible on the basis of a program-target approach, which consists in structuring the problem of forming the competitiveness of a region and developing a “tree of goals.” Common methods for assessing the competitiveness of regions are the rating assessment of the investment attractiveness of Russian regions, cluster analysis. The methodology for selecting regions and projects of the program “Reducing differences in the socio-economic development of regions of the Russian Federation (2002...2010 and until 2015)” for financing from the Regional Development Fund can also be used to assess the competitiveness of the region. As a method for assessing competitiveness, the “qualimetry” approach is used, according to which an object can be assessed with one number. In many methods, preference is given to scoring, mainly expert assessments each of the factors taken into account. However, in practice, such assessments are inevitably largely subjective and usually smooth out the real spread of regional characteristics, since experts are wary of extreme assessments. Another method that has become widespread is statistical scoring, the disadvantage of which is the inability to take into account the real spread of the corresponding actual objective characteristics.

The need to manage the competitiveness of the region is predetermined by the ongoing rapid changes in the external environment, the emergence of difficult-to-predict economic and financial situations. An important prerequisite for the transition to managing the competitiveness of the region is the process of globalization of the country’s economy, its subjects and the desire of international competition in sales markets, as well as the requirements of international standardization. In these conditions, the management of regional competitiveness is considered as a set of strategic decisions that determine the long-term provision of its development, which in modern conditions becomes the basis for the progressive development of the entire territorial socio-economic system.

Regional policy in the field of managing the competitiveness of the region as an element of the regional regulation system should have:

• clearly defined strategic goals and strategy;
• management bodies that implement functions that ensure the achievement of the stated goals;
• information system, forming an information image of the object of regulation, sufficient for the implementation of strategic management functions;
• instruments for strategic regulation and support, with the help of which authorities regional administration influence industries, clusters, enterprises and the competitive environment as part of the performance of their functions.

Currently, each region is building its own path to increasing the level of competitiveness based on production factors ( natural resources, human capital, investment, innovation, etc.), as well as factors new economy(knowledge economy).

The effectiveness of managing regional competitiveness is determined by adequate choice priority areas development of the region, which can include the following.

Neimushin V. Post-industrial illusions or systemic “neo-industrialization”: a choice modern Russia// Economist. 2009. No. 4. P. 47-52.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss non-governmental organization created in 1971. It organizes meetings in Davos at which the world's most pressing problems are discussed. The members of the EEF are about 1000 large companies and organizations from around the world, including Russia. The composition of participants is reviewed annually.

TOPIC 9: FORMATION OF REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS.

The competitiveness of a regional economy is the ability to implement the main target of its functioning - sustainable socio-economic development of the region while ensuring a high quality of life for its population. Competitiveness is realized through competitive advantages, which are grouped into basic and providing (or deep) and surface signs of the region's competitiveness. However, their essence is the same. The first (basic) include natural resources, labor resources and their qualifications, scientific and managerial potential, production base; to the second (providing) - the entrepreneurial climate, the quality of management potential. labor costs, infrastructure.

And in domestic economic science, the competitiveness of the region as an economic phenomenon is one of those poorly developed. According to a number of authors, “to a certain extent, such comprehension is hampered by the seeming obviousness of the content of the category “regional competitiveness”, its proximity to the category of efficiency: they are often considered as one-dimensional, although the former is based on the latter and carries complex relationships between economic entities - individual firms, corporations, industry associations and national complexes.”

The acquisition of economic independence by regional systems in market conditions necessitates a reassessment of the position and functions of each region in the coordinate system of the economic space in which decisions must be made to ensure the conditions for its sustainable development. In this case, it is necessary to take into account some phenomena and processes that lead to changes in the nature of the behavior of the region’s control structures. Instead of industry specialization, strictly planned investment and budgetary and financial processes, the market gives rise to the aspirations of each subject of the Federation for self-affirmation, the choice of an economic structure capable of ensuring its reliable position in the market space of the country and the world. Any decision related to interregional interaction is assessed from the point of view of economic benefits and the possibility of achieving budgetary and financial stability, as well as the implementation of strategic objectives of the socio-economic and environmental development of the region.

All subjects of the Federation participate in the market space, whose interests intersect, forming a competitive environment. The winner in this environment is the region that has the most reliable competitive positions that provide favorable conditions for effective entrepreneurial and commercial activities. In this case, the region acquires a predominant position in the market space, which gives it the opportunity to extract maximum benefits for the development of productive forces and the territorial organization of the economy.

Competition is accompanied by concentration and centralization of production and capital in the most promising areas for market development. It strengthens the power of big capital and generates incentives for the development of production of goods needed by the population. At different stages of development of market relations in each region, it manifests itself differently.

With the transition to a market, regional systems are endowed with the functions of economically independent subjects of market relations, the most important of which are:

a) coordination and protection of the interests of the region within the country and abroad;

b) strengthening the competitive position of the region through scientific preparation of the territory in order to attract investors and improve the economic structure;

c) creating conditions conducive to the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the region, as well as stabilizing and expanding the production capabilities of state and municipal property;

d) creation of a system of regional benefits and guarantees for the activities of entrepreneurial, commercial structures and investors;

e) building up foreign economic potential and expanding trade and economic ties between the regions.

The listed functions contribute to the formation of a socio-economic and legal environment that guarantees business and commercial structures reliable “rear” support in the sense of social, economic and environmental security, and thereby increases the competitiveness of the regional system.

The subject of competition between the subjects of the Federation can be state programs and projects related to the location and territorial organization of the economy, as well as the solution of social problems. Given the constant lack of resources, only regions with the highest level of competitiveness will be able to apply for participation in the implementation of such programs and projects.

Scientific understanding of the problem of regional competitiveness is carried out in domestic economic science in the conditions of complex transformation processes, when old relations are broken down, some of them are transformed into other relations by acquiring new content and the emergence of completely new economic relations that did not exist in the previous economy. At the same time, the category “regional competitiveness” plays a special role in scientific knowledge. We are talking specifically about competitiveness, and not about the region’s participation in real competition. This problem is secondary, since it is determined by the competitiveness of the region.

Under competitiveness of the region First of all, the presence and implementation of the competitive potential of a given region is understood. At the same time, the competitive potential is multifaceted and is formed as diverse characteristics of the region’s ability to participate in competitive relations both between regions and in national competitive relations, interacting with other countries of the world. The competitiveness of a region in the above sense of the word is described by such characteristics as the competitive advantages of the region in a variety of spheres and sectors of the economy and social sphere, the conditions of existence of the region (climate, geographical location), the presence of natural resources, and the intellectual level of development of the population.

The scientific understanding of regional competitiveness, which began in recent years, is taking place in the context of the long-term, deep economic crisis that Russia is experiencing. The situation in industry and the agro-industrial complex over the past period of reforms has been marked by significant losses: in less than 10 years, Russia's production potential has more than halved. The output of almost all main types of products decreased significantly. The list of high-tech technologies lost during these years includes hundreds of items.

Competitiveness, like competitive potential, has a number of characteristics, in particular basic and supporting ones.

To basic signs of competitiveness include the presence of a developed system of productive forces in a region, which includes natural resources (explored, used), scientific potential, the level of application of technological progress at enterprises in the region, which creates the general level of technical and technological support for economic management in a certain region, the degree of intellectual development residents of a certain territory, etc. Providing signs of a region's competitiveness are the economic system in it: the efficiency of economic management, the speed and ease of economic processes, including financial, commodity, etc. These same signs include the entire process of formation and implementation of the economic mechanism, which includes not only purely economic components, but also political design and social characteristics.

Providing signs of competitiveness also include its institutional component - the presence different types infrastructure of the region, from production to market. It is the full provision of the region with infrastructure that means that the potential capabilities of the region can turn into its real competitiveness and then be realized in the competitive advantages of this region over other regions. The institutional component of the region's competitiveness is necessary to streamline the relationships between economic entities in the region and effectively use the basic components of this competitiveness.

The basic and supporting characteristics of competitiveness constantly interact, creating a synergistic effect of implementing these characteristics in reality. The institutional characteristics of a region’s competitiveness formulate the above-mentioned interaction of its basic and supporting features. At the same time, the excessive development of the institutional component of the region’s competitiveness poses a threat to the self-sufficiency of functioning, the independence of whether the region’s competitiveness is realized or not. In other words, the institutional component of a region’s competitiveness is a form of interaction between the above-mentioned signs of competitiveness.

The content of competitiveness, therefore, is a set of basic and supporting characteristics and the design of their interaction in the form of institutional characteristics. In other words, the competitiveness of a region is an economic category that expresses the relations of interaction between the system of productive forces of a certain territory, economic relations and the institutional form of the said processes, which are carried out as a synergistic effect of such interaction.

There is no such characteristic in the economic literature. A number of authors, trying to characterize the competitiveness of the region, mainly paid attention to geographical features or signs of the uniqueness of economic management. Thus, in economic literature recent years The theory of M. Porter, who characterized the competitive advantages of countries, is widely used. Actually, Porter is talking about competitiveness, and about competition and its characteristics. However, in the domestic economic literature this is presented as Porter’s competitiveness characteristics. If we accept this premise, then the competitiveness of a region (understood as a region of a country), according to Porter, is characterized by the development of technology, mastery of arbitrariness and marketing factors, globalization of strategies as an advance in action of its competitors. All of these characteristics indeed determine the implementation of the region’s competitiveness, but do not characterize the content of the region’s competitiveness itself.

The competitiveness of a region as an economic process is a set of complex, contradictory actions, which are influenced by many different conditions of both an objective and subjective nature: factor production conditions (the region’s provision of raw materials, qualified personnel, developed material and market infrastructure); general economic conditions (development of material production sectors, environmental safety, degree of wear and tear of fixed assets, etc.); factors of demand for the products of the region’s basic industries; social, sociocultural, organizational, legal, political, factor conditions, etc. The competitiveness of the region is influenced by both the general economic situation in the country and the specifics of individual industries and complexes located in the region.

Economic, scientific, technical, and personnel potential is the basis on which the competitiveness of a region, a particular subject of the Federation, is formed. Through the influence of factor conditions, this base is transformed from a state of potency into a new reality - the competitive position of the region. The competitive position of a region is understood as a set of competitive advantages determined by factors and conditions that create a favorable position for the region in the corresponding competitive field (markets for goods, services, capital, investments). The competitive position of the region will be favorable if it meets such qualitative parameters as sustainability, reliability, stability, and attractiveness for investors (domestic, foreign). The formation of the region's competitiveness is guided by these parameters. The most important conditions characterizing the competitive position of the region include:

ü convenient geographical location of the region;

ü availability of natural resources (raw materials, hydropower), free land for new and reconstruction of existing production facilities;

ü rational placement of productive forces;

ü compliance of the economic structure of the region with modern requirements of domestic and world markets;

ü availability of labor potential and intellectual capital in the region;

ü availability of developed material and market infrastructure;

ü stability of interregional and economic relations;

ü the presence of scientific and technical potential and a scientific and information base to support production and commercial activities;

ü the region’s strategy for producing products that are in reliable demand in Russia and abroad; a high share of such products in the total production volume;

ü efficiency of existing commodity distribution schemes;

ü balance of budgetary financial system region;

ü presence of high foreign economic potential, expansion of trade and economic relations;

ü capacity of the regional market, its proximity to world (for example, European) markets;

ü stability of the political situation in the region;

ü public trust regional leaders;

ü the presence of a socially oriented program in the region;

ü protectionism of local authorities in relation to priority areas of regional economic development.

Creating a sustainable competitive position for a region is its sustainable competitiveness. In this regard, the remark of G.V. is justified. Kopanev that the sustainable competitiveness of the region in market conditions becomes a reality only if there is a reliable and strong competitive position.

In this form of communication, the central place belongs to the competitive position. If it has signs of sustainability, reliability and stability, then it determines competitive advantages that provide the region with a win in the competition in the corresponding competitive field (commodity, financial, investment, etc.). M.V. rightly drew attention to this. Dmitrieva: “the ability to successfully compete in the market is largely determined by whether a particular economic system has competitive advantages over others.”

Thus, it is necessary to distinguish between the competitiveness of a region as a potential opportunity to participate in competition with other regions based on the possession of a sufficient level of components that form this potential, when the integral element of competitiveness is the concept of competition, and the competitive position of the region. These two concepts in science often replace each other, since in practice competitiveness is very difficult to define, much less calculate. The competitive position is clearly manifested in the economic, social and political behavior of the region. In this regard, this position is often presented as a sign of the strong or weak competitiveness of a certain region. Therefore, only a clear division of these categories will allow us to distinguish competitiveness as an objective characteristic and competitive position as the subjective behavior of a region as an economic entity.

The competitiveness of the region includes the concept of risk as the most important characteristic of the economic processes of the region. Therefore, the competitive position and the characteristic of competitiveness as a set of potentials includes the rationale for the risk inherent in a given region. Risk is present in the entire system of potentials that characterize competitiveness, and in the competitive position of the region, since this position may carry varying degrees of risk in the economic, political and social behavior of the region.

The concept of competitiveness is one of those that, on the one hand, is intuitively clear to everyone, but on the other hand, is difficult to define in a fairly correct and comprehensive form. It is traditionally accepted to use the category of competitiveness in relation to a product, company, or industry. At the same time, at the present stage, attempts to apply the noted category to the hierarchical level of the country are relevant. However, a country's competitiveness as an economic category has been poorly studied and is therefore understood differently by scientists.

Indeed, the category "national competitiveness" interpreted quite broadly. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development understands national competitiveness as the ability of a country, in conditions of free trade and market, to produce goods and services that are in demand. international markets, while maintaining and increasing real income population in the long term. Other international organizations give a definition similar to this. For example, the National Competitiveness Council (Ireland) understands this category as the ability to achieve success in markets, leading to improved living standards of the population. The World Economic Forum defines a country's competitiveness as the ability to achieve sustainable growth rates GDP growth per capita. At the same time, the Institute of Management Development adheres to the approach according to which competitiveness should not be limited only GDP indicators and productivity, but to a greater extent it is necessary to take into account the political, social and cultural climate created for the business. Then the competitiveness of a country is its ability to create an environment in which sustainable business competitiveness can be achieved.

It is obvious that a country's competitiveness is a complex, multilateral and dynamic category, which has become significantly updated at the current stage of development of national economies. Convincing evidence of this is the statements of the President of the Russian Federation that the country's competitiveness is a priority task for the development of the state. This task looks very justified against the backdrop of the country’s current positions in competitiveness ratings developed by international organizations, in particular the World Economic Forum and the Institute for Management Development. The ranking of countries' competitiveness, published by the World Economic Forum, is based on the calculation of two indices: growth competitiveness and business competitiveness. The ranks assigned to the Russian Federation according to these indices in 2003 were disappointing - 70th and 65th places, respectively, among 102 countries, and in 2002 the ranks were higher - 66th and 58th places, respectively. The ranking of country competitiveness, developed by the Institute for Management Development, is based on data for 59 countries and regions. Russia's place in the 2003 ranking is also disappointing - 26th among 30 countries with a population of more than 20 million people. In the ratings of this organization for 1999-2002. The Russian Federation took 26th, 26th, 22nd and 21st places, respectively.

It is obvious that the deep territorial differentiation of the country leads to the fact that Russia’s already extremely low rating is inflated due to the economic indicators of a small part of the regions - constituent entities of the Russian Federation (about 10). As is known, regions with a relatively high level of development are regions with developed raw materials export industries, as well as capital cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg, where Russia's financial potential is concentrated.

From the point of view of the structure of the national economy, Russia is a country where the fuel and energy sector accounts for about 30% of industrial production, 32% of consolidated budget revenues, 54% federal budget, 54% of exports and about 45% foreign exchange earnings. These data indicate low economic security a country that is entirely dependent on price conditions on the world energy market (it can be argued that we are not insured against a financial and economic crisis similar to the 1998 default). A favorable environment “preserves” the existing structure of the national economy, since the intersectoral flow of capital in the economy does not work. This “conservation” of the economic structure will lead to a further strengthening of territorial imbalances (for more details, see § 7.4).

Thus, in the national economy of Russia there is a serious problem associated with the ever-accelerating increase in sharp differentiation in the development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and, as a consequence, with a decrease in the competitiveness of the national economy.

We consider it advisable to analyze the all-Russian representation in world rankings of the competitiveness of countries in the aspect of regional development. After all, a country in which all its regional units are competitive can be considered competitive in the full sense. Hence, it is logical to raise the question of regional competitiveness.

Theoretical foundations of regional competitiveness

The very existence of the concept of “regional competitiveness”, as noted in the work of Khominich I.P. and Timoshenko I.I. “The competitiveness of the region” is “quite justified both from the point of view of theory and from the point of view of modern Russian practice, and also initiated by urgent tasks of increasing the economic independence of domestic territories and growing their financial potential."

We share the position of the authors, according to which competitiveness is “a complex multi-level concept, the analysis and assessment of which must be closely linked to the specific competitive field and, especially, to its level.” Note that the analyzed category in existing definitions of national competitiveness is expressed in quite different directions. Analysis of the above definitions allows us to judge the absence of a clear unified position regarding the meaning of the category. At the same time, we can conclude that a lack of fundamental agreement in interpretation also exists in existing definitions of competitiveness at the regional level. Let us present a number of approaches to defining this category contained in the domestic literature. So, competitiveness of the region is understood as:

• conditioned by economic, social, political and other factors, the position of the region and its individual producers in the domestic and foreign markets, reflected through indicators that adequately characterize this state and its dynamics";
• “the ability of the region to ensure the production of competitive goods and services in conditions of effective use of existing factors of production (economic potential), using existing and creating new competitive advantages, maintaining (increasing) living standards while complying with international environmental standards”;
• “productivity (productivity) of the use of regional resources, and primarily labor and capital, in comparison with other regions, which results in the value of the gross regional product (GRP) per capita, as well as in its dynamics”;
• “the ability of state and market institutions to create effective mechanisms for transforming comparative advantages into competitive ones and ensuring their development and improvement”;
• “the state of growth of the region’s economy, based on the efficient operation of economic structures, their productive use of resource potential, a favorable business environment that allows them to maintain the competitive advantages of firms and the entire region as a whole.”

S.V. Kazantsev believes that competitiveness is “the ability of an economic entity and/or product to maintain and improve its position among others economic entities and/or goods", hence regional competitiveness is "...the ability of the economies of Russian regions to maintain and improve their positions in the national economy."

Thus, the approaches to the interpretation of regional competitiveness presented in the literature are different; the analyzed category can be understood as:

• competitiveness of enterprises and organizations (businesses) of the region;
• the region’s ability to create effective mechanisms for transforming comparative advantages into competitive ones and ensuring their development and improvement;
• a consistently high level of efficiency of interregional and foreign economic trade relations;
• the ability to improve living standards or sustainable growth dynamics in the real economic well-being of the region;
• depth of use of the region’s competitive advantages, etc.

We do not in any way diminish the importance of the various approaches and definitions presented in the literature, since they contribute to the development of the conceptual apparatus of the competitiveness of the country and region, which today is not well developed. Our task is to clarify the essence of the category and describe its features at the regional level.

Competitiveness in general is a fundamental category economic science and is used to assess the “marketability” of the environment, processes, and phenomena. Competitiveness in a general sense is the ability to compete. It is fundamental for us that the very existence of a region’s competitiveness as a category, first of all, comes from the recognition by scientists of competitive relations between regions. Competitiveness is the ability of a subject (country, region) in conditions of competitive relations to perform its functions no less effectively than other subjects. Further disclosure of the essence of the presented formulation is possible when determining the reasons for the existence of interregional competition, objects of competitive relations, targets for increasing competitiveness and competitiveness factors.

In domestic science, the development of issues of competition between regions is in its infancy. The number of works devoted to this topic is extremely small. At the same time, abroad the topic of competition between regions is the subject of large quantity research and is widely discussed in regional science. Thus, A. Markusen rightly considers competition between regions to be one of the main vectors for the development of regional science in modern conditions. Back in 1956, having received a significant impetus with the work of Ch. Tiebout, research into the problems of competitive relations in a regional context spread quite widely. In Russian literature, this topic is called “competitive federalism”, or, according to another version, “market-creating federalism”.

It should be recognized that in connection with the formation of new regional structures - subjects of the Russian Federation - and giving them constitutional status, these issues have acquired particular relevance and attracted the attention of authoritative scientists, including A. G. Granberg, R. N. Evstigneev, V. L. Makarov, G. A. Untura, R. I. Shniper and others. Most researchers admit that in Russia, de facto competition between regions has been going on for a long time, but unsystematically, since there is no legal framework for its regulation. In general, the presence or absence of competition is determined by whether the interests of the regions collide with each other.

In our opinion, the reasons for the presence of a competitive environment include:

1. limitation economic resources(factors of production) in the global, national systems;
2. limited access of goods and services to global and national markets on the demand side.

Thus, the objects of competition can be limited economic resources (labor, land, capital, business) and access to global and national markets for goods and services.

The presence of competition between regions for labor resources is undoubtedly: other than that equal conditions The flow of labor migrants occurs from regions with relatively low wages to regions with relatively high wages, i.e., to those regions in which the economy provides a high level of wages. As an example, let us take the situation that has developed in the labor markets of the oil and gas regions of Western Siberia, where the potential supply of labor, mainly provided by labor migrants from other regions of Russia, exceeds the demand for it. On the one hand, the national labor market is segmented, first of all, geographically, labor mobility low due to the low level of wages in the Russian economy and people’s attachment to their housing. At the same time, on the other hand, in conditions of serious demographic problem competition among Russian regions for labor resources will intensify. Already, according to the Tyumen City Employment Center, in Tyumen the demand for highly qualified specialists is 7 times higher than the supply. 5,600 worker vacancies are offered, but only 800 people are registered, and the most sought-after specialists on the market are welders, machine operators, molders, turners, and tool makers. For example, to the former defense enterprise Tyumen Engine Builders - once one of the largest and most successful in the city - turners and milling workers began to be brought on shifts from Samara, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd and other cities located thousands of kilometers away. The same situation has developed at large machine-building and shipbuilding plants. At these enterprises, according to company management, the shortage of workers is an even more serious problem than finding orders for production and sales of products.

Competition between regions for the next economic factor - land - is understood by us as competition for the opportunity to organize and develop business and economic projects by economic entities - residents of the region in other regions. For example, the right to organize oil production of ANK Bashneft in the fields of Western Siberia is the result of competition for the described economic resource.

The most important from the point of view of modern development and functioning of the regional economy is the following economic resource - capital, or investment resource. In our opinion, competition between regions is especially evident in the struggle for investment resources.

Heterogeneity of the regional structure of investments in main capital justifies the existence of a competitive environment. Thus, in the first quarter of 2004, 11 constituent entities of the Russian Federation accounted for 54.1% of all investments in main capital, including: Moscow - 12.4%, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - 9.8%, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 6.4%, Sakhalin Region - 5.9%, Moscow Region - 5.6%, St. Petersburg - 3.2%, Krasnodar Territory - 2.7%, Sverdlovsk region- 2.4%, Leningrad region - 2.3%, Republic of Tatarstan - 2.3%, Republic of Bashkortostan - 2.1%, other regions - 45.9%.

It is clear that each region is interested in investing its own and borrowed funds into the economy. The element of competition arises due to limited funds. “It should be taken into account,” writes R.I. Shniper, “that the influx of capital into the regions no longer depends on centrally made industry decisions, but is entirely determined by its economic attractiveness, where the competitive capabilities of the region and the prospects for their expansion become decisive.”

Thus, the result of competition for resources is determined by the availability of these resources, their quality, sufficient and necessary for the sustainable development of the regional system.

Competition for business as an economic resource implies competition between regions for the location of attractive business projects and production facilities on their territory. At the same time, in such a struggle, “the region that offers the most economical and effective option for the location and territorial organization of productive forces wins.” As an example of competition for the analyzed resource, one can imagine the construction of the Polyef plant on the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan. This will give the region the opportunity to receive additional economic and social benefits. Equipment for the plant worth $561 million. The USA was supplied by Japanese companies back in the late 1980s. The complex was conceived as a base for the development of the light and chemical industries of Russia - it was supposed to reduce their needs for raw materials by half. Recently, its launch has become even more relevant for the food industry, which needs raw materials for polymer packaging that have no analogues in Russia.

Foreign sources devoted to regional issues, in particular, competition between regions, convincingly present the relevance of studying non-traditional (new type) factors for the location of production in the region, for example, such as development cultural activities in the region. Market access can be identified as an object of territorial competition tourism services, more precisely, competition “for the development of tourism and holding major events,” which, according to the authors, is manifested in attracting tourists of all types (for historical and cultural, business, sports, economic, family vacations, etc.); opening new tourist routes; holding sporting events; holding large exhibitions, fairs, etc.; holding congresses, conferences, seminars; increasing historical and architectural potential; opening of new museums, theaters or their branches; placement of head offices of cultural and tourism institutions; receiving new investments in the field of culture, tourism, sports from various sources; performance of administrative functions of state, international and global scale.

According to the World Trade Organization, each tourist during his stay in a particular country spends up to $500 plus the cost of the trip with all the associated expenses and taxes. Another interesting fact: according to the Finland Convention Bureau, in the summer of 2004, a total of 34.5 thousand business people from Europe, America, Asia and Australia visited Finland - participants in international business congresses. Each of them, having pre-paid for a package of services (hotel room, return ticket, place at a table in a restaurant, excursions to historical and cultural sites etc.), according to calculations, spent an average of 1,540 euros. As an example of the existence and development of competition for this object in the national economy of Russia, we cite the initiative of Tatarstan, which developed a government program for the development of tourism for 2005-2010. The program implies reaching 1 million tourists served by 2010 (for comparison, Kazan now receives 300 thousand people per year). The implementation of the program required more than 595 million rubles. in 2004 and over 389 million rubles. - in 2005

The result of competition for economic resources is largely determined by the course of the struggle for access to the market for goods and services. World markets recognize only those products that are of the best quality, satisfy new needs and are offered at relatively low prices, which means they are produced at lower costs. Consequently, the participation of a country or region in international and (or) interregional exchanges is possible in the presence of reproducible competitive advantages and due to updated combinations of production factors, a continuous search for comparative advantages in costs.

To analyze competition for access to markets for goods and services, it is fair, in our opinion, to use the categories of external and internal competitiveness of the region. Moreover, external competitiveness should be understood as the ability to sell goods and services on national and world markets, and internal competitiveness as the ability to sell goods and services on the intraregional market in competition with imports and imports from other regions.

The peculiarity of competitive relations between regions (for economic resources in general) at the present stage is that the processes of globalization are erasing national economic boundaries and this leads to an expansion of opportunities for attracting resources (objects of competition) by regions of the country from external sources. In the report " The most important factors increasing regional competitiveness", prepared by the Eurograd Institute in 2003, rightly notes that "entrepreneurs and companies... take their place in those countries and regions where conditions are most favorable for their business. The same is true for population/labor mobility, especially for highly educated people or those who want to effectively invest their existing capital. Thus, competition between states, regions and cities is intensifying."

In view of the above, we propose to understand regional competitiveness as the ability of a region, in a competitive environment in the national and world markets, to preserve and attract economically limited resources to retain and ultimately increase its share in the domestic and foreign markets for goods and services.

Goals to improve competitiveness also require more specific description. The issue of determining target guidelines can be resolved in line with the concept of sustainable development of the regional system, which involves the simultaneous sustainable development of three subsystems: social, economic and environmental. Competitiveness plays an indispensable role in the functioning of the economic subsystem and, moreover, determines its sustainable development. In this sense, it is fair to define the competitiveness of a region as the ability to create conditions for sustainable development. Thus, the goal of increasing competitiveness is, on the one hand, to possess, preserve and increase the limited economic resources (potential) of the region, and on the other hand, to maintain and increase the share of the world and national markets for goods and services. This goal serves as the basis and is subordinate to higher-order goals, namely, the sustainable development of the entire system and, in particular, its economic subsystem.

With a certain degree of convention, the noted theoretical provisions concerning the reasons for the existence of competition, objects of competitive relations, targets for increasing competitiveness and competitiveness factors can also be applied to the national level.

The features of direct interregional competition, which distinguish it from competition between countries, can be formulated as follows:

1. the country’s unified national economic and legal space enhances the effect of “voting with one’s feet,” which leads to increased competition at the interregional level;
2. world processes of globalization and localization lead to the conditional erasure of national economic boundaries and the strengthening of regional ones, which leads to an expansion of the potential market volume for the regions;
3. The potential market volume for the regions also increases due to the part of exclusively federal level resources not distributed on the world market (for example, funds national fund regional development);
4. the rules and conditions of competition for regions are dictated by the level of a higher order to a greater extent than for the level of countries;
5. competitiveness at the level of an individual region is characterized by a greater degree of adaptation to changing conditions and transformational impacts than at the state level, since it is smaller in scale;
6. The directions (objects) of intercountry competition are characterized by greater constancy over time than the objects of interregional competition, which is characterized by frequent changes and the emergence of new directions of competition.

Regional Competitiveness Policy

In the generally accepted scientific work “International Competition,” M. Porter notes that “stimulation, effort, perseverance, renewal, and especially competition are sources of economic progress for any country and the basis for increasing the efficiency of production activities and meeting the needs of its citizens.”

Strengthening competitive relations between regions is a factor that increases the overall competitive potential of the country and, moreover, helps to equalize the levels of development of regions. At the same time, it is necessary to agree with the point of view of A.G. Granberg that “for fair interregional competition, regional differentiation of economic regulators, taking into account the objective inequality of living and economic conditions, may be justified.”

Achieving the goal of increasing competitiveness, in our opinion, is determined by the presence, creation and degree of implementation of the region’s competitive advantages, i.e., competitiveness factors. M. Porter rightly notes that competitive advantages must be created, developed, and improved.

The competitiveness of a country or region is a complex, multifaceted, dynamic category, and competitiveness factors are thus characterized by complexity and consistency. Therefore, the concept of so-called systemic competitiveness looks very convincing, according to which “competitiveness - the active state of the economic system when its competitive advantages are formed - is the basis for the development of society, which acts not as a community of individual economic entities (entrepreneurs), but as a single and integral an organism where economic agents, along with economic entities - enterprises - are the state, political and cultural institutions, and public organizations". Consequently, the policy of competitiveness, as rightly stated in the book by E. Yasin and A. Yakovlev. “Competitiveness and modernization of the Russian economy,” is not a fragment of a general economic policy, but the economic policy itself; it is “an integrated form of solving almost the entire complex tasks reflecting national (regional - Authors) interests."

Thus, interregional competition ultimately involves competition between political, legislative, economic, social, environmental and cultural regional systems and strategies. The success of territories in all of these areas determines their strength and competitiveness.

As shown above (see § 7.2), the competitiveness of a region is the ability to compete, i.e. a certain state, the position of the region in a competitive environment, determined through indicators of the share of regional goods and services in the domestic and foreign markets, as well as the share of existing and attracted into the economics of resources at the regional, national and global levels.

Understanding the essence of interregional competition actualizes the feasibility of mastering new methods of increasing competitiveness. Methods that are consistent with the idea of ​​the region as a quasi-corporation are becoming extremely relevant. These include, for example, regional marketing methods.

Domestic experts in the field of regional marketing (I.V. Arzhenovsky, A.P. Pankrukhin, A.M. Lavrov, etc.) agree that the basis of regional marketing is a systematic and systematic study of the state and development trends of the region’s territory in order to adopt rational decisions (on market segmentation, choosing a target market, substantiating a marketing strategy for entering the market, developing a marketing mix, etc.). Increasing the competitiveness of the region's economic system is achieved through the use of marketing mix tools, in particular, through the establishment and analysis of the competitive advantages and disadvantages inherent in a given region; through actions aimed at promoting positive information about the region (forming a favorable image of the region) in order to create both internal and external external environment a favorable attitude towards the region, goods and services produced on its territory, regional business conditions, etc. Indeed, the formation of a favorable image of the region becomes an extremely important task. For example, in California, a law has been passed banning smoking on the state's beaches due to the fact that in recent years the beaches have become too littered with cigarette butts, and this, according to the authorities, has an adverse effect on the image of the state.

Thus, the policy of regional competitiveness involves the creation and effective use of the necessary factors and methods for increasing the competitiveness of the region.

To assess the competitiveness of the region's economy, the following indicators can be used: GRP per capita of the region; GRP per employee in the region; the ratio of GRP to the value of fixed assets of the regional economic sectors; investment ratio in main capital to GRP; ratio of region's exports to GRP; profitability level products sold(works, services) of enterprises and industrial organizations in the region; volume of paid services per capita of the region; the ratio of the number of small enterprises in the region to the number of economically active population; average monthly nominal accrued wage working in the economy; unemployment rate in the region.

We do not exclude the possibility of using other indicators characterizing the competitiveness of a region, considering that the choice of one or another indicator depends on the goals and objectives that the researcher sets for himself.

Our selection of indicators describing the competitiveness of the economy is aimed at assessing the category under study in terms of the degree to which the region realizes its competitive advantages.

The ten indicators listed above were calculated on the basis of Rosstat data and served as the basis for constructing a rating of the competitiveness of the economy of 79 constituent entities of the Russian Federation in 2000. The methodology for constructing such a rating is based on the use of three approaches.

The first approach is based on ranking regions for each indicator and determining the average of the 10 ranks received by the region. As a result, the region is assigned a final rank in the ranking, which is expressed by the formula

The second approach involves direct summation of the values ​​of each indicator, presented as a percentage deviation in relation to similar average values ​​for Russia, and is expressed by the following formula:

(7.2)

Where	K II j	-	integral indicator of the competitiveness of the economy of the j-th region according to the second approach;
	U ij	-
	U icp	-
	N	-	number of indicators;
	i	-
	j	-	region number, 1 ≤ j ≤ 79.

Next, based on the integral indicator K II j, the subject of the Russian Federation is assigned the rank P II j. The ranking results make it possible to identify 35 constituent entities of the Russian Federation with a competitive economy, for which the value of the integral indicator exceeds the average for the Russian Federation. The third approach is expressed by the following formula:

(7.3)

Where	K III j	-	integral indicator of the competitiveness of the economy of the j-th region according to the third approach;
	U ij	-	the value of the i-th indicator of the j-th region;
	U icp	-	average Russian value of the i-th indicator;
	k i	-	coefficient assigned to the i-th indicator;
	n	-	number of indicators;
	i	-	indicator number, 1 ≤ i ≤ 10;
	j	-	region number, 1 ≤ j ≤ 79.

As you can see, this approach combines assigning to each indicator, presented as a percentage deviation in relation to similar averages for the Russian Federation, a weighting coefficient ki, the final summation of values ​​and obtaining an integral indicator K jIII, on the basis of which each subject of the Russian Federation is assigned a rank P jIII. According to this approach, 34 constituent entities of the Russian Federation should be considered regions with a competitive economy.

In order to avoid the shortcomings inherent in the above approaches, and, as a consequence, distortion of the generalized comprehensive assessment of the competitiveness of the economies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, it is proposed to combine the ranking results of the first, second and third approaches into a single final rating by assigning a final aggregate rank S j to each constituent entity of the Russian Federation , determined by the formula:

(7.4)

Where	Sj	-	final cumulative rank of the region;
	P j I	-	rank of the j-th region according to the first approach;
	P j II	-	rank of the j-th region according to the second approach;
	P j III	-	rank of the j-th region according to the third approach;
	j	-	region number, 1 ≤ j ≤ 79.
	l	-	number of approaches used, l = 3.

Table 7.1. Ranking of subjects of the Russian Federation according to the level of competitiveness of the economy (according to three proposed approaches)

The subject of the Russian Federation	Rank by approach			Final cumulative rank	The subject of the Russian Federation	Rank by approach			Final cumulative rank
	I	II	III			I	II	III
Republic of Adygea	73	76	71	74	Republic of Bashkortostan	18	22	24	20
Altai Republic	50	44	52	49	The Republic of Buryatia	63	68	65	65
The Republic of Dagestan	75	46	67	63	Krasnodar region	30	29	25	27
Ingush Republic	52	17	37	36	Krasnoyarsk region	3	3	3	3
	68	75	72	72	Prmorsky region	35	40	40	40
Republic of Kalmykia	37	10	5	16	Stavropol region	48	48	46	46
	79	78	78	78	Khabarovsk region	13	13	14	11
Republic of Karelia	13	25	23	19	Amur region	58	59	55	57
Komi Republic	9	9	6	8	Arhangelsk region	25	24	21	23
Mari El Republic	74	73	74	75	Astrakhan region	29	21	17	22
The Republic of Mordovia	65	67	63	64	Belgorod region	36	42	36	38
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)	8	5	4	5	Bryansk region	75	74	75	76
Republic of North Ossetia	60	69	76	69	Vladimir region	59	60	61	60
Republic of Tatarstan	7	14	13	9	Volgograd region	33	39	38	37
Tyva Republic	78	79	79	79	Vologda Region	5	6	12	7
Udmurt republic	23	30	31	27	Voronezh region	61	58	59	58
The Republic of Khakassia	38	37	39	38	Ivanovo region	71	72	73	73
Chuvash Republic	62	61	62	61	Irkutsk region	27	26	28	26
Altai region	66	66	66	67	Kaliningrad region	25	27	35	30
Kaluga region	47	52	51	51	Penza region	68	70	70	70
Kamchatka region	34	20	18	25	Perm region	16	18	20	17
Kemerovo region	32	34	33	34	Pskov region	67	65	64	65
Kirov region	53	53	54	54	Rostov region	43	50	50	47
Kostroma region	55	56	53	55	Ryazan Oblast	42	38	41	42
Kurgan region	72	62	68	68	Samara Region	10	15	15	11
Kursk region	64	63	60	62	Saratov region	44	51	49	48
Leningrad region	17	7	11	10	Sakhalin region	6	8	8	6
Lipetsk region	21	19	26	21	Sverdlovsk region	22	32	30	27
Magadan Region	19	11	10	11	Smolensk region	49	47	44	45
Moscow region	11	23	22	18	Tambov Region	70	71	69	71
Murmansk region	20	12	9	14	Tver region	51	55	47	52
Nizhny Novgorod Region	38	45	45	44	Tomsk region	11	16	16	15
Novgorod region	24	35	32	31	Tula region	41	43	42	43
Novosibirsk region	33	36	43	41	Tyumen region	1	2	1	1
Omsk region	54	49	56	53	Ulyanovsk region	56	57	57	56
Orenburg region	31	31	29	31	Chelyabinsk region	15	28	27	23
Oryol Region	44	54	48	49	Chita region	57	64	58	59
Yaroslavl region	28	33	34	33	Jewish Autonomous Region	77	77	77	77
Moscow	2	1	2	2	Chukotka Autonomous Okrug	44	41	19	35
Saint Petersburg	4	4	7	4

The deviation of the ranks of each region for all three specified approaches is calculated using the formula

(7.5)

Calculations made using formula (7.5) show that for most regions the differences in the ranks assigned to them for each approach were no more than 5-15% (73 subjects of the Russian Federation have differences of no more than 15%, two subjects - no more than 20%) . For only four regions (Chukchi Autonomous Okrug, Dagestan, Kalmykia and the Ingush Republic) the discrepancies were 32, 37, 41 and 45%, respectively. The final rating of the competitiveness of the economies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for 2000 is presented in Table. 7.2.

Table 7.2. Final rating of the competitiveness of the economies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in 2000.

№	The subject of the Russian Federation	№	The subject of the Russian Federation	№	The subject of the Russian Federation
1	Tyumen region	5	The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)	9	Republic of Tatarstan
2	Moscow	6	Sakhalin region	10	Leningrad region
3	Krasnoyarsk region	7	Vologda Region	11	Khabarovsk region
4	Saint Petersburg	8	Komi Republic	12	Magadan Region
13	Samara Region	38	The Republic of Khakassia	60	Vladimir region
14	Murmansk region	39	Belgorod region	61	Chuvash Republic
15	Tomsk region	40	Primorsky Krai	62	Kursk region
16	Republic of Kalmykia	41	Novosibirsk region	63	The Republic of Dagestan
17	Perm region	42	Ryazan Oblast	64	The Republic of Mordovia
18	Moscow region	43	Tula region	65	The Republic of Buryatia
19	Republic of Karelia	44	Nizhny Novgorod Region	66	Pskov region
20	Republic of Bashkortostan	45	Smolensk region	67	Altai region
21	Lipetsk region	46	Stavropol region	68	Kurgan region
22	Astrakhan region	47	Rostov region	69	Republic of North Ossetia
23	Arhangelsk region	48	Saratov region	70	Penza region
24	Chelyabinsk region	49	Altai Republic	71	Tambov Region
25	Kamchatka region	50	Oryol Region	72	Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
26	Irkutsk region	51	Kaluga region	73	Ivanovo region
30	Kaliningrad region	52	Tver region	74	Republic of Adygea
31	Novgorod region	53	Omsk region	75	Mari El Republic
32	Orenburg region	54	Kirov region	76	Bryansk region
33	Yaroslavl region	55	Kostroma region	77	Jewish Autonomous Region
34	Kemerovo region	56	Ulyanovsk region	78	Karachay-Cherkess Republic
35	Chukotka Autonomous Okrug	57	Amur region	79	Tyva Republic
36	Ingush Republic	58	Voronezh region
37	Volgograd region	59	Chita region

1. Based on the results for 2000, the first 34 subjects of the Russian Federation in the final ranking should be considered regions with a competitive economy (relative to the average Russian level).
2. Eight representatives of the top ten of the final ranking have a GRP structure characterized by high share production of goods and industry, with the industrial structure dominated by fuel (five regions), ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy (two regions); two representatives - the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg - are distinguished by a high share of service production.
3. The position of the regions in the structure of their economic complexes was dominated by export-oriented industries (note that in almost all of the regions with a competitive economy we have identified, the share of exports in GRP exceeds 30%) turned out to be much more stable than that of other regions.

Macroeconomic constraints on the competitiveness of the regional economy

The purpose of this paragraph is to assess the effectiveness of the ongoing macroeconomic policy in terms of its impact on the regional development of the national economy of the Russian Federation.

In the Russian national economy, the “Dutch disease” is obvious, in which, in the context of an influx of foreign exchange earnings from raw material exports into the country, caused by favorable global market conditions, stagnation occurs in the manufacturing sectors of the economy, i.e., a massive influx of income from energy exports leads to strengthening national currency and threatens the competitiveness of import-competing industries. Indeed, a trade surplus generates a powerful influx of currency into the country, and with the weakness of the financial system and banking markets Monetary authorities are faced with a choice: either strengthen the ruble, which reduces the competitiveness of the economy, or sterilize the influx of foreign currency by increasing gold and foreign exchange reserves and a budget surplus, which slows down the growth of domestic demand and activates the inflationary process. Simultaneously solving problems of maintaining weak ruble and the level of inflation within the planned target limits (the combination of these two directions should be recognized as the quintessence of macroeconomic policy pursued in recent years) becomes problematic.

The relevance of the first task is justified by the fact that with a relatively low ruble exchange rate, Russian exports (which amounted to almost 50% of the GDP in 2004 in 2000 prices) become more competitive in the foreign market, and imports less competitive in the domestic market. Unfortunately, we are forced to note a significant strengthening of the real effective exchange rate of the ruble over the past years, which has allowed the national currency exchange rate to reach the pre-crisis level of 1997. It follows that the competitive advantages obtained as a result of the weakening of the ruble after financial crisis 1998, no longer exists. One of the consequences is an increase in imports in the Russian economy due to the inability of domestic manufacturing to compete with foreign ones.

Thus, the results of a study of the competitiveness of domestic producers in comparison with foreign ones in the domestic market of food and non-food products showed that in 2002, Russian producers dominated (2/3 share) in the markets of 12 types of food products out of 17 observed. For three types (poultry meat , animal oil, tea) imports accounted for more than half (we also note a significant share of imports in the market of beef, pork, and vegetable oil). For non-food consumer goods, out of 21 types of goods, domestic producers dominated only four markets (fabrics, including cotton, laundry soap, cigarettes and cigarettes). In two types (synthetic detergents, refrigerators and freezers), they controlled more than half of the market. Imports dominate the markets of the following types of goods: hosiery, outerwear, garments, furs and fur products, leather shoes, toilet soap, perfumes and cosmetics, watches, televisions, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, bicycles and mopeds, furniture, carpets, medicines. Thus, domestic producers dominate in food markets, while foreign companies have absolute dominance in non-food markets.

The need to solve the second problem is also beyond doubt. Over the seven years of economic recovery in Russia (from 1999 to 2005), it was possible to reach the minimum level of inflation noted in the pre-crisis year of 1997, which, of course, negatively affects the development of the national economy. Moreover, the government's inflation targets have not been met for the sixth year in a row. For example, the 8.5% inflation rate officially planned for 2005 was overcome within eight months of the year. But inflation in the national economy is determined on the basis of the consumer price index, while the increase in the producer price index for 2005 is even more significant. This means that the real strengthening of the national currency turns out to be more noticeable (according to World Bank, about 20% annualized against a basket of currencies over the past two years).

It should be noted that if it is impossible to solve the two above-mentioned problems, the success of solving the problem of doubling GDP (GRP) is also highly doubtful. The rate of industrial growth in 2005 slowed down significantly compared to 2004, and the existing small industrial growth was achieved in industry markets where there is no competition with imports (the so-called non-tradable industries), as well as in industries in which export potential is not detected . The contribution of manufacturing industries to the structure of the national economy is insignificant, and despite the growth in some manufacturing industries of the economy (in general the economic growth in 2005, according to preliminary data, was 6%), this is not enough for overall GDP growth in the given target (with the prospect of doubling it). The growth of export-oriented sectors of the fuel and energy complex - the locomotives of the Russian economy - in conditions of stagnation of physical production volumes (extraction) is limited by global market conditions.

It can be assumed that the symptoms of the “Dutch disease”, together with the consequences of Russia’s accession to the WTO, will significantly worsen the situation of industries focused primarily on the domestic market.

The favorable environment in world energy prices (expectations and forecasts for the current and coming years are very optimistic) continues to “preserve” the existing structure of the national (regional) economy, since the intersectoral flow of capital in the economy is weak. It can be argued that in the event of an unfavorable global energy price environment, the national economy is not immune from a financial crisis similar to the 1998 default.

An even more negative consequence is increased differentiation in the country’s regional development, as well as the emergence of restrictions and obstacles to the growth of regional competitiveness of the national economy. Thus, a paradoxical trend is revealed, which is expressed in the fact that as the national economy grows, the fuel and raw material orientation of the regional structure of the economy increases, territorial differentiation intensifies, and the potential for regional competitiveness is limited. Taking into account the above, this trend can be defined as imaginary macroeconomic stability. This trend is underestimated by economic authorities and can provoke serious territorial (up to the problem of the territorial integrity of the country), social and economic consequences.

Self-test questions

1. Is the category of competitiveness applicable to the regional level? Why?
2. Reveal the essence of the region's competitiveness category.
3. What are the main differences in competitiveness at the national and regional levels?
4. Is there, and if so, what is competition between regional structures in the Russian national economy?
5. Assess the prospects for competitive relations between Russian regions and propose potential objects of competition in the future.
6. Assess the level of competitiveness of the regions - constituent entities of the Russian Federation at the present stage.