The Russian economic space: evolution during periods of reform, growth and crisis (1990–2010)

The aim of the article is to identify the main tendencies in the dynamics of interregional disparities in the level of socio-economic development in Russia during periods of economic growth and crisis. These trends have been identified on the basis of an analysis of the regional coefficient of asymmetry of key per-capita indicators (GDP, investment in fixed capital etc.) as well as indicators of spatial concentration in Russia and deviations from the average (for GDP, per capita GDP and investments) at the federal district and regional levels. The main factors driving the dynamics of these disparities were the economic crisis, government anti-crisis measures and measures of social support. Comparison of the level of interregional disproportions in Russia and abroad indicated that the differences between levels of socio-economic development at the federal level are comparable with differences in EU countries, but at the level of regions - with countries of the world.