Typological differences between the coastal regions of Russia's Western borderlands

Abstract

The “gravitational force” of the sea is an important factor in regional de­velopment, and though it has not been sufficiently studied, it has received in­creasing attention in the last two decades. The article focuses on the economic features of 11 federal subjects of the Russian Federation located along its mar­itime borders in the west of the Arctic, Baltic and Azov-Black Sea basins. The regions under study vary from each other, but each of them plays a vital role in the country's economy. The author aims to identify their typological differ­ences in order to improve federal and regional policy towards to the coastal re­gions of the Western Borderlands. To attain the goal, first, the types of regions under study were identified (according to the selected typological features re­flecting the main natural and socio-economic characteristics of the regions) then GRP level, structure and growth rates were considered. The analysis re­sulted in the overall assessment of the socio-economic situation in regions of different types. Considering the typological features of the regions, the pro­spects for their future development based on the strengthening of the coastal factor are outlined.