Volga economic region

The article is showing the structural changes in the industrial structure of the Russian subjects of the Volga economic region in 2005-2013. The reasons and consequences of these changes, especially in the manufacturing area, are discussed.

The article suggests approaches to the study of the attractiveness of different regions and cities. Some of them apply to the subjects of the Russian Federation and the cities of the Volga economic region.

The composition of macro-regions in the «Strategy of Spatial Development of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2025» is considered. The principles of allocation of the macro-region are analyzed from the position of compliance with the approaches of economic zoning. Within the vast territory of the Ural-Volga region, typical and transitional regions are distinguished, morphological features of the settlement system are analyzed, primarily in the river valleys. The conclusion is made about the internal heterogeneity of a number of proposed macro-regions.

The article raises the question of complementarity of economic structures of a number of the Volga and Ural regions within the supraregional formation, which can be the Volga economic region or the Volga-Ural macro-region. The degree of changes in the structure of the manufacturing industry of the Volga regions over the decade is estimated, including taking into account the dynamics of the production of innovative products.