Features of Spatial Development of Peripheral, Central and NWFD Regions: A Comparative Analysis

The Russian Federation, having a large regional space, is characterized by a high level of its heterogeneity. For regions, the level of accessibility, which allows expanding its spatial boundaries for trade and economic relations, plays an important role in matters of territorial development. Territories with a remote location have opportunities for developing foreign economic cooperation, since in most cases these are border regions. The main manifestation of the negative impact of peripheral territories is a high level of remoteness from other regions and markets of the country. The presence of the remoteness effect reduces the possibility of increasing market share by entering other Russian markets. An additional negative manifestation of the remoteness of the territory from the center of the country is the presence of transport and logistics costs, which are added to the main production costs. The study examined the influence of the factor of remoteness of the territory from the center of the Russian Federation. The level of remoteness is determined as a result of calculating the peripherality index for Russian regions. The result obtained for the regions of the Russian Federation made it possible to determine a group of central and peripheral regions. It is proposed to consider several groups of regions: central, peripheral and regions of the Northwestern Federal District, which determines the object of the study. The aim of the study is to assess the regional heterogeneity of territories with different levels of remoteness from the central part of the Russian Federation. The study is conducted using statistical information and data from Rosstat. Comparative assessments of the selected groups of regions are based on the use of ranking procedures, comparative and spatial analysis. The heterogeneity assessment uses the ranking method as a tool. The results obtained can be used in writing strategic documents for the development of territories, as well as development programs for border regions.