The Russian–Belarusian Borderland: Contradictions of Integration and Cross-Border Regionalization. From Friendship to Cooperation?

Cross-border regionalization is a process and at the same time a result of development of cross-border interactions leading to the emergence of cross-border regions. Rethinking the European experience and the postulates of the Soviet regional school, cross-border regionalization researchers are trying to understand the principles of building cross-border regions on Russia’s new and old borders. However, many fundamental questions remain open. What impact do interstate integration initiatives have on cross-border regionalization? What makes a more significant contribution to regionalization: the institutionalization of cross-border interactions, good neighborly relations, or the presence of functional ties between neighbors? The aim of the study is to contribute to this debate with a case study of the Russian–Belarusian borderland, characterized by a low barrier function of the border and cultural and historical proximity. The conceptual basis is the understanding of cross-border regionalization as a process defined as internal (often “objective”), and external (“subjective”) factors, which makes it possible to reconcile “objectivist” and “constructivist” research approaches. The work is based on an analysis of official statistical information, the results of many years of field research, including expert interviews, and expert questionnaires. The study showed that integration processes slow the divergence of the Russian–Belarusian borderland in socioeconomic terms, but do not lead to significant convergence. The combination of these processes, on the one hand, undermines the potential of cross-border regionalization, and on the other, creates preconditions for the formation of “border rent,” complementarity of labor markets, and Russian–Belarusian borderland acting as a “buffer zone.” Along with the intermetropolitan and transit character, cross-border regionalization is influenced by periphery, which goes hand-in-hand with destruction of the territory’s cross-border transport connectivity. The daily practices of borderland residents still create a relatively strong fabric of cooperation, but the passing of Soviet generations and ongoing depopulation of the borderland may eventually lead to degradation in cross-border interactions. It was revealed that a weak institutional framework and lack of financial support for cooperation are perceived by experts as a serious limiting factor, especially by experts who have experience in implementing neighborhood programs on borders with the EU.