Spatial and economic differentiation of digital development in the regions of Russia

The relevance is due to the need for a comprehensive analysis of the spatial and economic differentiation of the digital development of the federal districts of Russia in the context of increasing regional imbalances and the formation of a new paradigm of technological modernization. In the context of global digital transformation, there is an increase in the complexity of the structure of the economic space, where technological, institutional and socioeconomic factors determine the emergence of stable asymmetries between the leading regions and peripheral territories. Of particular importance is the study of the mechanisms of reproduction of digital inequality, which affect the competitiveness of regional economic systems and the effectiveness of national digital policies.
The purpose of the study is to identify the institutional and technological determinants of the digital development of the federal districts of Russia and the development of scientifically based recommendations to reduce regional disparities based on the concept of "smart decentralization."
Objectives: analysis of spatial differentiation of digitalization indicators; identification of key factors that determine the technological inequality of the regions; assessment of the effects of resource-technological symbiosis in regions with raw materials specialization; development of a typology of regions according to the level of digital maturity; formulation of strategic directions for harmonization of the digital space.
Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is based on the synthesis of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods, including modified methods for calculating digitalization indices, spatial-econometric modeling and cluster analysis. The conceptual apparatus integrates the provisions of theories of technological structures, institutional economics and endogenous growth, which allows for a comprehensive assessment of regional imbalances in the multidimensional analytical space.
The results of the study revealed a stable three-level hierarchy of digital development of federal districts, characterized by pronounced polarization of technological potential. A synergistic effect of techno-institutional complementarity has been established in the leading regions, accompanied by dysfunctional phenomena of the "Dutch disease." The paradox of resource-technological symbiosis in industrially oriented regions and the phenomenon of a "double digital economy" in districts with pronounced intraregional inequality were revealed.
The conclusions findings justify the need for a differentiated regional policy that combines the promotion of endogenous innovation processes, the creation of digital special economic zones, and the formation of interregional technological chains.

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