Article

 

The unbalanced dynamics of russian regions: towards a real divergence process (p.11-37)

by

Elena Sharipova, RECEP

Frédéric Carluer, University of Grenoble II

Keywords : Russian regions, unbalanced dynamics, real divergence

JEL classification : L00, O41, R1

Abstract

This article examines the uneven evolution of Russian regional per capita income and productivities during the late 1980s and 90s. Following the studies by Baumol and Barro and Sala-i-Martin, we examine the convergence process of the Russian economy under two aspects. First we point out the sources of growth stressed by the new growth theories (accumulation of physical capital, education effort, and public expenditures). Secondly, we examine the economic-geography perspective, by analysing the impact of the distance to Moscow and the North-East diagonal on growth. This first application to Russian regional data confirms the regional divergence which results from the paradox of a beta-divergence (except in the case of gross regional product), a fifteen years sigma-divergence and a weak conditional convergence in the late 1990s, from both the macroeconomic and geographical perspectives.