Spatial Economic Integration and Its Mechanisms in the Works of Russian Regionalists: A Descriptive Review

Abstract

This article reviews research by Russian scholars on interregional economic ties as a key mechanism for the spatial integration of Russian regions. The aim is to synthesize current knowledge on the trends and drivers shaping Russia’s economic space and to outline the main contours of this research field. The focus of the review reflects the authors’ interest in the dynamics of cooperation and integration in the Siberian economy. A descriptive approach was adopted to provide broad coverage of sources while maintaining a degree of systematic analysis.

The review used a step-by-step algorithm for selecting publications:

1)     by keywords using the Russian RINC system;

2)     selection of relevant monographs and articles on the topic under consideration;

3)     selection of publications open for viewing.

The three-step selection algorithm was expanded to include highly cited publications from leading regional research centres and key Russian journals. The selected works were classified by focus, revealing thematic clusters—ranging from types and forms of interregional integration to its relationship with regional development and methods for assessing its effectiveness. The review finds that a comprehensive understanding of spatial economic integration as a multi-functional, multi-structural phenomenon is still lacking. Key directions for future research are proposed to address this gap.