Implementation of Major Investment Projects and Population Changes in Municipalities of the Baikal Region

Abstract

An analysis is made of the investments in fixed capital at the regional and municipal level in Irkutsk oblast, the Republic of Buryatia and Zabaikalskii krai. On the basis of the average indicators considered, the conclusion is drawn about the general lag of the Baikal region from Siberia and Russia over the course of the last several decades. Population changes in municipal districts and urban districts have been analyzed to show a general decrease of the indicator in most of the study areas. The indicators of average annual investments in fixed capital and average annual per capita investments are calculated. It is suggested that the municipalities of the Baikal region should be ranked according to the indicators of population change and per capita investments in fixed capital in order to estimate the relationship of these characteristics. The group has been identified, which had the highest indicators for the period under consideration with a consistently high loss of the permanent population. It is determined that the municipalities with the highest population growth did not have a high level of per capita investment. It is shown that most of them refer to the largest group in which the territories had low levels of per capita investment and did not show any stable population growth. The study revealed no correlation between the implementation of major investment projects of resource development and changes in the population dynamics of the remote territories, which is confirmed by cartographic material presented. It is concluded that there is no influence of the main investments on the structure of the economy of the Baikal region and the consolidation of the existing raw material specialization. An assessment is made of the existing federal target programs focused mainly on stimulating territorial development through the provision of comprehensive support of implementation of the major investment projects.