factor-related loadings) are as follows: the quality of transport and communications
of a region, i.e. a network of hard-type roads; availability of major airports; level of
railroad transportation service; location of non-freezing ports; level of telephone
communication; putting accomodation into service; fixed non-productive assets
value per capita; volume of paid consumer services sector per capita; provision of
medical service.
Finally, group 5 - «Ecological situation in region» - focuses on pollution of water, air
and soils by man.
3.3. Procedure for typification clustering
It is aimed to provide rationale for the selection of classification criteria and
regional typification following the multidimensional nature of space.
The procedure is based on comparative analysis, making use, in particular, of
taxonomic techniques. The essential point of these techniques is the taxonomic
distance that serves to measure the proximity between the objects under study (in
the context of our interpretation - the RF regions) in the multidimensional space of
socio-economic indicators. The calculated distances make it possible to
determine relative location of each region, thus enabling their typification and
classification.
The approach employed to set up typological clusters of regions is relaed to
multidimensional rankings of the indicators and computation of aggregative
ranking measures, such as total rank, average rank, etc. The cited approach would
work with non-transformed indicators and allows the ranking wieghts of certain
indices to be duly introduced in accordance with initially propounded hypotheses.
Identification of regional types is strongly dependet on the chosen system of
diagnostic indices. That is why the primary informative set formed through the use
of factor analysis techniques was later on refined and specified. To his end, a
series of classifications as per clusters of variables (living standard, industrial
development, agricultural production, social sphere, regional ecology) were
performed, the data obtained being carefully correlated.
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