The three-years findings on the living-standard and industrial development figures
are entered into Table 2. The regions have been arranged according to the 1992
ranking outcome. Consider some results of particular interest.
Twenty three subjects of RF were estimated at a very low average rank as of 1992
that didn’t exceed 30.00. However, starting from 1992 their number was reduced to
22 to become18 in the year 1994. The picture is the same at the other and of the
Table. There were 21 regions in 1992 with ranks over 54.00. in 1993 and 1994 their
number became 17 and 13, respectively.
The whole picture looks like ths. At the outset of reforms we saw regions’
scattering and their sharp differentiation as per degree of adaptability to the market
related reforms. Now let us have a look at the end of the list (rank exceeding 50.00).
here you can find almost all the regions that are in a position to export (beyond the
ex-USSR borders) raw materials and their primary treatment products, i.e. oil and
oil products, gas, coal, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, gems, timber and
woodworking, mineral fertilizers. Accordingly, the upper part of the Table will
contain the regions of agricultural and industrial orientation, as well as regions
whose branch structure in notable for mechanical engineering, light and food
industries.
The cited «scattering» revealed a pronounced spatial trend. Of 21 regions ranked
over 54.00, eleven were to be found in Siberia and the Far East, where as four
belonged to the Urals area. The rest ofthe eastern regions were largelyto be
ranked among economically unfortunateones. Their list was extended by the
republics of Northern Caucasus and by a number of Oblasts from the middle belt
of Russia.
The year 1994 saw a specific compression of the rank-based environments. Thus,
many regions registered as «backward» managed to improve their stands relative
to others, and many «advanced» regions, on the contrary, lost their grounds.
Changes of different type also took place and are shown in Table 3.
Here are our explanations of the above facts. Following the balanced pattern of
regions’ differentiation of 1992, they were divided into two groups. The average
rank of so-called backward regions forming the 1st group was less than 40.00. The
2nd group regions named «successful» were ranked 40.01 and more. Further on
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