Regions over the Period of January-September 2021: The Two Largest Agglomerations Are Emerging Faster from the Pandemic Recession

Natalia V. Zubarevich – Main Researcher of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Doctor of Geographic Sciences, Professor (Moscow, Russia). E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The regions are emerging from the pandemic crisis quite rapidly but unevenly across territories. In terms of their socioeconomic indicators, Moscow and St. Petersburg are in the lead. The rapid revenue growth across regional budgets was accompanied by a reduction in interbudgetary transfers in about half of them. The expenditure policies implemented in regional budgets were likewise different. Moscow pursued a countercyclical policy by means of increasing its spending on the economy at a faster pace. In the budgets of the other regions, social expenditures prevailed.

Key words: regions, socio-economic situation of regions, regional divide.

JEL-codes: H72, P25, Q32, R11, R51.