Rostov Region

M.A. Ponomareva
Associate Professor, Rostov State University of Economics

Problems and Priorities of Rostov Oblast’s Sustainable Development

    The actualization of measures targeted at the economy’s modernization and energy efficiency on the basis of environmentally pure technologies requires a developed innovation-based sector. The modernization of the infrastructure with the focus on the development of the region’s rural territories and an increase in the share of small and innovation-based businesses should become the region’s priority. The regional authorities should maximally support this type of activity. For this, they should not only work out respective supporting measures but also conduct intense advisory and explanatory work for such enterprises. Supporting innovation-based types of activity at the interface of modernization and energy-saving infrastructure development priorities, rural territories, and the region’s small and medium businesses may become the «point of growth» that will ensure its sustainable development.
    In Rostov oblast, the main institutions of sustainable development are practically absent, which decreases the competitiveness of its industries and products in foreign markets. The region does not introduce indicators of sustainable development in the political process, and the pace of the greening and modernization of the economy is slow.
    To promote further development toward the creation of the «green economy» in the region, it is necessary to work out systems of sustainable development indicators (some regions of the Russian Federation already have the experience of developing such systems of indicators) and, what is especially important, to implement them directly in the managerial process. These indicators make it possible to reflect the effectiveness of the measures implemented in the sphere of the greening of the economy and form a base for making decisions in this field. To develop and account for these indicators, it is purposeful to attract the scientific public of Rostov oblast, working in this trend. It is also purposeful to make expert estimates of the region’s large-scale investment projects from the point of view of their influence on indicators of sustainable development.