Convergence of Sustainable Economic Development in Russian Regions

This study will focus on two key aspects of convergence, i.e., σ-convergence and β-convergence, to examine the dynamics of indicators related to sustainable economic development in Russia. The main objective of this study is to assess the indicators of sustainable economic development of Russian regions over 10 years and analyze the trends of their convergence. The article presents an approach based on the analysis of the Theil index and dispersion measures, which covers the most significant economic aspects of achieving SDG 8. Various factors such as the index of physical volume of GRP per capita, income per capita, Gini coefficient, unemployment rate, and employment rate are analyzed, using the Theil index and dispersion measures to measure inequality and diversity in regional development. The general downward trend in the Theil and dispersion indices indicates a uniform achievement of sustainable economic development indicators in the Russian regions. This may be the result of government policies and decisions made in these areas of economy, social protection, and demography. The results indicate a trend of decreasing differences in economic and social indicators between regions from 2010 to 2018, but stability and evenness of development decreased from 2019 for several indicators. The article emphasizes the importance of continuous monitoring and efforts to achieve sustainable balanced development, taking into account the diversity of factors affecting the SDGs. This study provides valuable information for assessing the dynamics of regional development and making effective strategic decisions.