Approaches to assessing the information and communication resources available to the general public in the regions of the Russian Federation

Abstract

Subject. A key role in the socio-economic development of countries, regions, and territories is played by innovative factors and the availability of information and communication technologies (ICT) to organisations, households, and the general public. Currently, living standards in the regions are determined (on top of traditional components) by the availability of conditions and instruments that allow households to function normally in the digital space. Consequently, it is important to provide an adequate assessment of the level of information and communication resources (ICR) available to the general public in the regions of the Russian Federation since this allows determining how the digital needs of people are met in different territories.
The purpose of this study is to assess the level of information and communication resources available to the general public in the regions and to classify the regions of the Russian Federation by their socio-economic conditions and information and communication resources available to their population.
Methodology. The authors developed and expanded the range of existing methods for assessing the digital component of the living standards. They also developed a method for assessing the information and communication resources available to the general public in the regions of the Russian Federation. This original method includes: developing a system of indicators characterising the level of information and communication resources in the region; applying the index method to assess information and communication support in the region; classifying the regions of the Russian Federation by the level of socio-economic conditions and the level of information and communication resources available to the general public in the region; classifying and developing a typology of regions by the criteria “the level of information and communication resources” – “socio-economic conditions”.
Conclusions. The authors developed new approaches to assessing the level of information and communication resources in the regions, which is one of the most important aspects contributing to creating a modern database which will help making managerial decisions aimed at improving the living standards of the general public. The proposed method was used to calculate for each of the 85 regions composite indices reflecting the level of information and communication resources available to the general public. The authors created a ranking of all the regions by their socio-economic conditions and ICT, singled out the top 10 leading regions and the top 10 outsider regions, compared them, and revealed a clear differentiation between the regions. The matrix analysis was used to consider the socio-economic conditions of all 85 regions as a precondition for further digitalisation of the regions and the availability of ICT in them. The matrix approach was used to identify types of regions, which allowed spotting the opportunities and resources available in the regions for the development of the digital environment and the improvement of the information and communication resources available to the general public.