Sustainable development of rural areas: Assessment methodology and spatial differentiation

Subject. This article discusses the issues of spatial differentiation of rural areas of the regions of the Russian Federation according to the level of their sustainable development. Objectives. The article aims to identify the basic parameters affecting the sustainable development of rural areas. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of logical, comparative, and cluster analyses, and scoring, as well. Results. Based on the results of testing the author-developed methodology, the article identifies five types of rural areas in regions that differ in the level of sustainable development, and determines the influence of the spatial aspect on fluctuations in the values of some parameters. Conclusions. At present, sustainable development of rural areas in most cases is associated with the ongoing spatial changes, which affects disproportions between regions, even of the same type. The impact of spatial changes should be taken into account when developing regulatory documents aimed at forming a rational structure of the rural economy and ensuring the effective use of the potential of the areas.