Narratives on Regional Competitiveness and Ways to Increase It for the Republic of Buryatia

The article is devoted to the study of conceptual, methodological and methodological approaches to defining the concept and assessing the level of regional competitiveness. It has been shown that the processes taking place in the last 3–4 decades have contributed to the transformation of the characteristics and principles of classifying regions as «competitive». As competition between regions increases, such factors as: the presence of «unique» features, the reproduction of «created» resources, the level of accumulated human capital, the «image» of the region and others become increasingly important. On the example of the Far Eastern regions, a comparison of rating positions on individual indices and indicators of competitiveness was made. The characteristics and criteria for recognizing regions as competitive are systematized on the basis of a generalization of diverse scientific views of domestic and foreign scientists. The comparative characteristics of the competitiveness of the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District made it possible to identify a number of contradictions and specific features inherent only in the modern period. On the example of the Republic of Buryatia, as a region with a high level of «contrast», ways to increase competitiveness have been developed. The results of the study can be applied by regional authorities in determining the directions of the strategy of socio-economic development and forming a policy to increase the competitiveness of the regional economy.