On the Need to Determine the Location of a Real Economic Activity in Spatial Development Studies

The article examines the problem caused by the discrepancy between the formal territorial “binding” of enterprises and the actual locations where their activities are conducted: remote divisions and remote (distant) workers operate, robotic equipment runs, mobile trade is carried out, etc. With the development of information technology, the gap between the formal and actual location is growing, and, accordingly, the distortion of information used in planning and forecasting the economy of individual territories is increasing. Information about the actual locations of an economic activity will allow to improve tax, budgetary and social policies in the territories. The article substantiates the feasibility of introducing the category of “location (place of conduct) of an economic activity” into scientific circulation, showing its differences from both the formal (legal) address of an economic entity and the concept of “workplace.”