Theoretical and methodological aspects of exploring the impact of informatisation on the regional economic system development

Under unstable external environment the research on the impact of various factors on regions’ economic development is of central importance. Out of them one key factor is the informatisation factor. Concurrently, regions are yet highly differentiated in terms of the informatisation level, which calls for the constant monitoring and formulation of the corresponding managerial decisions. The paper intents to explore the impact of informatisation on the development of regional economic systems. Theoretically and methodologically, the study relies on the theories of regional development factors, the concept of regional economic system, and the informatisation theory. The evidence is the data obtained from the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia for 2010–2023. The paper presents an original treatment of the term “response of a regional economic system to a development factor”, which consists in understanding the speed and orientation of qualitative changes in regional economic system. Based on the theoretical developments, the paper provides and tests an original method for assessing the response of a regional economic system to the informatisation factor. The results of testing reveal heterogeneity of the response of regional economic systems to the informatisation factor, which were hence organised in four groups: regions with high, medium, low, and negative level of response. The findings contribute to the study of the change rates of regional economic systems under the impact of an external factor and might be helpful when formulating and harmonising federal and regional policies, as well as when forecasting the development of regional economic systems with allow for a level of response.