The sub-regional aspect of the spatial development of small enterprises in the Samara region

The development of small enterprises remains a key element of economic policy, ensuring the diversification of economic activities, job creation and reduction of socio-economic imbalances. Despite a significant amount of research on the role of small business in the national and regional economy, the issues of its spatial distribution at the sub-regional level remain insufficiently studied. This problem becomes particularly relevant in conditions of increasing territorial heterogeneity, when agglomerations concentrate resources, and peripheral zones face a shortage of investments and infrastructure facilities. Existing works empha-size the ambiguity of the contribution of small enterprises to economic development. While in high-income countries they stimulate innovation and growth, in Russia their potential is limited by weak factor productivity and institutional barriers. At the same time, the analysis of intrare- gional differentiation, especially at the level of subregions, is difficult due to the lack of systematic data in open sources. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a methodology for assessing the spatial development of small enterprises in the Samara region at the subregional level. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the development and testing on the data of the Samara region of a comprehensive rating method for assessing the differentiation of small business development at the level of subregions, including identification of key indicators: the density of enterprises, the dynamics of their number and the share of high-tech sectors, the use of the "Pattern" method for multidimensional ranking of subregions, the identification of sharp disparities between the Samara-Tolyatti agglomeration and peripheral territories. The practical significance of the study is related to the possibility of using the results obtained to optimize regional policy aimed at reducing spatial inequality and supporting the innovative potential of small enterprises. The paper identifies limitations, including the lack of accounting for the self-employed in statistics, which requires further methodological improvement. The structure of the article includes an analysis of the literature, a description of the methodology, the results of the rating assessment and grouping of subregions, as well as conclusions aimed at improv- ing the mechanisms of spatial development of small enterprises at the subregional level.