THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ON THE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AGGLOMERATIONS

This article examines the impact of digital technologies on the development of the economic environment of rural agglomerations. The relevance of this topic stems from the need to overcome institutional and information barriers that hinder inter-municipal cooperation and the efficient use of resources in rural areas amid growing imbalances between the center and the periphery. It is demonstrated that traditional management approaches based on budget equalization and sectoral subsidies are insufficiently flexible for managing complex network structures. Digital transformation is viewed as a factor in the qualitative change of the economic environment: reducing information asymmetries, increasing territorial connectivity, and developing adaptive resource allocation mechanisms. The economic environment of a rural agglomeration is defined in this study as a set of conditions, institutions, and relationships that determine opportunities for production activities, inter-farm cooperation, access to markets and resources, and the level of economic activity of the population. Key elements of the economic environment include the density of production links, transport accessibility, information transparency, the investment climate, and the efficient use of local resources. Based on an analysis of municipal districts in the Voronezh Region, a conceptual model of a digital economic mechanism is proposed, including a coordination center, a digital platform for collecting and analyzing real-time data, and a system for monitoring key performance indicators. The use of a cluster approach allowed us to identify zones of specialization within the agglomeration. Calculations show that the introduction of digital tools can increase labor productivity in the agglomeration by up to 15% and reduce logistics costs by up to 10%. Regression analysis confirms that a 1% increase in investment in digitalization increases the agglomeration's total output by 0.34%, all other things being equal. The key limitations of digital transformation were identified: digital inequality, a skills gap among agricultural producers and municipal employees, and the lack of legislative recognition of the "digital agglomeration" status.