The paper overviews Russian and foreign studies on renewable energy. In view of some economic and environmental premises, namely depletion of the traditional energy sources and growing costs of their exploitation, a new alley is being paved in scientific literature and global practices for displacing traditional energy resources and providing for a substantial contribution of renewable sources to total energy consumption. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine what role renewable energy will play in the socio-economic security of territories, to identify the potential and possible applications of renewable energy. The main tasks for the study were to: identify the socio-economic implications of the transition from traditional to renewable energy sources, study the foreign experience of implementing renewable energy policies, estimate the potential and evaluate the prospects for renewable energy with the focus on rural northern regions. The potential for renewable energy market growth in Russia was estimated, specifically for the Northwestern macroregion. To provide for socio-economic security, the energy policy being developed must have an environmental and economic orientation. Primary focus in the development of renewable energy sources should be on peripheral regions, which have no electrical grids of their own and are energy deficient.

In modern conditions of globalization, one of the main functions of the state is to ensure the economic security of the country, which implies the development and effective use of the national resource potential, increasing the competitiveness of the country, ensuring the integrity of the territorial and economic space, creating the necessary conditions for the balanced development of national territories. The most important tasks of the modern development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation include overcoming transport and energy restrictions that impede the increase of the economic development of the Arctic, stimulating the priority development and implementation of energy-saving and energy-efficient technologies. The aim of the study is to summarize the current regulatory support for the strategic development of the fuel and energy complex and its transport infrastructure in the Arctic zone in the context of the strategic goals and objectives of the development of the Russian Arctic zone adopted at the state level. Achieving this goal led to the formulation and solution of the following tasks: to study the regulatory framework of spatial development of Russia, highlight the current trends; describe the main program goals and directions of socio-economic development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation related to priority geostrategic territories; analyze national incentive measures for the development of energy in the Arctic zone and characterize the dynamics of their financing. The solution of these problems will make it possible to understand the system of program-goal and regulatory instruments of managing the development of the fuel and energy complex of the Russian Federation that have developed over the past ten years and, in particular, its transport infrastructure. Ways for further improvement of these instruments in the existing internal and external conditions for the development of the fuel and energy complex of Russia are proposed in this study.

The article examines the Karelian Arctic region, formed due to the inclusion of a number of territories into the Russian Arctic. It provides a description of its geographical position and analyzes the dynamics of spatial development, the settlement system and mineral resource base, tourist, biological resource and fishery potential. The authors outline significant differentiation of the economic space of the region. They note that the natural resource and socio-economic potential is used extremely unevenly within the Arctic Karelia region. The authors reveal the decisive role of single-industry towns in the formation of trends in the spatial development of the region under study. Under existing conditions, they act as poles of economic growth and maintaining the population of the northern territories, with general trends of degradation of the settlement system and the aggravation of the sparseness of the economic space. The researchers analyze spatial localization of ongoing and planned investment projects in the region, determine and explain its regularities. The paper identifies the prerequisites for enhancing the economic development of the Belomorsk part of the Karelian Arctic, represented by two vectors: internal (from the existing economic centers within the region of the Karelian Arctic) and external (from the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions). The existing economic ties between the enterprises of the Belomorsk part of the Karelian Arctic, the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions, as well as a number of projects in the mining, fishery, tourism and logistics spheres represent a significant potential for the interdependent development of the Arctic regions. For a more complete use of the existing development potential in these conditions, it is necessary to transform the role of single-industry towns in the formation of the regional economic space by improving the special economic regime and introducing institutional innovations. Improving the special economic regime of the Russian Arctic is one of the priority mechanisms for diversifying mono-profile economies, transitioning to innovative growth models and involving depressed territories in economic development processes.

The formation of a competitive tourist space in the Arctic regions is expedient from the standpoint of diversification of predominantly single-industry local economies and increasing the socio-economic sustainability of local communities. However, it is extremely important that the measures aimed at achieving these effects are correlated with the ecological and social context of the territories and, fully using their existing potential, do not lead to an aggravation of ecological and economic risks. The purpose of this work was to assess the prerequisites for the development of eco-tourism in the example of the Arctic region and economically related territories and consider the possibilities of forming ecotourism zones. Based on statistical data, cartographic materials, and content analysis of semi-formalized interviews of experts, this work investigated the current level of socio-economic development of the Karelian Arctic, the existing tourist infrastructure, natural, and cultural-historical objects. Strengths and constraints of eco-tourism development are emphasized. A number of innovative tools and approaches for the development of ecological tourism in the Karelian Arctic were proposed, the introduction of which will increase the tourist attractiveness of the territory, and ensure its sustainable development by reducing negative environmental impacts and depopulation.

The transition to the use of eco-products is one of the directions for ensuring the sustainable economic development and security of territories. This makes it relevant to study the influence of various factors on environmentally responsible consumer behavior. The goal of this article was to determine the importance of economic interests in the system of factors that determine consumer behavior in relation to eco-friendly products. The results of a survey of 1102 residents of the Arctic zone of the Republic of Karelia (Russian Federation) served as the research data. The work was structured within the framework of the reasoned action approach and Maslow's theory, using the methods of descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analysis. It was found that economic interests are one of the factors that determine consumption behavior; however, the significance of economic interests is less than that of ecological interests. The willingness to pay an increased price for renewable electric energy shows that economic interests mostly control the environmental consumption behavior of those with a low level of education, low living standards, and short-term budget planning (regardless of gender and age). Taking into account the identified connections, we propose tools to stimulate the purchase of environmental products. The study findings are of interest to authorities in order to popularize and distribute eco-friendly products, as well as their manufacturers to choose the best strategy for promoting the products to the market.

Due to the depletion of traditional energy sources, the rising costs of their operation and the need to transition to a sustainable economy, it becomes relevant to increase the share of renewable energy sources in total consumption. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of renewable energy and the establishment of factors determining pro-environmental behavior. The data of the author’s sociological survey of the population of the Arctic regions of Russia and methods of descriptive statistics were used, and regression analysis was carried out. The study shows the ecological and energy characteristics of the Arctic regions of Russia. The main advantages and possibilities of transition to renewable energy sources have been identified. A relationship has been established between the degree of involvement in pro-environmental behavior and knowledge about renewable energy, the perceived importance of environmental problems, age, income, education, amount of waste produced and current electricity costs. It is shown that the degree of involvement in pro-environmental behavior affects the willingness to pay more for renewable energy. A number of institutional measures to promote renewable energy, increase willingness to pay for renewable energy and spread pro-environmental behavior are proposed.

The Arctic vector in world policies is escalating, no doubt largely because of the predicted increase in the region’s involvement in global economic processes. One of the components of this process – definition of the legal status of the Arctic Ocean, is now in an active phase. The discord now seen in the establishment of international legal arrangements in the Arctic is due to: the international legal custom in the region, special conditions for economic activity in the Arctic region, emergence of new economic stakeholders in the region, global environmental challenges. For Arctic coastal states, like Russia, interests in the Arctic are of vital importance. Some countries, such as Russia, Canada and Norway, are interested in maintaining continuity in the international customary law, whereas some others, like China, Germany, or South Korea, are eager to introduce new means of legal regulation. This article suggests recommendations on further improving the national legislation and the instruments for managing the Arctic regional economic policy. Important considerations here are Russia’s strategic interests in the region, along with harmonization of relationships with other stakeholders, and mitigation of environmental risks. To this end, we have analysed the background for the formation of the international legal custom in the Arctic region, current trends in international law, valid economic grounds for countries to realize their interests in the Arctic. Special focus is on Russian economic policy in view of the challenging situation in the country’s national economy and its international affairs.

Abstract. Introduction: the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is a territory of major economic and geostrategic importance for the country. The growth of conflict potential in the region is accompanied by the rising importance of control over the Arctic space, which is completely impossible without overcoming its extreme economic sparseness, negative depopulation processes, as well as ensuring connectivity through the development of infrastructure projects. In conditions of economic instability, these tasks become an urgent challenge for government bodies requiring a critical analysis of regulating the Arctic macro-region spatial development. Objectives: to identify trends in the implementation of state regulation mechanisms for economic development of the Russian Arctic. Methods: dialectical and formal-logical approaches, retrospective analysis, tabular and index methods, data grouping methods. Results: the interrelated process of the evolution of spatial mechanisms and legal support for the development of the Arctic zone of Russian Federation was analyzed. The latest instruments for spatial development have been considered, namely, support zones for the development of the Russian Arctic and preferential treatment of entrepreneurial activity in the Arctic territories. The leading regions have been identified, i.e., those characterized by the most pronounced positive trends in the implementation of the preferential treatment. Conclusions: the support zones subprogram remained in fact a concept without clear mechanisms to put it into practice, while the preferential treatment of entrepreneurial activity, coming as a replacement, on the contrary, does not have a well-developed concept, but contains specific mechanisms for its implementation. Co-organization of the preferential regime of entrepreneurial activity, the regimes of the territories of advanced socio-economic development and the free port seems to be appropriate within the framework of an improved conceptual approach to managing the spatial development of the Russian Arctic.