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TERRA ECONOMICUS

Assessing the level of human capital in Russian regions


TERRA ECONOMICUS, , Vol. 22 (no. 4),

The existing literature measures human capital by the education level, health indicators, or using the human development index. This is because there is no other indicator available in the official statistics of Russia. However, in modern times, it is essential to consider the multifaceted nature of human capital and develop a method for assessing its level that is both adequate in content and based on available information. In this study we aim at comparing three approaches to assessing human capital by: (1) the average length of education among the economically active population; (2) the extended index proposed by Nataliya Shepeleva and Anatoliy Akulov; (3) the multi-indicator index developed by the authors. We apply the methods of comparative analysis, index and rating approaches, and correlation analysis. Our dataset covers 85 regions of Russia and spans the period from 2015 to 2022. According to the first approach, based on the average length of education of the economically active population, three federal cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sevastopol) and the Moscow region were in the top positions in the 2022 ranking. The second approach relies on an extended method of six-component assessment of human capital proposed by N. Shepeleva and A. Akulov. This approach showed that Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Moscow region became the leaders, while the Trans-Baikal Territory lagged significantly behind. According to our integral seven-component index, the top five included Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Murmansk and Novosibirsk regions. The Chechen Republic was in last position in 2022. A comparative analysis of the three methods was performed using a correlation analysis of the human capital estimates with the real GRP per one economically active person. We found that the correlation coefficients are significant, with a moderately positive relationship with real labor productivity, and have increased by 1,56 times over 8 years. The findings of this study can be used in regional administration and statistics to better justify the goals and activities of regional economic policy.
Citation: Karelin I.N., Litvintseva G.P. (2024). Assessing the level of human capital in Russian regions. Terra Economicus 22(4), 87–100 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2024-22-4-87-100


Keywords: human capital; index method; education; rating; labor productivity; digital component of human capital; region

JEL codes: C43, I26, J24, O15, R58

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Publisher: Southern Federal University
Founder: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606