Keyword: «karelia»

Problems of development of innovative activity at the regional level are considered in the article. Authors present proposals for updating the theoretical concept of the innovation economy, including a new classification of factors and conditions for innovation, taking into account such elements as institutions, human capital, innovation infrastructure, geography. In addition authors offered classification of models of innovative process in the region among which: «innovative slavery», «raw import substitution», «innovative import substitution», «clustering of innovative business». Also the authors consider the main ways of measurement of innovative activity at the regional level of the Russian Federation, comparing them with the theoretical concept presented in article. In conclusion, authors carry out a quantitative assessment of the key indicators of innovation activity in the Republic of Karelia for the period 2006-2015, making a special emphasis on the analysis using the Rating of innovative development of the subjects of the Russian Federation, compiled by the staff of the Research University “Higher School of Economics”.

The article uses statistical methods to explore the prospects for the innovative development of the Republic of Karelia. The authors consider such features of the geographical position of Karelia as frontierity, northernness, and peripherality. With the help of a statistical analysis of the totality of the Russian regions, hypotheses were confirmed about the negative impact of such geographically determined characteristics of the development of the republic as border status, northernness and peripherality on the development of the republic’s innovation system. Taking into account the restraining nature of geographical conditions, the improvement of the quality of public administration and improvement of the institutional environment of innovation activity becomes the main driver of innovative development of Karelia in the future. That is, regional authorities (of Karelia and other subjects of the Russian Federation with similar problems) can direct their efforts towards creating conditions in the region that provide an adequate system of incentives for innovation. This is the main vector of innovative development of the Republic of Karelia.