Redrawing the Margin: Re-examining Regional Multichotomies and Conditions of Marginality in Canada, Russia and their Northern Frontiers

Abstract

Petrov A. N. Redrawing the margin: re-examining regional multichotomies and conditions of marginality in Canada, Russia and their Northern Frontiers, Regional Studies. This paper pursues four objectives: to conceptualize and identify organizational logics of space-economy and dimensions of regional differentiation; to identify regional conditions of marginality and group regions along the core–periphery–margin continuum; to examine regional differences within the Norths; and to compare marginal regions in the Canadian versus Russian North. The analysis is based on the multichotomic view of core–periphery–margin relationships that rests on multiscalar, multiscale, and multicentre interpretation of regional polarities. The regional structures of Canada and Russia are ‘remapped’ and it is shown that a great degree of resemblance is shared. The contemporary North is an economically marginalized and fractured, but also a strikingly similar, space.

Petrov A. N. Redessiner les limites: réexaminer les multichotomies régionales et les conditions de la marginalité au Canada, en Russie et à leurs frontières septentrionales, Regional Studies. Cet article poursuit quatre objecifs: conceptualiser et identifier la logique organisationnelle de l'espace-économie et l'importance de la différenciation régionale; identifier les conditions de la marginalité et regrouper les régions le long du continuum centre–périphérie-limites; examiner les écarts régionaux au sein des zones septentrionales; et comparer les régions marginales des zones septentrionales canadiennes à celles des zones septentrionales russes. L'analyse est fondée sur le point de vue multichotomique des raports centre–périphérie-limites et qui dépend d'une interprétation de la polarsiation régionale à scalaires, à échelles et à centres multiples. On ‘refait’ la carte des structures régionales canadiennes et russes, et on montre qu'il existe un degré de similarité. La zone septentrionale contemporaine s'avère un espace économiquement marginalisé et fissuré, mais à la fois remarquablement similaire.

Structure régionale Périphérie Russie Canada Forces de la différenciation régionale

Petrov A. N. Neudefinition des Randes: eine erneute Überprüfung der regionalen Gegensätze und der Bedingungen der Marginalität in Kanada, Russland und deren nördlichen Grenzen, Regional Studies. Mit diesem Beitrag werden vier Ziele verfolgt: eine Konzeptualisierung und Identifizierung der organisationellen Logik der Raumwirtschaft und der Dimensionen der regionalen Differenzierung, eine Identifizierung der regionalen Bedingungen der Marginalität und Gruppierung der Regionen entlang dem Kontinuum Kern–Peripherie-Rand, eine Untersuchung der regionalen Unterschiede zwischen den nördlichen Regionen und ein Vergleich der marginalen Regionen im Norden Kanadas und Russlands. Die Analyse basiert auf einer gegensätzlichen Sicht der Beziehungen zwischen Kern, Peripherie und Rand, die auf einer multiskalaren bzw. auf mehreren Maßstäben und Zentren gründenden Interpretation der regionalen Polaritäten aufbaut. Die regionalen Strukturen in Kanada und Russland werden neu kartiert, wobei sich zahlreiche Ähnlichkeiten herausstellen. Der moderne Norden ist ein wirtschaftlich marginalisierter und frakturierter, aber auch überraschend ähnlicher Raum.

Regionalstruktur Peripherie Russland Kanada Kräfte der regionalen Differenzierung

Petrov A. N. Nueva definición de margen: un reexamen de las multicotomías regionales y las condiciones de marginalidad en Canadá, Rusia y las fronteras norteñas, Regional Studies. En este artículo perseguimos cuatro objetivos: conceptualizar e identificar las lógicas organizativas de la economía espacial y las dimensiones de la diferenciación regional; identificar las condiciones regionales de marginalidad y agrupar las regiones a lo largo de la secuencia de centro, periferia y margen; examinar las diferencias entre las regiones norteñas; y comparar las regiones marginales al norte de Canadá en comparación con el norte de Rusia. Este análisis se basa en la perspectiva multicotómica de las relaciones entre el centro, la periferia y el margen que se basa en la interpretación multiescalar, de varias escalas, y multicéntrica de las polaridades regionales. Tras reexaminar las estructuras regionales de Canadá y Rusia, se observa que comparten muchas características similares. El norte contemporáneo es una región con una economía marginalizada y fracturada pero también un espacio sorprendentemente similar.

Estructura regional Periferia Rusia Canadá Fuerzas de diferenciación regional

Keywords:

• Regional structure
• Periphery
• Russia
• Canada
• Forces of regional differentiation

JEL classifications:

• O57
• P5
• R1

Acknowledgements

The author is indebted to Dr Richard J. DiFrancesco, Dr John R. Miron, Dr Larry S. Bourne, and Dr Meric S. Gertler for their valuable suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper. The author is also grateful to the anonymous reviewers who provided with constructive comments.

Notes

Interestingly, the idea of the multiplicity of forces acting with changing temporal and spatial biases to create disequilibria between a metropolis and its staple periphery is present in the writings of Harold Innis (Innis, 1956; Barnes, 2005).

This section uses base definitions of the Russian and Canadian North developed by The World Bank (2001) and Statistics Canada (McNievem and Puderer, 2000). These definitions are the most widely accepted multivariate delineations of the North. They also use administrative and census geographical units as a base, and are well compatible with the present data.

While municipal (rayony) level data sets can be purchased from regional statistical offices, the quality and scope of the data are inferior, especially in rural areas. The use of such data sets is extremely problematic, if not impossible.

In contrast to Russia's regions, economic regions have no administrative function.

Unfortunately, Statistics Canada does not provide gross domestic product data at the economic region level. The aim is to substitute it using total income as a proxy.

Whereas this analysis focuses on the sub-national (regional) level and does not use direct measures of global competitiveness, some of the variables are indicative of a region's position in a global economy (for example, indicators of high-technology versus primary sector or the quality of the labour force). As a result, to some extent this analysis indirectly accounts for several elements of global-level processes, to which all regions are open.

For both Russian and Canadian data sets, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett's test of sphericity indicated the appropriateness of factor analysis.

Using the world system's terminology (WallerstEin, 1979) for convenience, however, a direct application of Wallerstain's generalized characterizations of the global semi-periphery is not implied in this regional context. In contrast, the present approach gives it a new reading by pointing to a relative (topological) position of a region in a CPM continuum(s) rather than to spatial proximity or to a region's place in a rigid hierarchical structure.

Russia's official definition of the North (so-called ‘regions of the Far North and equated areas’) is based on subregional units and, thus, is difficult to reconcile with the current scale of analysis; besides, it is a bureaucratic rather than a geographical designation that incorporates many southerly located territories.

There were other fundamental reasons for the growing inefficiency of the Soviet economy and the need for increasing capital investments (Ickles, 2001).