Вестник Кольского научного центра РАН. 2011, №4.

CONTENTS V.T. Kalinnikov, F.D. Larichkin, E.P. Bashmakova, M.A. Tarakanov HISTORICAL MILESTONES OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH IN THE KOLA SCIENCE CENTRE RAS (1935-2011) In December 2011 the Institute for Economic Studies (KSC RAS) celebrates 25 years. The article gives a brief outline of the Institute's history from establishment of the economy group within the Kola Base of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1935 to the modern research institution leading in scientific investigations in the Russian North and the Arctic. Keywords: economic research, the Kola Base, Kola Science Centre, the Institute for Economic Studies. F.D. Larichkin PROBLEMS OF STUDYING AND RATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE NORTH AND THE ARCTIC In the article the suitability of modernization and increasing mineral use efficiency in the region beyond the Arctic circle and in the Arctic zone of Russian Federation due to the forming of competitive clusters and the deep complex multiproduct ecology-balanced processing of extractive raw materials by production of strategic materials with high added value competitive on the world market. Keywords: mineral resources, the complex use economy, competitiveness clusters. V.S. Selin EVALUATION OF POTENTIALITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE MARITIME COMMUNICATION IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC Reduced support and worsening economic situation of the 1990s has resulted in the sharp decline of sea traffic in the Russian Arctic. At present the situation has somewhat stabilized, but prospects remain rather vague. The article attempted to consider possibilities of sea communication development, first of all from the point of view of export deliveries to the main worls markets. Keywords: the Arctic, economy, sea traffic, communications, oil, liquefied natural gas, scenarios. S.V. Baranov, T.P. Skufina IMPROVEMENT OF COMPLEX ESTIMATING METHODS FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT LEVEL OF THE RUSSIAN REGIONS The paper is devoted to actuality of improvements of instrumentality to provide complex estimating for diagnostics and solution of problem, related to a development. It is considered advantages and disadvantages of the traditional methods and suggested the author’s methods for estimating interregional (municipal) differentiation that eliminate the weaknesses of the traditional methodologies. Keywords: regions, municipalities, differentiations, comparative methods, complex estimation, ratings, index methods, Gini index, percentile ratio. L.A. Ryabova SOCIAL RESEARCH IN THE NORTH AND ARCTIC AT THE LUZIN'S INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC STUDIES: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW A review of the development and contemporary state of social research at the Institute of Economic Problems carried out at the Department for Social Politics in the North is presented. It is pointed that social studies include such issues as state and municipal social policy in the North and in the Arctic, demography, well-being and quality of life, social transformations in the context of globalization, sociology etc. Scientific results are published in leading Russian economics-related journals and in international publications, including those under the auspices of the Arctic Council, they are demanded at all levels of governance. Keywords: social research, Department of Social Politics in the North, North, Arctic, concept of habitation of the Russian North, social policy. 144