Samarina V.P. PhD (geography)

Stary Oskol technological institute «National research technological university MISIS»

Features of migratory streams in the Central Black Earth region

The research is executed at financial support of the Russian humanitarian scientific fund, the project № 09-02-55205 а/Ц

The object of the present research is a number of areas of Central Black Earth economic region (CBEER) such as Belgorodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Kurskaya, Tambovskaya and Lipetskaya ones. Historically they have been connected with strong economic, cultural and social contacts. As of 2008 the population size of the CBEER constituted more than 7,200,000 people [2]. Having tested all demographic problems of modern Russia, the above-mentioned region “has lost” about 500,000 people since the beginning of the 20th century.

However, against the background of other economic regions the situation in the CBEER is rather safe. The delayed rates of decrease of population size is, in a large measure, the reason for its sufficiently high migratory appeal.

We have revealed five pronounced migratory streams [1].

Firstly, the stream that is generated by urbanistic process. One of the primary factors of this process is the resettlement of countrymen to cities. The urbanization shows itself in increasing of urban population size and its part.

In the Central Black Earth region the part of countrymen was traditionally high. Recently (in the last quarter of the 20th century) there have been a lot of changes. It was attributed to powerful industrial development of the Central Black Earth region. Formed large industrial centres were so called cities' «points of growth and labour resources’ places of concentration.

Some reduction of a part of townspeople was observed in 1993-1995. It is possible to explain it on account of backflow of population from cities during the crisis. Subsequently the part of urban population steadily grew and by 2008 had made up 63 % (pic). Against this background the pronounced reduction of a number of urban population was caused by extensive reduction of birth rate marked at the turn of the century. The situation was a little stabilized only by 2007.

Pic. The part of urban population and urban population size of the Central Black Earth economic region (provided by materials of Federal service of government statistics of Russia [2]).

Secondly, in recent years the backflow of population from small towns and urban settlements to large industrial and administrative centres has been observed. We connect it with social and economic heterogeneity of subjects of the Russian Federation. Mass unemployment in small towns, underdevelopment of social infrastructure and lack of attention on authorities’ part forced people to move to larger population aggregates.

Thirdly, the development of industry in traditionally agricultural CBEER was the cause of attraction of trained, highly skilled human resources from other regions of Russia. In the second half of the XX century the powerful migratory stream from old industrial advanced subjects of the Russian Federation was observed. First of all, these were regions of Ural and Siberia.

Two following kinds of migratory streams can be called "returnable". The first of them is got connected with reorganization of Russian economics in the nineties in the last century and returning of the population from regions of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East to the central part of Russia. The system of social and economic privileges which held population in the regions with extremely adverse climatic conditions ceased to work.

Besides, the part of some enterprises in market system of managing reduced or stopped their activities. As a result it led to mass cyclic unemployment. The areas of the CBEER with their favorable climate, advanced industry and infrastructure as well as relatively inexpensive price of habitation were an extremely attractive object for population shift.

And finally, the last migratory stream was caused by ousting of Russian population from former republics of the USSR. Nationalist moods which led to closing of Russian schools, mass employee layoff and other oppressions in concordance with ethnic origin, compelled significant part of Russian-speaking people cardinally change their places of residence. And again the areas of the Central Black Earth region were considered attractive for removal.

Thus, we can ascertain high migratory appeal of the CBEER for immigrants from other regions of Russia. The decrease of quantity of local population is compensated to some extent at the expense of visitors. Hereupon, the areas of the Central Black Earth economic region practically do not lack for human resources, that is one of the major factors which constrain economic development of regions of Russia

References

1.V.P. Samarina. Urbanization in Russia at the present stage of development of society // Education, science, manufacturing, management: The materials of international theoretical and practical conference. Stary Oskol: ТНТ, 2006. pp. 358-363.

2. The site of Federal Service of government statistics // http: // www.gks.ru.