Short-and long-term factors of Kuzbass resilience (based on expert interviews)

Abstract

Resource regions and their resistance to stress require a separate study. The article develops the author's interpretation of the concept of stress resistance, identifies four main indicators of stress resistance-economic, social, political and psychological. The aim of the article was to identify indicators for assessing the stress resistance of a region, as well as the possibility of using this concept to analyze the current socio-economic and political situation in the context of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic using the example of one of the resource regions-Kuzbass. The main research method was the expert interview method, which made it possible to find "common ground"in understanding the sustainability of the development of the region, as well as to see different facets of the manifestation of sustainable and unstable development on the example of Kuzbass, which are based on certain not only subjective, but also objective reasons, as well as to outline further facets of research. When analyzing crisis phenomena mainly in the economic sphere, the model of economic stress resistance by R. Martin, R. Sunley and others is used. The research was based on expert interviews among representatives of the scientific and expert communities of Kuzbass, representing the higher education system, regional media, business community, and non-profit organizations. During the study, 10 experts were interviewed. The study showed that the highest stress resistance is demonstrated by the sphere of medium and large business, there was practically no deterioration of the situation in the media sphere, education, healthcare (to a lesser extent sports and culture) managed to adapt to new conditions, but the "precariousness"and instability of the situation is most traced in the activities of the non-profit sector.