The covid-19 pandemic in the Russian arctic: Some socio-economic results of 2020

Abstract

The relevance of this study is determined by the fundamentally new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected will significantly exacerbate the systemic problems of the Russian Arctic, increase the need for state control over main spheres of life and produce precedents for changes in corporate governance practices in the Arctic. The study intends to identify the current socio-economic dynamics of the Russian Arctic regions under the COVID-19 pandemic. The author set the following objectives for her study: Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic as a threat to the economic security of the Russian Arctic, review of the actions of resource corporations and regional authorities under the COVID-19 pandemic, including in relation to the indigenous population of the North, and analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of the Russian Arctic regions. Among the main socio-economic outcomes of 2020 for the Russian Arctic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the author identifies a decline in economic activity and an increase in unemployment.