Sustainable development of human capital in the Russian Arctic

We examined the current situation in the field of sustainable development in the Russia’s Arctic regions. Neo-industrial development of these territories plays a vital role for the country. In this regard, the role of human capital and its components — educational and professional level — and the health of people who live and work in the Arctic become especially significant. We conducted a study and presented some results in this work. The study also aims to identify the main factors that determine the level of human capital among northern residents and, consequently, the sustainable development of Arctic territories. The results can serve to justify the further development strategy for the Russian Arctic and to assist public authorities of different levels in designing management decisions, which aimed at improving the quality of northern’s life and ensuring effective implementation of government challenge. The study uses traditional sociological tools (observation, large-scale surveys, in-depth expert survey, focus groups, and statistical data analysis). These tools helped identify how residents of Arctic regions perceive various technologies and practices of forming the human capital. The results have scientific and practical value not only for the regions under study (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Arkhangelsk Region) but also for other Arctic territories.

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