For the regional economy and for the economy of a country as a whole it is necessary to correctly assess the economic potential of their territories. Errors or inaccuracies committed in this case can lead not just to inefficient spending of budgetary funds, but also to the wrong choice of the development strategy, which can result in a loss of competitiveness of the economy of the region and its cities and affect the development of the national economy as a whole. The purpose of this work is to provide a comparative assessment of the economic potential of the Novosibirsk region and other regions of the Si berian Federal District. The study examined the socio-economic potential of the region as an important indicator of territorial development. Its estimation is based on the index method and the cluster approach. Six groups of development indices of the regions of the Siberian Federal District were selected. Were used a method for standardizing indicators using variance and hierarchical methods of clustering. Clusters of the Siberian Federal District have been identified. A comparative analysis of the potential of the Novosibirsk region and regions from other clusters is carried out. Comparison of the Novosibirsk region with its neighbors, representatives of other, significantly different clusters – the Omsk region and the Republic of Altai – allows us to conclude that the Novosibirsk region exceeds the neighboring regions in terms of its economic potential. In the regional economy, the production, infrastructure and labor components of the potential are the most developed (and, therefore, most promising for use as locomotives of regional development). The remaining components are relatively behind, which makes it necessary to draw attention to them from the authorities and management. The results of the study can be used to improve regional economic p olicy.
cluster, hierarchical methods of clustering, regional potential, socioeconomic indicators, Siberian Federal District, Novosibirsk region
