Economic Security Index as a Tool to Assess the Development of Agroindustrial Regions[Индекс Экономической Безопасности Как Ингструмент Оценки Развития Агропромышленных Регионов]

The paper discusses a comprehensive approach to assessing regional economic security based on three main areas of regional development: the state of the region’s economy, its social sphere, and its finance. The present article is aimed, first of all, at presenting the practical possibilities of using the economic security index for tasks such as identification of regional problems and assessment of the actions of regional authorities. For this purpose, the authors introduce a definition of regional economic security, the principle of calculating the integral index, and the method of assessing economic security. The practical aspects of measuring regional economic security on the basis of the proposed integral index are considered. The mathematical apparatus for calculating the integral index of economic security allows one to study regional development in dynamics, and to build reasonable models and forecasts, which makes it possible to approach the problem of regional development much more objectively in terms of government resource distribution. In this connection, it is proposed to use the method of forming and evaluating the integral index of economic security as a key tool of regional management, namely as a method of assessing the quality of management; assessing the consequences of decisions; identifying the lagging areas of economic, social or financial spheres of a region; and forecasting socio-economic development for individual regions and federal districts.