The Demographic Factor Impact on the Economics of the Arctic Region

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Delete lines 373-376 in "Discussion" section

In addition to existing analysis and contents, you can also consider per-capita GRP

 

Author Response

Point 1: Delete lines 373-376 in "Discussion" section In addition to existing analysis and contents, you can also consider per-capita GRP Response 1: Lines 373-376 have been deleted, thank you. In table 5, the GRP per capita indicator is used

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

General, the study is scientific merit but some parts have to be improved. The linkage between theoretical background and empirical results as well as the major issue is that the main line of this research and  arguments was unclear. I would like to suggest  the authors can rewrite the introduction and literature review.  

Introduction part plays a significant role and hes to include the general framework of the presented research and results. The contribution needs clear aims and objectives and it is necessary to state the academic significance of the studied topic.

Logical and theoretical starting points should be clearly articulated in the literature review.
I encourage the authors to explain in more detail how the theories fit into the current debate on demographic factors in the Arctic and their impact on economic performance, and not just to report on previous empirical findings.

The discussion about the relationship between demographic factors with a dominant gender perspective and the market structure or economic performance of the Arctic regions is vague.
The authors should also relate their achievements to existing theories. Thus, the discussion could state how the authors contributed to the development of knowledge or to supplement, refine or expand previous studies and thus point out the importance of their study. What human resources development activities, policies or strategies need to be implemented at national and international level to realize the potential of the Arctic?

Author Response

Point 1: General, the study is scientific merit but some parts have to be improved. The linkage between theoretical background and empirical results as well as the major issue is that the main line of this research and arguments was unclear. I would like to suggest the authors can rewrite the introduction and literature review. 

Introduction part plays a significant role and hes to include the general framework of the presented research and results. The contribution needs clear aims and objectives and it is necessary to state the academic significance of the studied topic. Logical and theoretical starting points should be clearly articulated in the literature review.

Response 1: Thank you for the comment. The goal and objectives were added in the Introduction:

The goal of the paper is to identify the influence of the demographic factor on the economy of the Russian Arctic. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are set:

1. Characteristics of the demographic situation in the Russian Arctic in the context of sustainable development.
2. Review of current demographic situation in the Arctic regions in the context of gender factors.
3. Analysis of the main trends in the Arctic labor market.
4. Analysis of the economic indicator of GRP for comparing the administrative territories of the Arctic.
5. Development of recommendations for the efficient use of the Arctic potential.

Moreover, the relevance and contribution of the paper have been clearly articulated:

The paper intends to contribute to filling this gap by presenting a study of economic performance of Arctic administrative-territorial entities on a global and regional scale depending on their local population. The population outflow from the Russian Arctic has been a major trend since the collapse of the USSR. The relevance of the study is provided by the current boost in exploration, construction activities and therefore an urgent need for population stabilisation in the Russian Arctic. As a matter of fact, the Russian Arctic population accounts for only 1.6%. At the same time 10% of Russian GDP is ensured by this region. However, GRP per capita in the Russian Arctic region is much lower than in any other Arctic region in the world.

Starting points based on the literature review have been added:

The correlation between the demographic and economic indicators has been discussed in numerous scientific papers [1, 2]. This type of correlation for the Arctic region has been the focus of research conducted by a number of scientists [3, 4].

Point 2: I encourage the authors to explain in more detail how the theories fit into the current debate on demographic factors in the Arctic and their impact on economic performance, and not just to report on previous empirical findings.

The discussion about the relationship between demographic factors with a dominant gender perspective and the market structure or economic performance of the Arctic regions is vague.

The authors should also relate their achievements to existing theories. Thus, the discussion could state how the authors contributed to the development of knowledge or to supplement, refine or expand previous studies and thus point out the importance of their study. What human resources development activities, policies or strategies need to be implemented at national and international level to realize the potential of the Arctic?

Response 2:

The title of the paper suggests that the focus of the research is the demographic factor while the gender perspective presents the prospect for further research which has been cleared in the paper:

The contribution of this study to the development of the Arctic region is in the comprehensive approach to the complex demographic analysis of the Arctic regions of Russia. The article presents the prospect of further research into the issue of women's involvement in industry of the Arctic, since families in which both men and women are employed in production will contribute to the growth and stabilization of the number of people living in the Arctic territories.

As for the need of implementation of human resources development activities, the following information has been added:

The current need to develop the Arctic territories will lead to their natural economic growth. However, this goal cannot be achieved without steady population growth which in its turn largely depends on GRP per capita. Certain steps are being made, such as infrastructure construction for the Northern Sea Route and mining exploration activities in order to create jobs and boost the economy. Without strengthening the indigenous population in the regions of the Russian Arctic, the implementation of such projects is very difficult and costly.

As a result of the study, a correlation between the most important parameter characterizing the region's economy - GRP and demographic indicators in dynamics over several years was revealed.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Thank you for the original and interesting article, which allowed me to take a fresh look at the economics of the Arctic Region. Your article contributes to the development of literature on the topic of socio-economic development. and also expands scientific knowledge in the study of the Arctic. I believe that your article has been prepared at a high scientific level. Before publishing, I only recommend adding 3-5 links to the article to the latest articles from international databases (Scopus, WoS) for 2021 on the topic of your research.

Author Response

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the original and interesting article, which allowed me to take a fresh look at the economics of the Arctic Region. Your article contributes to the development of literature on the topic of socio-economic development. and also expands scientific knowledge in the study of the Arctic. I believe that your article has been prepared at a high scientific level. Before publishing, I only recommend adding 3-5 links to the article to the latest articles from international databases (Scopus, WoS) for 2021 on the topic of your research.

 

Response:

thank you for the comment and recommendation. 3 solid references from recent years have been added, one of them being of 2021 (Scopus) - Chanysheva, A., Kopp, P., Romasheva, N., Nikulina, A. Migration Attractiveness as a Factor in the Development of the Russian Arctic Mineral Resource Potential. Resources. 2021, 10, 65 https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10060065

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Manuscript ID: resources-1425273

Type: Article

Title: The demographic factor impact on the economics of the Arctic region

1. The European Environment Agency has projected that the Arctic population is not in a dynamic structure and population growth is not in an upward trend. For up-to-date information, the link below can be accessed.

https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/projected-population-trends-in-the-arctic#tab-chart_1

2. The population of the Arctic was estimated at approximately 9.9 million in 2002. This represents 0.16 per cent of the world population. Considering the low population and low population growth rate of the relevant countries, it remains unclear why these countries were chosen and why the demographic structure-economy relationship was investigated.
3. Arctic GDP includes resource rents from extraction of non-renewable resources, parts of which should rather be viewed as replacement of wealth from one asset into another asset than income generation. the Arctic GDP accounts for 0.44 per cent of the global economy, which is greater than its demographic weight of 0.16 per cent. This gap suggests that income generation is more concentrated in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. In other words, the income produced does not have a high sensitivity to the quality and quantity of labor. In this context, it is seen that the scientific fiction and focus of the study are not at the expected standard.
4. The contribution of the study to the literature has remained unclear on a regional and global scale. therefore, it is more appropriate to evaluate the study as a report rather than a research article.

CONCLUSION: MAJOR REVISION

I am of the opinion that the research topic and focus of the study do not meet the standards of the journal.

Author Response

Point 1: The European Environment Agency has projected that the Arctic population is not in a dynamic structure and population growth is not in an upward trend. For up-to-date information, the link below can be accessed.

https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/projected-population-trends-in-the-arctic#tab-chart_1

Response 1: Thank you for the comment and sharing a valuable source of information which made it possible to strengthen the provisions of the paper. The data from the link corresponds with the data on population dynamics given in Table 4 showing the general global trend towards an increase in the number of inhabitants in the main cities of the Arctic zone in all northern countries with the exception of Russia. Link to used source http://www.ibrae.ac.ru/docs/3(31)2018_Arctic/006_022%20ARCTICA%203(31)%202018.pdf. In Russia, the trend is currently the opposite, with the exception of three cities (Novy Urengoy, Noyabrsk and Salekhard). Despite the fact that table 4 indicates 2017, this tendency continues in 2020, according to state statistics (Rosstat), which is shown in table 6.

Point 2: The population of the Arctic was estimated at approximately 9.9 million in 2002. This represents 0.16 per cent of the world population. Considering the low population and low population growth rate of the relevant countries, it remains unclear why these countries were chosen and why the demographic structure-economy relationship was investigated.

Response 2: The land Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is about 29% of the total area of ​​the country. At the same time, the population living in the Arctic zone is only about 2.5 million people out of the total number of 146 million people, which is only 1.7%. Based on these figures, a significant problem arises of the very existence of the population on such huge areas. Without mutual economic ties and strategies for the Arctic region, it becomes clear that its further development is impossible without changing approaches to the functioning of the economy itself, implementing environmental programs in the context of sustainable development.

Point 3: Arctic GDP includes resource rents from extraction of non-renewable resources, parts of which should rather be viewed as replacement of wealth from one asset into another asset than income generation. the Arctic GDP accounts for 0.44 per cent of the global economy, which is greater than its demographic weight of 0.16 per cent. This gap suggests that income generation is more concentrated in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. In other words, the income produced does not have a high sensitivity to the quality and quantity of labor. In this context, it is seen that the scientific fiction and focus of the study are not at the expected standard.

Response 3: Globally, Russia occupies 33% of the entire world Arctic space, while the share of underground mineral resources in the world market is just as high. The income received is largely determined not only by the high demand for raw materials on world markets, but also depends on climatic difficulties and problems of living in such territories in severe weather conditions, in the presence of logistical problems, etc. Therefore, in our opinion, the region's GRP cannot be considered separately from the demographic development strategy.

Point 4: The contribution of the study to the literature has remained unclear on a regional and global scale. therefore, it is more appropriate to evaluate the study as a report rather than a research article.

Response 4:

The contribution of the study has been reinforced by the following clarifications:

The contribution of this study to the development of the Arctic region is in the comprehensive approach to the complex demographic analysis of the Arctic regions of Russia. The article presents the prospect of further research into the issue of women's involvement in industry of the Arctic, since families in which both men and women are employed in production will contribute to the growth and stabilization of the number of people living in the Arctic territories.

The basis for the success of population growth lies, first of all, in the presence of opportunities of various kinds - harmonious development of the personality, cultural ties, living conditions, possibility of communication not only in the production sphere, but also in the field of leisure. The consequence of this is the need for creation and development of infrastructure facilities, the lack of which is noted in the regions of the Far North at the present time. Therefore, it is advisable to consider not only the purely economic indicators of the region, but also socially oriented projects that contribute to the development of such areas with hostile climate.

As a result of the study, a correlation between the most important parameter characterizing the region's economy - GRP and demographic indicators in dynamics over several years was revealed. The development of the above projects can certainly change the current state both in terms of the economy and in terms of demography (population growth) in the foreseeable future.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 4 Report

Manuscript ID: resources-1425273

Type: Article

Title:

The demographic factor impact on the economics of the Arctic region

1. The authors have tried to improve the work in response to criticism. First of all, it is seen that many objectives have been added to the study.

“The goal of the paper is to identify the influence of the demographic factor on the economy of the Russian Arctic. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are set:

• Characteristics of the demographic situation in the Russian Arctic in the context of sustainable development.
• Review of current demographic situation in the Arctic regions in the context of gender factors.
• Analysis of the main trends in the Arctic labor market.
• Analysis of the economic indicator of GRP for comparing the administrative territories of the Arctic.
• Development of recommendations for the efficient use of the Arctic potential.”

I think there are too many goals to put forward. However, if the authors want to achieve these goals, they should provide systematic explanatory information in the discussion or conclusion part.

2. In the study, 10-year results from 8 regions are presented. In this context, panel data analysis (panel ols) method can be used in the study to research the effect of demographic factors on GRP. The authors can more clearly discuss the effects with this method.
3. In the study, it is stated that the GRP data increase is mainly caused by inflation. In this case, the inflation data of the units can be added to the estimation equation and the results obtained by the panel ols method can support the authors' claim. Providing data to support the authors' claim will improve the contribution of the study scientifically.
4. In the conclusion part, the different and similar aspects of the study from previous studies should be explained.
5. Literature discussion can be developed.

CONCLUSION: MAJOR REVISION

I am of the opinion that the research topic and focus of the study do not meet the standards of your journal and the work needs to be improved.