ON THE INEQUALITY OF RURAL SERVICES PROVISION IN THE USSR

Results of studies of inter- and intra-regional variation of rural services provision (including retail trade, cultural-educational services, and health care) are compared. Highest levels of per capita services provision were found in the Baltic republics and RSFSR, with lower levels in the southern European USSR, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. The differences are attributed to rural depopulation (northwestern USSR), rural development priorities in areas of severe natural conditions (Siberia), and high rates of natural population increase (Central Asia). A differential approach in services planning is recommended between areas located near oblast urban centers and those which are more remote (translated by Jay K. Mitchell; PlanEcon, Inc.; Washington, DC 20005).     

MEASURING THE LEVEL OF RURAL SERVICES

Measurements of the level of rural services must take into account the gravitation of rural communities toward service centers. The problem is complicated by the overlapping of the service areas of different centers. An attempt is made to develop an integral measure of the level of services using a gravity model.     

A REGIONALIZATION OF THE RURAL AREAS OF TAMBOV OBLAST BASED ON DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

The notion of spatial development is defined as a relationship between two phenomena, in which the phenomenon that is being modified (the object of development) imposes constraints on the evolution of the modifier (the subject of development); the interaction achieves what was at first only potentially present in the object. The combination of a particular subject and object characterizes the intensity of the process of development (or the level of development). This conceptual approach is illustrated with particular reference to the development levels in the rural rayons of Tambov Oblast, where the output and fixed assets of agriculture are used as the subject of development, and the physical base and rural population as the objects. The interplay yields a number of types of development levels which have been mapped and interpreted in light of the history of settlement and the physical base of the area.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LOCATION OF SERVICES AND RURAL SETTLEMENT

Soviet planners are advised to consider the linkage between rural settlement patterns and the provision of services, an issue that is assuming particular significance in connection with the present development program in the Nonchernozem Zone of the RSFSR. The number of service establishments per 1,000 population is not considered a useful indicator because it tends to be high in areas with widely dispersed settlement in small inhabited places, and yet does not reflect a high level of services because of the small size of the establishments. It is desirable to cluster sets of services in central places; the presence of a single kind of service (store, school, etc.) in a small place is found tantamount to having no service whatever. Adequate provision of services is found to reduce, or even reverse, rural out-migration.     

NEW APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF POPULATION DYNAMICS IN CITIES OF MOSCOW OBLAST

Quantitative analysis of historical trends in city growth rates within Moscow Oblast (1926-1984) reveals two major components or city types: a group of cities with below-(oblast) average rates for each of five periods of analysis (1926-39, 1939-59, 1959-70, 1970-79, 1979-84) and a second category experiencing above-average growth until 1970, with subsequent reduction of rates below the oblast average. Further breakdown of the two major components reveals seven smaller groups, analysis of the spatial patterns of which can provide a basis for planning recommendations on the future development of the region (translated by H. L. Haslett, Birmingham, UK).     

THE SHAPES OF MOSCOW OBLAST CITIES

An analysis of the shapes of cities in the Moscow region finds that the linear, elongated form tends to predominate over the compact. City layout often derives from the arrangement of the axes of development. In many Moscow Oblast cities, these axes are the transport corridors radiating out of Moscow, and the corridors, often made up of parallel railroad, highway and river, account for the pronounced elongation of city shapes. From a historical perspective, linearity developed mainly in the last 50 to 60 years as new industrial plants and housing developments sprang up along the transport corridors. The author cautions against unhindered development of linearity since it may ultimately produce continuously urbanized belts along the major transport corridors radiating out of Moscow. Such a development is viewed as undesirable from the standpoint of regional planning because it would obliterate recreational facilities, which are now situated mainly along these transport routes.     

THE NATURE OF THE MANPOWER PROBLEM IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIBERIA

The traditional picture of the economic development in Siberia presents a formidable obstacle in the form of a manpower deficit and high labor turnover. The official policy to combat this problem has been to give priority to the development of social and cultural amenities. Substantial changes in wage differentials and other economic and non-economic benefits seem to be a measure of the past. This article presents an overview of the situation and suggests that if any public policy is to be effective, it has to combine accelerated development in the social and cultural spheres and economic and noneconomic benefits as well. Furthermore, these measures have to be more differentiated regionally and among worker categories. Any such policy would require massive investment. The question is whether Soviet society can bear this huge burden in view of more immediate needs. Another question is whether the additional investment required would be compensated by a comparable increase in the productivity of labor. In view of substantial cost increases, capital productivity is likely to decline if not compensated by a change in the calculated prices on Siberian products, especially oil and gas, which seems doubtful in view of the present international situation.     

THE IMPACT OF THE WATER ROUTES OF NOVGOROD AND NORTHEASTERN RUS' ON THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE TRANSVOLGA IN THE 12TH-14TH CENTURIES

On the basis of early chronicles, statutes, and maps, as well as toponyms, the author retraces the river routes and portages used by Novgorodian and Rostov-Suzdalian tribute collectors, traders, and soldiers travelling from the upper reaches of the Volga to the White Sea slope in the 12th-14th centuries. He also indirectly assesses the negative and positive impact of these waterways on the physical environment on the basis of artifacts and logic. (The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto).     

THE STUDY OF SPATIAL DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL ENLIGHTENMENT SERVICES

The study of cultural enlightenment services, comprising entertainment (movies, theaters), information (museums, libraries) and healthful activities (athletics, rest homes), is found to have been neglected by Soviet geographers. A variety of techniques are proposed to investigate spatial differences in this research area; the methods range from comparing the level of services in a particular place or area with a standard place (say, Moscow) to the use of information theory to measure the amount of information imparted in the provision of cultural services. In addition to the study of cultural services, there is need for a broader geography of culture in general, which would also examine the production and flows of cultural goods and the movements of population associated with the satisfaction of cultural needs.     

THE TRANSFORMATION OF RELIGIOUS LIFE IN RURAL TIBETAN HOUSEHOLDS

<正>Since Tibet Autonomous Region was founded in 1965,the Tibetan people have been in charge of their own affairs under the system of regional ethnic autonomy and religious freedom,with normal religious activities being respected and guaranteed.Taking Namseling Village in Chanang County,Lhoka Prefecture,and Lepu Village in Lhatse County,Shigatse,two common villages in Tibet,as examples,     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION

<正>People often say the best buildings in the Tibet Autonomous Region are school buildings.This is,in fact,true.The most beautiful view in schools is the smiling faces of children,and the most beautiful people are those school teachers who persist on living in a rural community to devote themselves to rural education.     

中国农村工业结构变化的省际差异分析

本文应用结构变化指数和专业化指数,定量分析了全国各省、市、区1986至1991年农村工业结构变化的差异、专业化差异及两者关系的差异,并根据各地专业化部门的变化趋势,对农村工业结构政策提出若干建议。     

PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL NONFARM PLACES IN THE USSR

According to the 1970 census, the Soviet Union had 37,800 rural nonfarm places with a combined population of 6.1 million, or 5.8 percent of the rural population. The census data are believed to understate the number and population of nonfarm places because they assigned rural places to the nonfarm category purely on the basis of their generic designation. Many multifunctional nonfarm places and rural places that serve as administrative centers and have little relation to agriculture were not categorized as nonfarm in the census. Although many of the smaller nonfarm places are likely to be eliminated over time, others will continue to perform clearly defined functions in industry, construction, transportation, and services. The situation is illustrated with particular reference to Novosibirsk Oblast.     

TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF TOURIST SERVICES IN THE USSR AND TRENDS IN ITS DEVELOPMENT

Differences in the support structure for tourism in various parts of the USSR are analyzed as a consequence of such factors as natural conditions, proximity to major population centers and tourist attractions, route connectivity, and the variable shares of private (e.g., dacha) and rental accommodations. Elements of both dynamism and stability in the current spatial pattern are identified and comparisons of tourism infrastructure for 1976, 1980, and 1986 are used to analyze changes occurring in subregions within four broad macrozones. Tourism infrastructure and interregional tourist travel both are concentrated in the central and southern parts of the European USSR. Translated by H. L. Haslett, Leamington Spa, UK from: Izvestiya Vsesoyuznogo Geograficheskogo Obshchestva, 1990, No. 1, pp. 86-94.