Diversification Indexes: Arrangement And Application Possibility For Company Towns

Abstract

The recent decade is of high priority for Russian company towns calling for significant modernization of the economy with correspondent investments. The company town economic development is considered mainly through the diversification strategy. The diversification process supposes the change of the company town structure from a single industry to diverse. The article contributes to the concept of company town diversification and the methodology of its evaluation. The authors compare “diversification”concepts at the regional level matching the objects of diversification. The article summarizes and systemizes the indexes of diversification measurement and offers to divide them into two groups - general and specific indexes. The general indexes can be implemented in different economic activities and objects whereas the specific ones focus on the micro or mezzo levels. The system of indexes for the diversification evaluation is complemented by shift-share and regional indexes. The results are figured out in a schematic way classifying the diversification indexes according to the object and the possibility to use the indexes for a company town diversification evaluation. All considered methods are compared by the range of results, possibility to assess the dynamics, and the variety of measured data. The comparative analysis made it possible to define the indexes that can be applicable for company town diversification evaluation and offer the diversification index for company towns that combines the considered measures.