THE USE OF COGNITIVE MODELING AND METHODS OF MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS TO ASSESS THE SPATIAL AND ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF RURAL TERRITORIES AND SMALL TOWNS
Improving the quality of life in every urban and rural settlement is an obvious and fundamental goal of the state policy of the Russian Federation. The aim of the study was to determine the development potential of rural areas and small towns using economic and mathematical modeling. The article provides a typological analysis of the definitions of rural areas and small towns. With the help of a mathematical apparatus, an assessment of development potentials is given, models for a more efficient distribution of financial and investment flows within urban and rural settlements are proposed. The definition of the entrepreneurial potential of small towns and rural areas, methods and tools that contribute to the effective use of natural, labor, material and financial resources in the spatio-temporal continuum is given. It is shown that the sustainable and harmonious development of small towns and rural areas is achievable on the basis of a program-target approach and state regulation measures. As a result of the analysis, the investment potential and opportunities for economic development of small towns and rural areas of the Volgograd region were determined. The following are proposed as key areas of regional policy: diversification of core activities, strengthening of investment potential, development of small businesses, optimization of financial flows, expansion of grant support for rural communities for landscaping.