Liberal and Etatist Economic Model of Spatial Development of the Economy in Retrospect

Introduction. The relevance of this study is determined by the tasks of our country’s transition to a new level of economic development in the context of the unfriendly policy of the “collective West”. In this regard, the Government of the Russian Federation, together with the Academy of Sciences, with the participation of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, is working in the field of regional spatial policy of socio-economic development. The economic model based on the primacy of free market relations, which is led by large transnational corporations, is increasingly yielding to statist models of economic activity regulation. The purpose of the article in this context is to specify the conditions under which the tasks of Russia’s spatial development coincide with the vector of meeting the needs of society, its readiness for change. In the case of collinear dynamics, this will contribute to tectonic shifts and, consequently, to strengthening the competitiveness of the state at the macro level. With pejorative tendencies – to a systemic failure, when the government cannot govern in a new way, and society will not put up with a situation where the “top” will hold dominance on the basis of a regressive or stagnation policy. Materials and Methods. It is very interesting, from this point of view is the historical and retrospective method of verification, which can reveal the interest of Russian society in specific or abstract values that play the role of an incentive that can expand the horizons of economic activity. Discussion and Conclusions. On the basis of historical experience, which verifies the views of the classics of economic thought, regularities are revealed in the synthesis of the ideas of state economic policy, the expectations of society and the desire of individuals to consume the good. The results of the study can be used in the development of conceptual and policy documents as part of the implementation of the National Technical Initiative and the Strategy for Spatial Development of Russia, as well as in order to make optimal management decisions on the formation and implementation of large-scale government projects. The results obtained explain from a historical point of view the priorities of society in the search for the optimal way to achieve well-being. The executive power needs such knowledge for the most efficient use of territorially localized resources when locating production facilities of advanced technological modes that ensure the strategic competitiveness of the Russian Federation.