Digital Technologies as a Strategic Factor of Regional Development

The purpose of the work is to assess the role of digital technologies as a strategic factor in regional development from the point of view of the theory of strategy and strategizing methodology of academician V. L. Kvint. The problems of formation, development and measurement of processes associated with the digital economy are described. The analysis is based on the concept of three levels of development of the digital economy and digital inequality of regions. Analysis of static data for the regions of the Russian Federation on indicators characterizing the level of Internet accessibility and use of digital technologies, the results of calculations using various multifactor methods allowed the authors to substantiate the need to create a comprehensive methodology for assessing the level of penetration of digital technologies into the regional economy for strategizing purposes. Understanding the mechanisms for the transition of the availability of digital technologies into economic indicators of regional growth will make it possible to use the opportunities of digitalization to ensure competitiveness at the regional, national, and global level. It is necessary to form a holistic view of the region as a subject of strategizing economic development, which will correspond to the basic principles of creating and developing the digital economy.