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Sociodynamics
Reference:

Dynamics of the development of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns in the Orenburg region. Prospects and risks.

Pankovskii Pavel Andreevich

Postgraduate student, Department of Modern State and Municipal Management, Faculty of Economics and Management of the Russian State Social University

4 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia

p.pankovsky@gmail.com
Ryabova Tat'yana Mikhailovna

PhD in Sociology

Associate Professor of the Department of Modern State and Municipal Management, Faculty of Economics and Management of the Russian State Social University

4 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia

p.pankovsky@gmail.com

DOI:

10.25136/2409-7144.2023.9.44044

EDN:

YLXEUE

Received:

16-09-2023


Published:

02-10-2023


Abstract: The article presents an overview of the dynamics of the development of the digital economy of small enterprises in single-industry towns, presenting an analysis of the impact of digital technologies on this area. For the purpose of the study, Gai and Mednogorsk were selected from seven single-industry settlements in the Orenburg region, since these cities have a similar specialization (non-ferrous metallurgy). The article provides a comparative analysis of digital dynamics in the selected single-industry towns against the background of all-Russian and regional statistics. The features of the number, employment of small and medium-sized enterprises, income, and other aspects of development are investigated, as well as the strengths and problems of each single-industry town are identified. The article presents an overview of the dynamics of the development of the digital economy at small enterprises in such single-industry towns of the Orenburg region as Guy and Mednogorsk with a focus on the analysis of the impact of digital technologies. The study showed that digital technologies have a significant impact on small businesses, contributing to their growth and development. It is important to note that, despite some differences, both in the quality of the Internet and the scale, in general, there is no significant difference between the single-industry towns of Guy and Mednogorsk - the number of enterprises is stable, the number of employees is decreasing, and turnover is growing at a rate similar to inflation. This analysis also revealed several nationwide and regional trends that can become the basis for developing strategies to support small businesses in single-industry towns and other regions. These trends include an increase in the number and employment in the SME sector, an increase in income and profits, while the growth rates of indicators in the Orenburg region exceed similar indicators for the country as a whole, thus, there is no clear link between the development of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns and in the region as a whole.


Keywords:

small business, digital economy, single-industry towns, digital transformation, innovation, small enterprises, digital dynamics, regional statistics, national statistics, medium-sized enterprises

This article is automatically translated.

         Introduction

         In the modern world, digital transformation has become the locomotive of changes in business and in society as a whole. Its influence extends to all spheres of the economy, including small businesses in regions where city-forming enterprises play a dominant role. Currently, there are 321 single-industry towns in Russia, in which 10% of the country's population lives together. Single-industry towns, as regions dependent on individual large enterprises, find themselves in a particularly vulnerable position in the context of globalization and digital transformation. In this context, the digital transformation of single-industry towns and their small enterprises becomes critically important, as it carries the potential not only to optimize management and production, but also to change financial practices, which is especially important in single-industry towns, where the survival of small enterprises is closely related to operational efficiency and access to resources.

Studies (Kuprianovsky et al.) indicate that digital transformation contributes to reducing input costs. This is becoming an important aspect in single-industry towns, where the efficient use of resources can increase the competitiveness of enterprises and save jobs.

         In addition, the research results (Bauman) confirm that the digitalization of SMEs contributes to improving business performance and increasing labor productivity, and the introduction of digital technologies can make single-industry towns more attractive for investment and talented specialists, which in turn contributes to the sustainable development of the region.

         Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that digital transformation also presents challenges and risks, especially in the context of single-industry towns, and we are talking not only about the technical aspects of the introduction of digital technologies, but also about changes in the culture of organizations, data management and cybersecurity, therefore, a comprehensive development strategy is needed that takes into account the dynamics of digital transformation of small businesses in single-industry towns and their specific needs. In this article we will present an overview of the dynamics of digital transformation, starting from the federal level and ending with available information on two single-industry towns of the Orenburg region.

        

Literature review

         The issue of functioning and development of single-industry towns has become extremely acute, relevant and has acquired strategic importance not only for individual regions and municipalities, but also for the entire Russian economy as a whole (Kutergina, Lapin, 2015). One of the most important indicators that reflects the state of single-industry municipalities is the unemployment rate, given that unemployment stands out as the main obstacle to the development of single-industry towns. In order to promote the economic development of single-industry municipalities, the Government of the Russian Federation has developed a number of initiatives to support them through the chosen approach to the development of one industry.

In this set of initiatives, special attention is paid to the support of small enterprises as a decisive factor in the feasibility of a project to expand the economic base of mono-industrial regions (Davydova, Malyshkina, 2011). Small-scale enterprises mainly contribute to the creation of a competitive environment and serve residents of a single-industry town with goods and services. In addition, they perform social roles at the level of single-industry enterprises. cities, for example, creating new employment prospects for the population of the municipality and guaranteeing an increase in financial and human inflows to such settlements (Antipina, 2019).

 

Materials and methods

The main sources of information are the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), its regional division for the Orenburg Region, documents of the municipalities of the single-industry towns of Guy and Mednogorsk, statistical studies of the Higher School of Economics and the Ministry of Digital Development (MinCifra).

The main research methods are deduction, analysis, synthesis, statistical, tabular and graphical research methods.

 

Research results

In the context of the current research at the state level, 2 main adopted documents are interesting, these are the program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation” and the program “Integrated development of single-industry towns”.

The Digital Economy of the Russian Federation was approved in 2017 and is designed for the period 2019-2024. Its goals are:

- An increase in internal costs for the development of the digital economy from all sources by at least three times compared to 2017 (Table 1);

- Creation of a stable and secure information and telecommunications infrastructure for high-speed transmission, processing and storage of large amounts of data;

- The use of mainly domestic software by state, regional and municipal authorities, as well as private organizations.

 

 

Table 1 - Dynamics of financing of the program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation”

¹

 

Name of the federal project

 

The volume of financial support for the years of implementation (billion rubles)

 

Total from 2019 to 2024 (billion rubles)

 

 

 

 

 

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

1

Regulatory regulation of the digital environment

0,3

0,3

0,31

0,27

0,27

0,27

1,7

2

Information infrastructure

94,7

322,27

89,8

105,86

89,53

70,25

772,4

3

Personnel for the digital economy

10,86

14,88

24,95

30,42

31,85

30,11

143,09

4

Information security

7,65

9,67

10,08

1,05

0,98

0,77

30,2

5

Digital technologies

41,67

77,16

139,31

67,34

65,99

60,34

451,81

6

Digital public administration

29,28

30,92

40,81

53,08

44,78

36,84

235,71

 

Total according to the national program

184,45

455,21

305,27

258,02

233,39

198,57

1634,9

 

The total amount of financing of the program for the entire period is 1634.9 billion rubles.       The structure of funding directions is shown in Figure 1:

Figure 1 - The structure of financing by direction.

The Information Infrastructure project has the highest total amount of funding - 772.4 billion rubles, which indicates significant investments in the development of information technologies and related infrastructure projects. In 2020, significantly more funds were allocated than in 2019 for this project, and then in 2021 this amount decreased again. There are also a lot of funds for the "Digital Technologies" component.

Another important program for the current context is the "Integrated Development of single-industry towns", the main goal of which is to reduce the dependence of single-industry towns on large city-forming enterprises by creating 230,000 new jobs by the end of 2018 that are not related to these enterprises. The program is designed for the period from November 2016 to December 2025 and involves various measures, including the development of programs for the development of specific cities, economic diversification, improvement of the urban environment and the development of human capital. It is also planned to create territories of advanced socio-economic development in 100 single-industry towns and implement investment projects in 150 single-industry towns, including infrastructure development with the support of the Single-Industry Towns Development Fund (abolished). Coordination of efforts of all stakeholders, including federal and regional support, as well as public participation, is considered necessary for the success of this program. At the moment, the following results have been achieved (Ministry of Economic Development):

- 406 thousand jobs (177%)

- 65 TOP (281 residents, 11.4 thousand jobs, 21.7 billion rubles of investments, that is 65%)

- 56 infrastructure facilities;

- 319 teams have been trained.

The Resource Center for the Development of Non-commercial Organizations identified the following problems of the development of single-industry towns (Figure 2):

Figure 2 - Problems of development of single-industry towns in Russia

         So, it can be noted that such factors as the mono-profile and the obsession of workers around city-forming enterprises and the increased number of unemployed in single-industry towns are highlighted.

         Figure 3 shows the number of single-industry towns depending on the average turnover and the number of employees of enterprises that are not related to the city-forming:

Figure 3 - The number of single-industry towns depending on the average turnover and the number of employees of enterprises not belonging to the GROPE (Rosstat)

         Thus, the most likely growth sector is represented by small enterprises of single-industry towns, by the way, it is this category of business that most often applies for support (grants and loans)

Next, let's move on to the analysis of digital development in the Orenburg region. Table 2 shows the dynamics of the share of enterprises using a personal computer in their work:

Table 2 - The share of organizations in the Orenburg region and the Russian Federation using PCs (%)

Year

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Orenburg region

96,8

97,3

85,5

90,3

87,4

Russia as a whole

94

93,5

80,7

81,8

79,6

 

Let's represent the dynamics graphically in Figure 4:

Äèàãðàììà

Figure 4 - Dynamics of PC usage at enterprises in Russia and the Orenburg region

Over the entire period, a slightly higher percentage of organizations using PCs was observed in the Orenburg Region compared to the average in Russia, while in 2020-2022 the percentage in the Orenburg Region decreased, as did the percentage in Russia as a whole, which may indicate a transition to other technologies or changes in the methods of conducting the activities of organizations, perhaps influenced by factors such as advances in mobile technology or cloud computing.

         Next, in Table 3 and Figure 5, we will trace the dynamics of Internet use by Russian enterprises in general and by organizations from the region under consideration:

Table 3 - The share of organizations in the Orenburg region and the Russian Federation using the Internet (%)

Year

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Orenburg region

94,5

95,6

82,3

87,9

85,8

Russia as a whole

91,1

91,2

77

79,6

77,9

 

Äèàãðàììà

Figure 5 - Dynamics of Internet usage at enterprises in Russia and the Orenburg region

 

In all years, the Orenburg Region has seen a slightly higher percentage of organizations using the Internet compared to the national average, which suggests that the Orenburg Region's business landscape may be more connected to digital technologies and potentially better prepared to use online resources and other network capabilities compared to the average an indicator for the country.

         Next, let's look at the average number of employees of small enterprises in the country as a whole and in the Orenburg region, comparing their dynamics in Table 4:

Table 4 - Dynamics of the number of employees of small enterprises (thousand people)

Year

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Orenburg region

139,4

135,5

119,5

110,2

102,6

Russia as a whole

11 986,2

11 819,7

11 340,5

10 652,4

10 587,8

 

For a visual comparison in Figure 6, consider the percentages of growth (loss):

Äèàãðàììà

Figure 6 - Dynamics of increase and decrease in the number of employees of small enterprises in Russia and the Orenburg region

 

         It can be seen that in 2018 there was an increase in the number of such employees, and then in all subsequent years the number of such employees steadily decreased, and in the region both the increase and decrease were expressed to a greater extent over the entire period under review.

         Now let's look at the turnover of small enterprises in the country as a whole and in the Orenburg region, comparing their dynamics in Table 5 and similarly comparing the growth in Figure 7:

Table 5 - Dynamics of turnover of small enterprises, in billion rubles.

Year

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Orenburg region

264,1

321,5

363,7

415,9

460,2

Russia as a whole

48 459,26

53 314,2

52 963,9

57 197,2

60 947,9

 

Äèàãðàììà

Figure 7 - Dynamics of turnover of small enterprises in Russia and the Orenburg region

 

         According to this indicator, it is noticeable how sharply the turnover in the country as a whole increased in 2018 (by 25%), despite the fact that the growth in the region was much less noticeable (8%), however, then, in all subsequent years, the turnover of small businesses in the Orenburg region grew at a faster pace, and in the country as a whole in 2020 there was a recession.

         Thus, in general, we can safely say that the Orenburg Region is far from lagging behind the region in comparison with the country as a whole, since small businesses are becoming more productive, including thanks to digital technologies, and the share of organizations using PCs and the Internet is predominant compared to the average values in Russia, and there is a high probability that it is the more active use of basic digital technologies that allows small businesses to grow even despite a decrease in the number of employees.

 

                Next, let's move on to two single-industry towns in the region specializing in the non-ferrous metallurgy industry. 

          Mednogorsk is an industrial city in the east of the Orenburg Region, its largest enterprises are LLC Mednogorsk Copper–Sulfur Combine and OJSC Mednogorsk Electrotechnical Plant Uralelectro. The population of the city is 23,693 people (2021).

The average Internet speed in the city of Mednogorsk over the last period is:

- incoming 24.41 Mbps;

- outgoing 18.85 Mbps.

         Table 6 shows the dynamics of the number of small enterprises in the single-industry town of Mednogorsk from 2019 to 2022 by various types of activity:

Table 6 - Dynamics of the number of small enterprises by various types of activity in Mednogorsk

Type of activity

2019

2020

2021

2022

Number of small businesses

101

98

100

100

agricultural

3

3

3

3

mining

2

2

2

2

manufacturing industries

14

12

12

12

water supply

2

2

2

2

construction

16

16

16

16

trading

19

15

17

17

transportation and storage

11

13

13

13

information and communication

5

5

5

5

real estate transactions

11

10

10

10

others

18

20

20

20

 

The total number of small enterprises in Mednogorsk has remained relatively stable over these four years, fluctuating around 100, from which it can be concluded that the local business environment maintains a steady level of entrepreneurial activity.

In Mednogorsk, there are a variety of types of small businesses represented in various sectors, including manufacturing, trade, transport, information and communications, which can be useful for the economic sustainability of the city.         

In the context of the digital economy, such a sector as "Information and Communication" has remained unchanged, which indicates potential opportunities for digitalization and growth of technology-related business. Encouraging innovation in this sector can contribute to the development of the city's digital economy.

Next, in Table 7, we will consider employment for these types of small business activities:

Table 7 - Dynamics of employee employment in small business in Mednogorsk

Type of activity

2019

2020

2021

2022

Number of employees in all small enterprises

1127

1074

1070

1103

agricultural

38

32

30

33

mining

66

58

55

57

manufacturing industries

146

126

113

118

water supply

120

103

97

103

construction

126

128

105

107

trading

199

157

173

178

transportation and storage

118

126

110

112

information and communication

22

15

7

10

real estate transactions

120

145

213

215

others

172

184

167

170

 

         If growth and innovation are stimulated in the Information and Communication sector, it could potentially absorb some of the changes in employment observed in other sectors. The combination of these tables highlights the stability of the Mednogorsk small business landscape, the distribution of employment by sector, as well as the potential for industry shifts and growth, especially in the context of the digital economy.

And it is also necessary to consider the dynamics of the turnover of such enterprises in Table 8:

Table 8 - Dynamics of small business turnover in Mednogorsk, million rubles.

Type of activity

2019

2020

2021

2022

Small business turnover, in general

793,34

807,87

822

854,91

agricultural

6,75

7,05

7,15

7,7

mining

45,22

58

60,4

62,9

manufacturing industries

120,23

133,8

135,2

140,6

water supply

41,15

47

48,05

50,45

construction

168,69

172,1

174,1

181,06

trading

181,6

158,08

162

166,8

transportation and storage

47,1

43

43,5

45,4

information and communication

11,7

14,24

14,4

14,9

real estate transactions

100,08

103,29

105,2

109,5

others

70,82

71,25

72

75,6

 

Based on this table, it can be noted that there is an increase in turnover, unlike the previous two indicators, but do not forget about inflation, which can fully explain this growth.

There is less information on another single-industry town in the region, which underlines the fact that there is no single approach and a single base not only for the development of single-industry towns, but also for monitoring and their research. The city is also located in the east of the region, the city-forming activity - mining - is carried out by PJSC Gaisky GOK, which is part of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company. The population of the city is 33,280 people (2021).

The average Internet speed over the past month is ten times higher than in Mednogorsk:     

- incoming 423.89 Mbps;

- outgoing 517.80 Mbps.

Table 9 shows the dynamics of the number of small enterprises in the Gay monotown from 2019 to 2022 by various types of activity:

Table 9 - Dynamics of the number of small enterprises by various types of activity in Gai

Type of activity

2019

2020

2021

2022

Number of small businesses

171

172

163

172

agricultural

12

11

11

12

mining

4

4

4

4

manufacturing industries

22

22

21

23

water supply

1

0

1

1

construction

11

14

14

15

trading

47

42

39

41

transportation and storage

28

32

33

34

information and communication

2

1

1

1

real estate transactions

20

21

20

21

others

24

25

19

20

 

So it can be noted that in general, the situation is comparable with other single-industry towns in the region - the number of small enterprises is characterized by pronounced stability, however, there are much fewer companies in the field of information and communications, despite the fact that the Internet is much better.

Next, in Table 10, we will consider employment for these types of small business activities:

Table 10 - Dynamics of employee employment in small business in Guy

Type of activity

2019

2020

2021

2022

Number of employees in all small enterprises

1214

1244

1137

1165

agricultural

73

78

85

87

mining

78

98

93

95

manufacturing industries

218

210

61

65

water supply

3

0

0

1

construction

84

87

90

95

trading

178

225

227

230

transportation and storage

41

13

33

35

information and communication

6

1

1

1

real estate transactions

262

259

259

263

others

271

273

288

293

 

Here we are also seeing a decrease in the number of personnel in almost all areas, except construction and trade.

And it is also necessary to consider the dynamics of the turnover of such enterprises in table 11:

Table 11 - Dynamics of small business turnover in Guy, million rubles.

Type of activity

2019

2020

2021

2022

Small business turnover, in general

1785,1

1884

1798

1941,8

agricultural

202,6

195,5

185,2

209,9

mining

218

223,2

217,2

229,3

manufacturing industries

177,8

174

85,6

90,1

water supply

1,5

0

0,5

1,5

construction

79,1

109,7

123,2

129,8

trading

661,6

732,5

734,4

785,9

transportation and storage

66,8

82

82

85,3

information and communication

0,2

0,5

0,6

0,7

real estate transactions

154,6

185

185,6

198,6

others

222,9

181,6

184,2

210,7

 

Thus, we can conclude that the situation in both cities looks very similar, only the scale differs.

 

Conclusion

         The article presents an overview of the dynamics of the development of the digital economy at small enterprises in such single-industry towns of the Orenburg region as Guy and Mednogorsk with a focus on the analysis of the impact of digital technologies. The study showed that digital technologies have a significant impact on small businesses, contributing to their growth and development. It is important to note that, despite some differences, both in the quality of the Internet and the scale, in general, there is no significant difference between the single-industry towns of Guy and Mednogorsk - the number of enterprises is stable, the number of employees is decreasing, and turnover is growing at a rate similar to inflation.

         This analysis also revealed several nationwide and regional trends that can become the basis for developing strategies to support small businesses in single-industry towns and other regions. These trends include an increase in the number and employment in the SME sector, an increase in income and profits, while the growth rates of indicators in the Orenburg region exceed similar indicators for the country as a whole, thus, there is no clear link between the development of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns and in the region as a whole.

In conclusion, it is emphasized that despite the desire of federal authorities to develop the digital economy in a manageable manner and the programs adopted, the importance of the development of the digital economy, the conditions for effective analysis and control of this development at the municipal level are still not created, but there is no doubt the relevance of further study of this topic in order to develop more effective support and incentive measures entrepreneurship in regions and single-industry towns.

References
1. Kupriyanovskiy, V.P., Alenkov V.V., Pershin, A.V., Namiot, D.E., Klimov, A.A., Volokitin, Yu.I., & Sinyagov, S.A. (2018). Smart single-industry towns as zones of economic development of digital economy. International Journal of Open Information Technologies, 1. Retrieved from https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/umnye-monogoroda-kak-zony-ekonomicheskogo-razvitiya-tsifrovoy-ekonomiki
2. Bauman, H. (2019). Digitalization, business models and SMEs: How do innovative business models improve the efficiency of digitization of SMEs? Telecommunications Policy.
3. Kutergina, G. V., & Lapin, A.V. (2015). Management of the development of single-industry towns: domestic and foreign approaches to modeling. Bulletin of Perm University, 3, 69-78.
4. Davydova, I. Sh., & Malyshkina, A.M. (2011). Single-industry towns: problems and prospects of development. Kazan: Cognit. Publ. The House of the Institute of Economics.
5. Antipina, N. V. (2019). Optimization of investments in the fixed capital of an oil company. Bulletin of Baikal State University, 29(2), 262-272.
6. Brunekiene, J., Tsincikaite, R., & Kilijoniene, A. (2012) The specifics of measuring urban competitiveness at the national and international level. [Miestų konkurencingumo vertinimo nacionaliniu ir tarptautiniu mastu ypatumai]. Eng Econ, 23(3), 256–270. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.23.3.1272
7. Monfaredzade, T., & Berardi, U. (2014) How can cities pave the way to a sustainable, competitive and smart future? WIT Trans Ecol Environ, 191, 1063–1074. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2495/SC140902
8. OECD. (2014). Measuring the Digital Economy: A New Perspective ; OECD Publishing House: Paris, France.

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It is no secret that in the 1990s the socio-economic cataclysms that struck our country especially affected single-industry towns, which, according to the apt observation of A.N. Maslova, became indicators of the problems of the entire Russian economy. And today, the deserted mining villages around Vorkuta look sad, and in 2014 the Ministry of Economic Development developed a plan to close unpromising single-industry towns. Massive staff reductions at city-forming enterprises often lead to an outflow of population, but at the same time there are examples of successful single-industry towns that have adapted to modern economic realities. Let's name, by the way, the science cities of the Russian Federation, among which, of course, Obninsk, Dubna and others. In the context of the modern digital transformation of the economy, it is important to study the potential of the socio-economic potential of Russian single-industry towns. These circumstances determine the relevance of the article submitted for review, the subject of which is the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns. The author sets out to analyze the dynamics of the development of the digital economy in small enterprises in single-industry towns of the Orenburg region, as well as to identify national and regional trends "that can become the basis for developing strategies to support small businesses in single-industry towns and other regions." The work is based on the principles of analysis and synthesis, reliability, objectivity, the methodological basis of the research is a systematic approach, which is based on the consideration of the object as an integral complex of interrelated elements. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the very formulation of the topic: the author, based on various sources, seeks to characterize the prospects and risks of the development of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns on the example of the Orenburg region. Considering the bibliographic list of the article as a positive point, its versatility should be noted: in total, the list of references includes 8 different sources and studies. From the sources attracted by the author, we note the materials of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, data from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), etc. From the studies used, we will point to the works of N.V. Antipina, G.V. Kotergina and A.V. Lapina, whose focus is on various aspects of the development of single-industry towns. Note that the bibliography of the article is important both from a scientific and educational point of view: after reading the text of the article, readers can turn to other materials on its topic. In general, in our opinion, the integrated use of various sources and research contributed to the solution of the tasks facing the author. The style of writing the article can be attributed to scientific, but at the same time understandable not only to specialists, but also to a wide readership, to anyone interested in both single-industry towns in general and the digital economy in single-industry towns in particular. The appeal to the opponents is presented at the level of the collected information received by the author during the work on the topic of the article. The structure of the work is characterized by a certain logic and consistency, it can be distinguished by an introduction, the main part, and conclusion. At the beginning, the author defines the relevance of the topic, shows that "the digital transformation of single-industry towns and their small enterprises is becoming critically important, as it carries the potential not only to optimize management and production, but also to change financial practices, which is especially important in single-industry towns, where the survival of small enterprises is closely linked to operational efficiency and access to resources". Having carried out a brief analysis of the literature, the author proceeds to the study of digital development in the Orenburg region. The paper shows that "despite some differences, both in the quality of the Internet and in scale, in general, there is no significant difference between the single-industry towns of Guy and Mednogorsk - the number of enterprises is stable, the number of employees is decreasing, and turnover is growing at a rate similar to inflation." The reviewed work is full of reference data, summarized in tables and figures. The main conclusion of the article is to identify all-Russian and regional trends, among which "an increase in the number and employment in the SME sector, income and profit growth, while the growth rates of indicators in the Orenburg region exceed similar indicators for the country as a whole, thus, there is a clear link between the development of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns and in the region as a whole it is not traceable." The article submitted for review is devoted to an urgent topic, will arouse readers' interest, is provided with 7 figures and 11 tables, and its materials can be used both in training courses and within the framework of strategies for the development of the digital economy of Russia. There are some comments on the article: 1) There are 7 single-industry towns in the Orenburg region: Sol-Iletsk, Novotroitsk, Kuvandyk, Mednogorsk, Yasny, Svetly, Guy. It is necessary to justify the choice for the analysis of Mednogorsk and Guy. It would be interesting to see a comparative analysis of all single-industry towns in the Orenburg region. 2) In the text, table 11 is mistakenly referred to as 8. 3) The bibliography of the article should be brought into line with the requirements of GOST. 4) Add "on the example of the Orenburg region" to the title of the article. After correcting these comments, the article may be recommended for publication in the journal Sociodynamics.

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The subject of the research in the presented article is the dynamics of the development of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns. Deduction, analysis, synthesis, statistical, tabular and graphical research methods were used as the methodology of the subject area of research in this article. The relevance of the article is beyond doubt, since digitalization of all spheres of public life is developing rapidly, and above all, it has found the widest distribution in the economic sphere, as evidenced by the implementation of such complex documents as the program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation", designed for the period from 2019 to 2024 and "Integrated development of single-industry towns". The scientific novelty of the study consists in a comparative analysis of the main indicators of the digital economy of small businesses in the single-industry towns of Guy and Mednogorsk, Orenburg region, as well as identification of the main trends based on the analysis, assessment of prospects and possible risks. The article is presented in the language of scientific style. The structure is designed taking into account all the requirements for writing scientific articles, namely, it includes such basic structural elements as an introduction, literature review, materials and methods, research results, conclusion and bibliography. The content of the article reflects its structure. Especially valuable in the content of the study is the use of visual material in tabular and graphical forms, which greatly facilitates the perception of the materials of the content of the presented scientific article. The bibliography contains 8 sources, not only domestic periodicals and non-periodicals, but also foreign publications. Since the presented study is analytical in nature and contains a large amount of statistical data, on the basis of which a comparative analysis of the main indicators of the digital economy of small businesses of two single-industry towns of the Orenburg region was carried out, then as such an appeal to opponents is not given in this article, however, the study presents the points of view of various authors on the problems of the digital economy of small businesses and development features mogogorodov. Based on the analysis, the study contains brief conclusions concerning the subject area of the study, as well as the prospects and risks of the digital economy of small businesses in single-industry towns, taking into account the regional characteristics of the Orenburg region. The materials of this study are intended for a wide range of readership, they can be interesting and used by scientists for scientific purposes, teaching staff in the educational process, state and municipal employees to prepare analytical materials on the stated topic.As a disadvantage of this study, it should be noted that the sources in the bibliographic list are not very modern, only two sources relate to 2019, and one source from 2018, the rest of the sources presented in the bibliography are more than 10 years old. However, this remark does not detract from the quality of the presented research, but is more of a recommendation.The article is recommended for publication.