Managing the digital transformation of creative industries to ensure the economic sovereignty of Russia: Problems and prospects in the Northwestern Federal District

Aim. The work aimed to develop recommendations for managing the digital transformation of creative industries using the example of the entities of the Northwestern Federal District (NWFD) based on the results of analyzing the readiness of their digital infrastructure for digital transformation for sustainable development and ensuring the economic sovereignty of Russia.
Objectives. The work seeks to justify the need and timeliness of creating digital transformation management processes that ensure the development of creative industries; to compile profiles of digital infrastructure readiness for digital transformation of creative industries using the Northwestern Federal District entities as an example, which can be used to determine promising areas for their development; to identify the specific aspects of creative industries formation in the Northwestern Federal District entities; to prove the existence of a close connection between the level of digital infrastructure readiness and the level of creative industries development; to develop recommendations for managing the digital transformation of creative industries to draft proposals for inclusion in regional strategies for their sustainable development and ensuring economic sovereignty of Russia.
Methods. The methodological framework includes methods of general scientific analysis based on a literature review, generalization and application of the experience of expert specialists, as well as special methods of economic research, including methods of formalized presentation using economic and mathematical models to study relationships.
Results. Recommendations have been developed for managing the digital transformation of creative industries based on readiness of the digital infrastructure in the entities under consideration, which may be useful for preparing proposals for their subsequent inclusion in regional strategies for the development of creative industries. The authors have compiled profiles of the digital infrastructure readiness of the Northwestern Federal District entities for the digital transformation of creative industries, which enable to determine promising fields for their development. The work presents the consolidated results of the analysis of the digital infrastructure readiness of these subjects by the end of 2023. It also substantiates the fact that the increase in the digital infrastructure readiness level is closely related to the development of creative industries in the Northwestern Federal District. The differences in the level of readiness of the Northwestern Federal District entities for digital transformation are analyzed, and corresponding recommendations are given for managing the digital transformation of creative industries for their sustainable development and ensuring the economic sovereignty of Russia.
Conclusions. According to the analysis results of the digital infrastructure readiness of the Northwestern Federal District entities, the leaders in 2023 were St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Novgorod regions, which were found to have a high level of the digital infrastructure readiness for the development of creative industries. There is an average level of digital infrastructure readiness in the Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Pskov, Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions, while creative industries are being actively developed in these regions. The Republic of Karelia and the Komi Republic, as well as the Nenets Autonomous District, have a low level of digital infrastructure readiness for digital business transformation in the Northwestern Federal District. A close relationship between the digital infrastructure readiness level and the level of development of creative industries in the Northwestern Federal District entities has been studied and identified. Recommendations have been developed for managing the digital transformation of creative industries, taking into account modern trends in the development of digital technologies, to prepare proposals for inclusion in regional strategies using the example of Northwestern Federal District entities for sustainable development and ensuring the economic sovereignty of Russia.

1. Anuprienko V.Yu. Economic sovereignty of Russia. Directions and tasks of strengthening economic sovereignty at the current stage of the country’s development. Vestnik RAEN = Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. 2023;23(4):60-67. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.52531/1682-1696-2023-23-4-60-67

2. Boldyrev O.Yu. Constitutional and legal problems of ensuring economic sovereignty: Russia, foreign experience. Cand. legal sci. diss. Synopsis. Moscow, 2017. 34 p. (In Russ.).

3. Tsvetkov V.A. Economic sovereignty of Russia in the new reality. Vestnik Natsional’nogo instituta biznesa = Bulletin of the National Institute of Business. 2022;(1):25-30. (In Russ.).

4. Evmenov A.D., Nasibullin I.U. Establishing regional institutions for creative industry development amid transformation of economic activity. Ekonomika i upravlenie = Economics and Management. 2024;30(10):1201- 1212. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.35854/1998-1627-2024-10-1201-1212

5. Sorvina T.A. Conditions and factors shaping the business models of social entrepreneurship. Uchenye zapiski Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta tekhnologii upravleniya i ekonomiki = Uchenye zapiski. St. Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics. 2014;(4):55-60. (In Russ.).

6. Nasibullin I.U. Directions of strategic development of foreign economic activity of Russia. In: Shirokova S.V., ed. Youth week of science of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade. Proc. All-Russ. student sci.-educ. conf. (St. Petersburg, December 2-7, 2024). St. Petersburg: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University; 2025:142-144. (In Russ.).

7. Vial G. Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda // The Journal of Strategic Information Systems. 2019. Vol. 28. No. 2. P. 118–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003

8. Warner K. S. R., Wäger M. Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal // Long Range Planning. 2019. Vol. 52. No. 3. P. 326–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001

9. Marx C., de Paula D., Uebernickel F. Dynamic capabilities & digital transformation: A quantitative study on how to gain a competitive advantage in the digital age // Europ. conf. on information systems (ECIS 2021): Human values crisis in a digitizing world (Marrakesh, June 14-16, 2021). Atlanta, GA: Association for Information Systems; 2021:1287. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351358623_dynamic_capabilities_digital_transformation_a_quantitative_study_on_how_to_gain_a_competitive_advantage_in_the_digital_age (accessed on 19.06.2025).

10. Kane G. The technology fallacy: People are the real key to digital transformation // Research-Technology Management. 2019. Vol. 62. No. 6. P. 44–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2019.1661079

11. Nadkarni S., Prügl R. Digital transformation: A review, synthesis and opportunities for future research // Management Review Quarterly. 2021. Vol. 71. No. 2. P. 233–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00185-7

12. Teichert R. Digital transformation maturity: A systematic review of literature // Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis. 2019. Vol. 67. No. 6. P. 1673–1687. https://doi.org/10.11118/actaun201967061673

13. Drobyshevskaya L.N., Popova E.D. Development of Russian knowledge economy in the era of digital transfor- mations. Kreativnaya ekonomika = Journal of Creative Economy. 2018;12(4):429-446. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18334/ce.12.4.39019

14. Zhuravlev D.M., Chaadaev V.K. Strategizing the sphere of creative industries: Digital transformation, technol- ogy, and training. Kreativnaya ekonomika = Journal of Creative Economy. 2024;18(4):889-904. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18334/ce.18.4.120817

15. Akberdina V.V., ed. Digital transformation of industry: Trends, management, strategies: Coll. sci. pap. Ekaterinburg: Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; 2022. 312 p. (In Russ.).

16. Veretyokhin A.V. Methodology for managing the digital transformation of an industrial enterprise. Vestnik Udmurtskogo universiteta. Seriya Ekonomika i pravo = Bulletin of Udmurt University. Series Economics and Law. 2024;34(5):800-807. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.35634/2412-9593-2024-34-5-800-807

17. Afanasev A.A. Assessing the digital maturity of industrial production in the context of its digital transforma- tion. Ekonomika, predprinimatel’stvo i pravo = Journal of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Law. 2024;14(7):3595- 3612. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18334/epp.14.7.121231

18. Kondratiev A.A. Digital transformation in the oil and gas sector. Vestnik nauki. 2023;2(11):804-821. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.24412/2712-8849-2023-1168-804-821

19. Makarov V.V., Volchik O.V. Digitalization of quality management systems in the oil and gas industry. Ekonomika i kachestvo sistem svyazi = Economics and Quality of Communication Systems. 2023;(1):4-13. (In Russ.).