Rada P. Shirinen (publ. also as Oorzhak)

SCIENTIFIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTRIBUTION OF PAVLA ALEKSEEVNA SHAKHUNOVA TO THE STUDY OF THE ECONOMY OF TUVA (1950s-1970s)

The relevance of the research is determined by the need to preserve and analyze the historical heritage of regional economics, as well as to understand the processes of institutionalization of scientific research in Tuva during its integration into the national economic complex of the USSR after voluntarily joining it in 1944. Studying the role of key organizers of science, such as P.A. Shakhunova, allows us to reveal the mechanisms of formation of scientific policy and its direct impact on the socio-economic development of the region. The purpose of the article is to analyze the scientific and organizational activities of P.A. Shakhunova as the founder of economic research in Tuva in the 1950s and 1970s. The author analyzes how Shakhunova played a key role in the creation of a new economic sector in TNII in 1954, which laid the organizational foundations for systematic research; an analysis of her fundamental scientific works, such as the monograph “Soviet Tuva”, and their practical significance for planning regional development; the study of her active participation in key scientific and practical events, in particular, in the Regional Meeting on the Development of the Productive Forces of the Tuva Autonomous Region in 1958, where her expertise contributed to the formation of scientifically sound recommendations; as well as determining the direct impact of her scientific developments on subsequent government decisions reflected in the resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR and the USSR. Based on the use of archival materials, Shakhunova’s own publications and historiography, the author concludes that her multifaceted work laid the foundation for a systematic study of the economy of Tuva, and also became an important founder of economic modernization in the middle of the 20th century.