Advantages of Modeling a Regional Development Strategy Based on "Smart" Benchmarking

Solving the problem of the effective functioning of economic subjects is always associated with the search and identification of strategic development priorities. One of the most significant mechanisms of strategizing today is benchmarking. Benchmarking is the process of identifying best practices in order to adapt them to the activity of the analyzed object and improve its development parameters on a given basis. The article presents an evolutionary analysis of the formation of "smart" benchmarking as a tool for managing the development of socio-economic systems. The stages of development, objectives and advantages of the benchmarking procedure are highlighted, its distinctive features are identified. A method has been developed for conducting a benchmarking procedure for territorial systems. Testing methods carried out on the example of the Perm Krai. On the basis of using the methods of mathematical statistics, the method of grouping and generalization, a systematic approach, the authors determined the development priorities of the Perm Krai. The method proposed by the authors for conducting "smart" benchmarking is a universal and promising mechanism for substantiating effective directions of regional development by state authorities of any country.