The security dimension of modern regional studies: theoretical and methodological foundations for fostering resilient regional development

Abstract

This article presents an in-depth theoretical and methodological analysis of the evolution of approaches to the security dimension of regional studies. It examines the process of shaping sustainable regional development as a sequential security model of a territory—from the initial stage of assessing local resource-related threat factors to the construction of complex interdisciplinary resilience models. It is argued that the initial stage of security determination, associated with the study of indicators, classifications, and normative requirements for resilience, directly correlates with the paradigm of classical determinism. This approach, based on rigid cause-and-effect relationships, linearity, and reductionism, is fundamental for identifying static threats but reveals limitations when analyzing dynamic objects. The paper demonstrates an evolutionary transition to a non-classical stage, which legitimized the factor of randomness and probabilistic-statistical methods of risk assessment within the framework of decentralization and financial security. Particular attention is paid to the implementation of the post-nonclassical paradigm and modern concepts of endogenous development as the highest level of security maturity in the management of resilience architecture. The managerial value of integrating cognitive-informational factors, dimensions of information culture, and the state’s strategic communication systems into security practice is examined. It has been demonstrated how, within the framework of probabilistic determinism, small changes at the level of micro-regulators or targeted instruments of financial support for communities can radically reshape the macrostructure of stability. It has been determined that the logic behind the development of security strategies in regions, as updated for 2026, must reflect the historical transformation of contemporary regional studies. This enables decision-makers to develop flexible, adaptive thinking and a modern security culture, which are necessary conditions for successfully modeling complex open systems in today’s dynamic environment. Three stages of the security dimension and resilience of regional systems are substantiated: the lower stage (normative-monitoring-adoption of indicators and algorithms), the middle stage (analytical, probabilistic-statistical-legitimizing randomness and assessing vulnerabilities), and the highest stage (managerial, adaptive-strategic–shaping nonlinear security development and resilience). Keywords: security dimension, modern regional studies, sustainable regional development, classical determinism, non-classical science, post-non-classical approach, resilience, endogenous development, information culture, self-organization of regions.