World trade organization and structural changes in economy of a region

In the article, the results of the research dedicated to the probable consequences of Russian entry to WTO are represented. Based on the analysis of the opposite points of view, it is shown that changes depend more on the economic situation in the country and not on the entry itself. The series of negative starting characteristics of Russian economy is noticed. Among those are the significant spatial differentiation of particular regions and the disproportion of the regional development. It also noted that Russian entry to WTO may deepen this disproportion. The prognosis of economic structural changes is proposed to implement in the two fields: in the traditional economic sector and the field of the knowledge-based economy. The method was developed for determining the first field of prognosis, which approbation confirmed the probable declining trend in traditional economic sectors. The task considering the second field was solved on the basis of the research in technology and innovation capital transformation processes on the example of two groups of countries: already WTO members but still developing countries and developing countries beyond WTO. The results of the research show the WTO entry neutral influence on structural changes in the knowledge-based economy.