The article looks at how different regions in Russia are catching up economically. By studying data from 1998 to 2006, the researchers found that regions with similar income levels tend to converge. However, the overall speed of this convergence is slow, especially when considering the influence of neighboring regions. High-income regions near other wealthy areas show the strongest convergence. This suggests that looking at the big picture might not give the full story of how regions in Russia are growing closer economically.