Abstracts of Main Articles

Social and economic problems of Russian Arctic. Between the past and the future

Leksin V.N.,

Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Chief Research Officer, Institute for Systems Analysis, FRC «Computer Science and Control» RAS

Abstract. Russian Arctic is a unique macro-region of our country, on the territory of which all the present social and economic problems without exception are highly concentrated. They are equally generated both by swift transition of the created in the Soviet period industries, infrastructure and settlement system to liberal market terms and all the following reformation processes. On the Arctic territory of Russia the greatest domestic and foreign corporations expanded their activities, over a decade ago the Arctic became an object of the state power’s strategic intentions and nowadays none of the country’s macro-regions is between the past and the future to such an extent. The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is heterogeneous in natural- climatic and other terms, but it is united in a number of social and economic aspects, from which specificity of the Soviet Arctic heritage entering liberal market environment, activity of corporate giants of modern economy in this zone and strategic intentions of the state concerning developing the Arctic macro-region are characterized in this article. Along with it, in the author’s opinion, everything that took place on the Arctic territory earlier, is taking place now and is expected to take place further turns out to be a sort of markers of Russian reality’s past, present and future on the whole.

Keywords: Arctic, Soviet period, reforms, settlements, corporations, state socio-economic policy.

 

Pension reform: From «shadow» to «shadow»…

Lyubinin A.B.,

ScD (Economics), Professor, Member of the Board of Directors of «Business-Alliance», JSC

Abstract. The article deals with the main argument put forward by the government of the Russian Federation to support pension reform, which amounts to significant, albeit prolonged in time, increase of the retirement age. The author critically assesses government’s interpretation of the socioeconomic nature of old age pensions, reveals incorrectness of the forecasts for the average life expectancy and the absence of proper correspondence of these forecasts with strategic economic development plans (although the transformations are calculated for more than 15 years). Author points out that it is necessary to use data of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, which are the most representative, but are not usually published in statistical calculations. Article tends to prove the authors of the reform to ignore insurance nature of the working citizens deductions to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, unreasonably mixing insurance contributions with transfers from federal budget. In the author’s opinion, the hidden goal of the planned reform is the notorious «saving on the social sector», reduction of social expenditures, replacing the «saved» state finances with the insurance savings of the citizens. Pension reform is a large-scale and multifactorial event, so it can be carried out successfully only as an organic component of a complex modernizing economy strategy, technological renewal of the national economy and improvement of the life quality in Russia.

Keywords: pension reform, retirement age, the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, changes in pension legislation, life expectancy, social state, wages, insurance pension system, budget transfers.

 

Natural resources as key component of the national wealth of a country: qualitative and quantitative characteristics, economic role and problems of increasing the efficiency of use

Ryzhkov N.I.,

a member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, in 1985–1990 — the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR

Abstract. According to the tradition of classical political economy, the national wealth of any country includes, along with social wealth, natural wealth represented by the «substance of nature», not yet mediated by social labor, but allowing the impact of cash means of production. The subject of this article is precisely the natural component of the national wealth of the Russian Federation. The author analyzes briefly the natural resource potential of modern Russia, including the main minerals, their reserves and development prospects. The role of natural resources in the socio-economic development of the country in the long-term retrospective is considered. Key problems of increasing the efficiency of using these resources in the present and in the future are identified and approaches to their solution are outlined.

Keywords: national wealth, social wealth, natural wealth, natural resources, nature use, natural resource potential, subsoil use, mineral resources, mineral and raw materials complex, mineral deposits, geology, geological prospecting, biological resources, industrialization, post-war rehabilitation of the economy, post-Soviet reforms, globalization, information wars.

 

Development of the trade sphere of Russia: integration tendencies in the conditions of inclusion of the country in the world economy

Cheglov V.P.,

Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

Abstract. The present article is devoted to problems of system development of trade infrastructure in the country in the conditions of embedding of Russia in global economy. Questions of integration and consolidation of the trade sphere, change of the place and a role of small business in this process, prospects, conceptual questions of its «survival» and preservation in the medium term are considered.

Keywords: domestic trade, integration, retail chain stores, small business.

 

Prospects of the process and its potential to counter anti-Russian sanctions

Polivach A.P.,

PhD. (Economics), Senior Research Fellow, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), Moscow, Russia

Abstract. The article reviews prospects of internationalisation of Russian Rouble and a capability of this process to weaken the impact of sanctions, which were introduced against Russia. The author comes to conclusion that basic prerequisites for the Rouble to rise to the level of the second tier reserve currencies (like Australian Dollar) have been formed. Also the process of the Rouble internationalisation could loose the pressure of the sanctions, but only to some degree. As the principle regulatory actions necessary to remove obstacles for international usage of the Rouble have been already taken, so further activity should be focused on increasing the confidence of business and households to the Russian currency coupled with support to local exporters and importers, which use or intend to use the Rouble in international transactions.

Keywords: internationalisation of Russian Rouble, international currency, sanctions against Russia, gold bonds of the Bank of Russia.

 

Transformational changes in the modern world economy in conditions of the glocalization and the crisis of globalism (materials for lectures and seminars)

Arkhipov A.Yu.,

ScD (Economics), Professor, Head of International Business Department of Southern Federal University,

Yeletsky A.N.,

PhD (Economics), Head of Scientific and Applied Research Department of State Autonomous Institution of the Rostov Region «Regional Information and Analytical Center»

Abstract. The article analyzes the contradictory trends of the modern world economic system’s development.

The multidimensional and ambiguous character of regionalization, glocalization and fragmentation, which are being formed as the most important trends in the conditions of the crisis of globalism, is considered. New directions and opportunities of regional and global geo-economic leadership are revealed and demonstrated. The specificity of the current world economic positions of Russia and possible vectors of transformation of its global positioning within the rapidly changing world economy are characterized.

Keywords: globalization, crisis of globalism, glocalization, multipolarity, «equilibrium zones», geoeconomic leadership, competitiveness.

 

Economics of information society: twenty years later

Peshchanskaya I.V.,

ScD (Economics), Professor at the Department «Financial markets», Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

Abstract. The article, accompanied by editorial comments, reflects results of many years of author’s research, started development, results of which were published in article “Economics of information society (materials for lectures and seminars)” in № 5-6 “Russian economic journal” for 1996. The conceptual basis of article is modern information theory of market as a communicative system. The progress in sphere of Informatization of economy on basis of introduction of digital technologies is considered; the corresponding Russian and foreign statistical and factual data are given. The new properties of market, formed as a result of development and implementation of these technologies, allowing a new way to process and apply in business huge amounts of public information, are characterized.

Keywords: economy of information society, digital economy, information theory of market, market as a communication system, information technology (IT), information and communication technologies (ICT).