Content №1 от 2004
Federalism as the appropriate state structure for Russia
The paper examines typological traits, universal principles, and trends in federal relations as well as the historical features and tendencies of the Russian federalism. It focuses on major principles of the current reform and on key priorities in the development of federal and national policy at the present stage.
Economic integration: regional aspect
Considered are mechanisms which in the rightly functioning economy determine centripetal forces keeping the national economy from breakup into many regional elements. The author has analyzed how in the Russian transition economy, in the context of unified national market whose agents are regions, these mechanisms are working towards integration. It is shown that revival of interregional links is going on more quickly and ahead of the revival of economic growth, being its indicator and stimulator.
Statistical measurements of regional appreciations and a posteriori assessment of priorities of federal social-economic policy
The paper presents a methodology for building a system of regional indicators, free from the effect of factors of regional price rises distorting the picture in regions and making the procedures of state regional policy cumbersome. Using this methodology, the actual priorities of federal social and economic policy estimated through interregional comparison of nominal and reduced indicators are analyzed.
Siberia as the eastern vector of the national economy
The paper analyzes the economic development of the country up 2010 on the case of the best designed and largest investment projects of federal and Siberian significance. Estimations of the increment to gross domestic product generated by development of Siberian resources as well as investment requirements into the implementation of the projects are assessed.
Federalism and regional policy under the strengthened power vertical
The paper examines federal relations and regional policy in the context of the ongoing strengthening of the power vertical. It deals with such crucial aspects of federal relations and regional policy as harmonization of regional with federal laws and division of competence between the Federation and its regions; regional policy and formation of regional political communities, consolidation of regions and the federal structure of the RF. Special analysis is devoted to resource areas in the federal system, regional policy and problems of rent distribution. The theme of developing strategies for mega-regions as a part of regional policy is considered on the case of the Siberia.
Regional economics and regional science in Russia: ten years later
The author uses the results of studies of changes in the regional economy and regional science of Russia after the economic shock. The author analyzes the major contemporary transformation trends in the national economic space, that is, continued interregional social-economic disparities, disintegration and integration processes; shift from economic depression to economic growth. The analysis of transformation tendencies over the decade have allowed the author to identify major stages in the development of the economy of regions – from fall in output, interregional disparities and disintegration (1994-1995) to economic upturn in most regions, resumption of integration tendency and lack of sufficient signs of social-economic convergence of regions (1999-2003). With respect to domestic regional science, it is argued that real changes have been on it more reflected than on other social and economic sciences.
Russian-Northeast-Asian energy cooperation
National interests of Russia require that mutually rewarding cooperation with Japan, China, Korea and other countries of North Eastern Asia (NEA) be intensified. Fuel and energy potential of the eastern areas of the country, in particular, Eastern Siberia and the Far East, are seen in the paper as one of the major instruments to improve the mutually profitable cooperation of Russia with the NEA countries. Arguments are given in favor of development of long-run strategy of Russia’s cooperation with the NEA countries on the basis of fast and large-scale development of eastern areas of Russia.
Rural labor market in modern Russia
The paper is devoted to transformations in the rural labor market. The analysis of the situation in the labor market is made on the following parameters: dynamics and structure of employment, duration and rate of unemployment, tightness of the labor market, qualitative makeup of labor. Special attention is paid to analysis of institutional changes in the agrarian sector that have a great effect on the sphere of labor, revealing specific features in the rural labor market as well as the dominant behavioural models. In conclusion, the author examines the most urgent challenges and positive trends in the Russian agrarian sector as the basis for further improvement of the situation in the labor market.
Siberia as a factor in the Russian innovative progression: conceptual framework
The author emphasizes the urgency for Russia and for Siberia, in particular, to shift to the path of innovativeness. Only the radical increase of the share of intellectual work in the generated product can potentially provide the national economy with competitiveness, and the role of Siberia in this transformation is very high. Innovation mechanisms in the USA and Russia are compared, and approaches to estimation of the effect of innovative activity as well as analysis of some innovation projects to be implemented in the Novosibirsk Academic Centre are discussed. At the end of the paper certain results of the efforts on creation of the network innovation infrastructure are presented.
Regional economic potential as basis of internal competitiveness
The results of the study of competitiveness of the economies of Russian regions are given and their chances to keep and improve their positions in the national economy are estimated. The author comes to a conclusion that since 1995 the regions with competitive economy have become stronger and those with non-competitive economy economically weaker; the competitiveness of the region’s economy depends not only on the its economic potential, but on the state of the national economy; the society can purposefully form the competitive advantages and thus repress the negative action of factors that are beyond its control at this point.
Analysis of statistical correspondence between ratings of investment climate and factual investments in regions
The paper examines the results of a study of statistical correspondence between ratings of investment climate and factual investments in regions over the 1996-2002 period. It was necessary to select indicators of regional investment activity, building a database of indicators of investment potential and investment risk on the basis of the estimates published by the Expert agency, to rationalize estimation procedures and testing the correspondence by use of the quasi-logistic regression method.
Strategy of sustainable development of Novosibirsk
It is shown that in the megapolis of Novosibirsk the adaptation of residents to the post-soviet conditions is being completed. This is seen in that the a great part of citizens have overcome their tendency toward social infantilism; in the noted growth of involvement in labor force and orientation to the desired level of well-being; growth of industrial output, trade turnover, investments and real incomes of the population. The discovered tendencies have allowed the mayor office to undertake the development of the strategy of sustainable economic development of the city for the period up 2020. The paper considers the structure of strategy, its key objectives and tasks and the mechanisms for its implementation.
Economic science in the Ural region
The paper traces the formation of economic science in the Ural region from 1723 up to this day. Originally the economic science stayed within the oiconomy, but with the appearance in 1890 of the work Development of Capitalism in Russia that used the Ural data, the scientific analysis of economic development was started. The formation of the economic sciences in the Ural region dates back to 1921 when a general-planning commission was set up in Yekaterinburg which, along with currently imposed tasks, was to carry out a comprehensive study of the economic situation in the region. In 1948 Sector of Economic Studies was set up, and in 1951 the Department and in 1971 the Institute of Economic of the Ural Branch of the Academy of Sciences. Today the Institute carries out studies on the development of theory and methodology for management of areas, prediction and strategic planning of the social and economic development of the Ural areas, analysis of structural, institutional and innovative transformation in the sectors of the regional national economic complex, on mechanisms of economic security and social stability in various territorial systems.
