Conceptual aspects of formation of a knowledge-based economy

The article summarizes international experience in the study of main trends in knowledge generation and dissemination and reveals key aspects of a knowledge-based economy: a new quality of economic growth, science and innovation, networking, IT technologies, and the knowledge-intensive services sector. Also touched upon are globalization aspects and the socioeconomic problems of transition from a knowledge-based economy to a knowledge society.     

Affiliates and parent employment through foreign direct investment: a study case of substitutability or complementarity

How does outward foreign direct investment (FDI) affect employment of multinationals in the home country? Does the impact of outward investment differ among manufacturing and service sectors? Using data on Italian MNEs, this paper examines the impact of Italian outward FDI on local employment between 1998 and 2006. In particular, we investigate the relationship existing between employment in the parent company and employment in foreign affiliates by distinguishing according to host-country location and sector of activity. The results suggest that the effects of Italian outward FDI on domestic employment differ according to the sector and the country of destination. In the manufacturing sector, a weak but significant relationship of labour substitutability is found for Italian MNEs producing low-technology products in foreign affiliates localized in high-wage countries. On the other hand, a significant North–south complementarity relationship in labour demands appears in the High and Medium-high- technology sectors. In the service sector, we find strong complementarity between employment in the parent firm and employment in foreign affiliates: in particular, this regards Italian MNEs producing knowledge-intensive services both in Western affiliates and CEEC locations. These results are robust when we control for endogeneity of output and parent wages.     

Innovation activity in branches of Russia’s agroindustrial sector

The main directions in developing the innovation processes in key branches of the agroindustrial sector of the Russian Federation in the modern Russian economy are considered. The role of the state creating a modern innovation system is presented, as well as activation of scientific research into the agroindustrial sector.     

浙江企业与美国企业在知识技术密集产业合作空间分析

本文从高新技术制造业、知识密集型服务业、知识型服务外包、产业技术创新(R&D)转移四个方面分析了美国企业与浙江企业可能进行的合作空间,并进一步提出了浙江承接美国高知识技术密集产业国际转移和国际科技合作的对策。     

What can we learn on Chinese aid allocation motivations from available data? A sectorial analysis of Chinese aid to African countries

Since the creation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, Chinese official development assistance (ODA) to Africa has increased drastically. Only few analyses on the determinants of Chinese ODA allocation to African countries are available. Moreover, existing literature mainly focused on total aid flows while Chinese motivations for aid allocation might differ depending on the ODA sector considered. Our objective is to study the factors associated with Chinese aid allocation to African countries by sector between 2000 and 2014. We consider three ODA broad sectors as defined by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): the social infrastructure and services sector, the economic infrastructure and services sector and the production sector. Chinese ODA is measured using AidData's Global Chinese Official Finance Dataset, 2000–2014, Version 1.0. Over the 2000–2014 period, China allocated 971, 218 and 138 ODA projects to African countries in the social infrastructure and services sector, the economic infrastructure and services sector and the production sector respectively. Between 2000 and 2014, the economic infrastructure and services sector was the first sector in terms of ODA amount with a total of US$18.9 billion ahead from the social infrastructure and services sector with US$7 billion or the production sector with US$3.1 billion. Results of our analysis suggest that the motivations of Chinese aid allocation to African countries differ by sector. Chinese ODA in the social infrastructure and services sector appears more responsive to the economic needs of recipient countries but is also more driven by foreign policy considerations. Chinese economic interest, in particular for natural resources acquisition, is associated with China's ODA allocation in the economic infrastructure and services sector. Finally, while governance quality in recipient countries is not related to Chinese ODA in the social infrastructure and services sector, we find that China allocates more ODA in the economic infrastructure and services sector and the production sector to African countries with weaker institutions. One of the strong conclusions of this study is to show that considering only China's overall aid to Africa can be misleading as to its underlying determinants, and therefore to point out the need to disaggregate the analysis by ODA sectors.     

Agricultural sector of Russia in face of globalization challenge

The paper analyzes the current problems of the Russian agrarian sector in the face of the increasing openness of the Russian economy and the continuing low competitiveness of domestic agricultural production.     

Long-term development prospects of the Russian information and communications sector

This paper presents a development forecast for the Russian information and communications sector. Two scenarios-inert and innovative investment—are explored for each period. According to the results of our study, in the period from 2010 to 2030, the output of the Russian information and communications sector will increase by a factor of 3.52–4 under the investment scenario and by a factor of 2–2.5 under the inert scenario. This is due to the limited private and public resources that could be invested in the sector on a large scale, as well as to the absence of basic innovation in the area of information and communication technologies, which could have a significant economic impact and provide a basis for a new technological order. It is concluded that the information and communications sector is running out of its market expansion potential.     

The rise of the service sector in China

This paper analyzes the underlying mechanisms that explain the rise of the service sector in China. Along with China’s unprecedented growth, the rapid expansion of its service sector is one of the fastest among emerging countries. However, the literature has yet to offer a clear understanding of such expansion. We show that distribution services first grow with the manufacturing sector, followed by personal services as per capita income rises. Motivated by this growth pattern, this paper provides a theory that describes 1) the complementarity between distribution services and the manufacturing sector, and 2) the substitution between personal services and home production. Empirics show that the personal service sector is the key to account for the early and rapid rise of the service sector in China. Quantitatively, high productivity growth and high capital intensity in the personal service sector, and labor market frictions are the most important channels. By revealing the growth pattern of the service sector in the early stages of development, the paper thereby contributes to the growing literature on the rising importance of the service economy.     

Business potential in Russia: Competitive growth in the manufacturing sector

The paper analyzes the consequences of radical reforms in the Russian economy for the development of the manufacturing sector, including the behavior of relative prices for manufactured goods, downsizing of enterprises, and problems of the noncompetitiveness of enterprises in the manufacturing sector compared with the approaches to competitiveness in the economy of the United States. The full development of vertically integrated multisectoral corporations owned by the federal government is considered to be a possibility for overcoming the noncompetitiveness of enterprises in the manufacturing sector.     

Bank consumer lending in Russia from the point of view of foreign experience: Competition and ways of development

Macroeconomic statistics of the bank sector of Russian consumer credit is analyzed, the consumer credit experience of the United States and Great Britain is studied and compared with Russian indices, competition features are studied in the area, its influence on the development of high marginal lending in Russia is estimated, and the prospects of bank consumer crediting are determined in the article.     

The Services Sector as a Driver of Change: Indonesia’s Experience in the ASEAN Context

By various performance indicators, the Indonesian services sector ranks below those of its main ASEAN neighbours. This is concerning for Indonesia, given the the increased attention worldwide on the services sector as a likely source of growth, the contribution of the services sector to the competitiveness of other sectors, and the opportunities available for capturing the gains from innovation and change in services. There is scope, we argue, to increase the number of formal jobs in the sector and to dispel its reputation as the employer of last resort. We find that a restrictive policy regime contributes to the sector’s poor performance, leading to an argument for reform. We discuss a potential strategy for such reform, focusing on four factors: increasing transparency and policy information; capturing the opportunities from international commitments; and exploring the potential of, one, new technology, and, two, urbanisation.     

Imbalances of external sector of the Russian financial market and approaches of their regulation

The article considers the main modern imbalances of external sector of the Russian financial market and the main elements of the new concept of cross-border capital movement of the Russian Federation in the conditions of increasing geopolitical and geo-economic risks for ensuring financial stability and maintenance of long-term economic growth in the country.     

Variation in the estimates of the fixed capital of Russian metallurgy

Much attention is being paid to the valuation of fixed assets in various industries. The situation in metallurgy is of great interest from the viewpoint of the interaction between the financial and the real sector in the Russian economy. This study is focused on the analysis of changes in the stock market valuation of Russian metallurgy fixed assets. Distinctive features of certain steps in the implementation of financial strategy by major corporations are shown. Changes in the metallurgy capitalization level are estimated, which are caused by developments in the world metal market and the domestic stock market. The case is made for adjustment of the Russian metal producers’ financial policies.     

Prices and the growth of the knowledge economy in Sweden and Western Europe before the industrial revolution

Abstract

This article uses long-term series of real prices for various goods and services to analyse the evolution of the knowledge economy before the Industrial Revolution by focusing on Sweden in comparison with other European countries. During the early modern period, the relative price of knowledge-intensive goods and services, such as iron, paper, salt, sea transports and silver, decreased relative to a Consumer Price Index. The increased productivity levels of these goods and services were caused by increased division of labour and accelerated diffusion of knowledge. However, the real price of foodstuff tended to increase, implying that living standards declined with increased population. Early modern Western Europe acquired a peculiar price structure, characterized by low prices of industrial goods relative to the price of food. Only with the advent of industrial society could the knowledge economy escape the Malthusian entrapment.     

Industrial structure change and economic growth: A China-Russia comparison

This paper examines the sources of economic growth and the nature of industrial structure change in China over the past decade, with a comparison to those in Russia. It shows that over the observation period between 1995 and 2008, the Chinese economy was concentrated relatively more in the manufacturing sector and relatively less in the service sector than the Russian economy. In addition, this paper finds that the higher economic growth rate in real GDP and aggregate labour productivity growth between 1996 and 2008 in China than in Russia was broadly based, with most industries contributing to China's better performance. Furthermore, it reveals that the acceleration in economic growth in China in 2003–2008 over 1996–2002 was mainly traced to an increased contribution from the manufacturing sector and to a lesser degree the service sector, while in Russia, it was the service sector, followed by the primary sector driven by the mining and oil and gas extraction industry. These results suggest that the Chinese and Russian economies complement each other, which bodes well for further economic cooperation and trade between the two countries.     

Russian Projects and Energy Cooperation in South Africa

The article discusses the problems and prospects for the development of a Russian nuclear power plants in South Africa, as well as other innovative energy projects in this country. Acute energy shortages in South Africa give Russia a unique chance to enter the African market and create a technological link between African countries and Russian innovations. An analysis of the political and economic situation in South Africa, as well as an assessment of the prospects for Russian business participation in the development of the South African energy sector were carried out using research conducted by the authors in South Africa in 2016, and interviews with Russian and South African civil servants and businesmen.     

Study on Round Meshwork of the Knowledge-intensive Corporation

The knowledge-intensive corporations emerged recently generally adopt a style of linear.function and a traditional organizational st~ucture. While for knowledge-intensive corporations, this kind of organizational form is more and more inadaptable to their development. By analyzing the environmental factors that influence the design of the organizational structure in the knowledge-intensive corporations, the author has designed the organizational structure, the rouncl meshwork, which is adapted to the knowledge-intensive corporations of E-era. In this article, the author analyzes the significance and characteristics of this kind of organizational structure.     

Scenarios of the joint innovative development of the radio electronic industry and services sector

Various development scenarios for the Russian information and communications sector are considered in the paper, taking into account the prospects of introducing cutting-edge wireless data transfer technologies. The results of scenario calculations, which made it possible to evaluate the effect of the innovative development of the information and communication technology sector on the output of the radio electronic industry are presented.     

The Russian economy resource sector: Its scale and interindustry interactions

Problems and consequences of resource specialization are considered. The size of the resource sector and its contribution to the main indicators of the Russian economy under economic growth are assessed. Interindustry links of resource industries, the formation and distribution of their revenues, and the tax load on the resource sector are analyzed using input-output tables.     

生产者服务业FDI与东道国工资差距:理论与实证

本文从理论和实证两个角度,阐述并验证了生产者服务业FDI对东道国熟练与非熟练工人的工资差距的影响。通过一个将生产者服务作为中间投入的两部门理论模型,我们发现,生产者服务业FDI使得服务品种增加,并造成熟练工人从一般制造业部门流向服务(或高技术)部门,导致熟练工人工资上升而非熟练工人工资下降。本文选取上海市的数据,建立了4个回归模型进行实证检验。结果表明,生产者服务业FDI对熟练与非熟练工人的工资差距会产生直接而显著的扩大作用,但是它同时能通过其他解释变量,如人均GDP、人均人力资本、第三产业就业率以及第二产业的全员劳动生产率对工资差距产生间接的收缩作用。最后,本文针对回归结果得出了相应的结论和启示。