Russian enterprises at the end of 2016: Reaction to varying ruble exchange rate and the workforce situation

This article represents an analysis of and comments on the results of a regular survey of Russian enterprises operating in the real sector, which was conducted by the Institute of Economic Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences. It represents opinions of enterprises, the modern macroeconomic problems of which they believe to be the most acute. This article considers the responses of enterprises regarding how their activities have been affected by the mutual sanctions between Russia and Western countries, as well as by Russia’s WTO accession. We have shown the opinions of enterprises on their interests in the ruble exchange rate. This ref lects the current situation with the workforce at enterprises and gives data on their participation in solving of housing problems faced by their employees. This article contains information on how enterprises rate today’s level of competition with foreign manufacturers on Russian markets.     

Russian enterprises at the end of 2015: Anti-crisis activities and assessment of the impact of mutual Economic sanctions of the west and Russia

The results of a survey of enterprises conducted by the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences are analyzed and commented on. Answers of enterprises to the questions about the methods used by them to adapt to the crisis are given. The behavior of enterprises during the current crisis and the crisis of 2008–2009 has been compared. The opinions of Russian enterprises on the change in the tax burden in recent years and on the situation with tax evasion are presented. Estimates of Russian enterprises about how their activities have been affected by mutual sanctions of the West and Russia have been provided. Estimates of Russian enterprises about the need to produce modernization are considered. Information on the modern nature of business collaboration with banks and on the recruitment needs of enterprises has been given.     

Russian enterprises in spring 2017: Slow restoration of investment activity against a background of economic stabilization

This paper has analyzed and commented on the results of the regular survey of Russian real sector enterprises, which was conducted by the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The views of enterprises on the quality of economic policy of federal and regional authorities have been presented. Estimates have been obtained that reflect the dynamics of investment activity of enterprises and the dynamics of investment financing from various sources, as well as the need of enterprises to modernize production. The opinions of enterprises about the desirable dynamics of the ruble exchange rate are given. The current situation with the provision of enterprises with human resources has been reflected. Enterprises’ answers to questions about whether they have territorially detached subdivisions and their use of outsourcing have been considered.     

Influence of oil prices on stock market indexes in Russia and Norway

The effects of oil price dynamics on share quotations are discussed in the paper for the 2000–2012 period for two oil exporting countries—Russia and Norway. It has been shown, using a vector autoregressive model, that, in spite of intuitive expectations, oil prices have not been a systematic risk factor for Russian and Norwegian stock market indices. In Norway, share quotations definitely responded to the dynamics of the US dollar exchange rate relative to the world’s main currencies and the S&P 500 stock index, as well as to fluctuations in the global and domestic interest rates, although to a lesser degree. In Russia, share quotations are practically exclusively affected by their own shocks (a factor that is explained by some specific features characterizing Russia’s major public companies).     

Investment and construction activities in modern Russia: State and trends

The article analyzes the current state and problems that hinder the development of investment and construction activities in Russia in 2004–2014 and assesses the efficiency of this field against the background of problems related to the use of the Investment Fund of the Russian Federation. For the first time, a methodological approach to assessing import shares in investments in the acquisition of machinery, equipment, and transport means as one of the asset types in the domestic economy has been justified and the results of appropriate assessments have been given. The article proposes ways to solve pressing problems in the field of investment and construction activities, as well as demands that should be placed on the formation of state investment and construction policy.     

Amortization policy as a factor in the investment policy of an economy

The article is based on the Concept and a draft law on amortization policy in the Russian Federation prepared by the Association of Mining and Metallurgical Industrialists of Russia (Russian abbreviation: AMROS). It examines the role and place of amortization policies in Russia and around the world as well as their essential differences in terms of the economic mechanisms of capital reproduction. Measures to improve Russia’s amortization policy are suggested.     

Prospects of Economic Development in Russia

An overview has been given of the key themes that define the socioeconomic development of Russia today. Different aspects of today’s Russian economic policy have been analyzed and its shortcomings have been determined. The potential for economic growth has been assessed. Issues associated with financing the economy and interest rates on loans have been discussed. The role of high technologies and digitization in the economy has been reviewed. Proposals have been formulated for renewing national economic policy.     

Russian big business 2000–2005: Key trends in its transformation and development

A definition of big business as applied to contemporary Russia is given and its principal forms of subsistence and development phases are identified. The article focuses on the recent Fundamental Shift, or the transition from integrated business groups to companies, and its internal political and external economic causes and implications are revealed. Much attention is paid to the changing role of ownership relations, a new pattern of interaction with the state, and the dynamics of big business’s industry pattern. An appendix lists leading Russian companies and integrated business groups as of the end of 2005.     

Russian enterprises in Spring 2016: Interactions with state authorities in the midst of an economic depression

This article represents an analysis and discussion of the results of a regular survey of enterprises that operate in the real sector, which was held by the Institute of Economic Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences. This work reflects the opinions of Russian enterprises on the role the government should play in the economy. It presents the information on how often various governmental structures were described by the enterprises as over-bureaucratized and most corrupted structures. The article lists evaluations provided by the enterprises with regard to the current economic policy of federal and regional levels of authority. It contains data on the ongoing investment activity of enterprises, their short-term investment intents, and their procurements particularly concerning machinery and equipment. It lists comparative assessments in terms of the quality of Russian and foreign equipment.     

Forecasting the dynamics of demand for high-tech products of industrial companies

The article examines problems of forecasting the high-tech product market based on statistical modeling. The results of studying a number of Russian companies for 15 years and forecasting the demand for telecom services have been presented.     

Key Tasks and Development Prospects for the Russian Economy in the Context of Kondratiev’s Long Cycles

The rationale behind the key tasks in the development of Russia’s fuel and energy complex, agroindustrial complex, defense industry, and machinery industry and construction complexes has been presented using the apparatus of Kondratiev’s long cycles, i.e., upward and downward waves in the production and export of oil, grain, arms, cars, etc. as well as in the supply of new housing. The trends have been analyzed using Rosstat data for a 100-year period. The analysis has shown how the past rates of development and proportions affect the present and future growth of Russia’s economy. Some of the main tasks have been formulated for the future development of Russia’s economy until 2030. The processes of import substitution and the replacement of oil exports with grain, arms, and cars have been discussed. The issue of the social and economic significance of solving the housing problem in Russia has been raised.     

Role of large companies in Russia’s oil and gas complex

The purpose of this article is to reconsider the interaction between major oil and gas companies and the state, which is especially important for modern Russia given its current conditions. General theoretical approaches are presented, as well as calculations of price and financial indicators reflecting the performance of these companies.     

Analysis of the nature of cause-and-effect relationship between inflation and wage in Russia

The nature of the cause-and-effect relationship between inflation and wages in Russia in 2003–2014 has been analyzed. The author has focused on defining the reliability of cost-push inflation theory and demand inflation theory based on Russian data using econometric methods (the Granger causality test and vector error-correction model). The stabilit y of the modeling results (for the purpose of excluding structural changes under the conditions of varying of the principles of Bank of Russia’s monetary policy during the transition to inflation targeting) is checked using the Gregory–Hansen method. In the article, the results are compared to the similar studies carried out for developed countries and countries with developing markets.     

Occupational injuries as a criterion of professional risk

This paper presents an analysis of occupational injury, which is one of the most important characteristics of professional risk to workers' health. The dynamics and completeness of recording industrial accidents in Russia during different periods of socioeconomic development have been considered, as well as the impact of labor legislation on the quality of injury recording at enterprises of the country. It has been shown that the current official data on the injury rates in the Russian Federation do not correspond to reality, which indicates a need to improve labor legislation in this area.     

新形势下绥芬河口岸对俄木材贸易研究

绥芬河位于黑龙江省东南部,地处东北亚经济圈的中心地带。绥芬河口岸是连接中国与俄罗斯贸易往来的重要枢纽。中俄木材贸易是中俄经贸往来的重要组成部分。2013年12月初,绥芬河正式被国务院批复为中国首个卢布使用试点市,新形势下绥芬河口岸对俄贸易面临新的机遇和挑战。文章在对绥芬河市进行实地调研以及走访数据的基础上,分析了绥芬河口岸概况,提炼总结了对俄木材贸易现状,指出了新形势下绥芬河口岸对俄木材贸易存在的问题,并提出了相应的对策和建议。     

Educational credit in Russia: Problems and prospects

The paper analyzes problems and prospects of education crediting in Russia, sums up the author’s personal experience of participation in the development and management of the education crediting system within the framework of a private business initiative (the Credo program), as well as in various working groups (at the Russian Federation State Duma, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, etc.) set up to discuss opportunities and to work out recommendations for the development of educational credit in the Russian Federation.     

The Green Factor of Economic Growth in Russia and the World

The article discusses the role of environmental and climate factors in the modernization of the global and Russian economies in the context of the challenges presented by the new industrial revolution. It is emphasized that a restraining effect of these factors on economic growth is primarily caused by qualitative characteristics of technologies used for resource utilization and the adaptation of population and facilities to global climate changes. The article considers a growing urgency of eco-innovations, as well as “green” technologies overall, as a factor affecting the economic growth and modernization of the economy; the unevenness of the development of these technologies in the countries of the world; and strategic risks of Russia’s lagging behind the leading world economies in this area. A special emphasis is placed upon (i) a substantiation of the significance of the mineral, raw material and fuel and energy complexes, as well as the forest-industryl and agro-industrial complex, as priority sectors for the development eco-innovations and green technologies in Russia and (ii) arguing that in Russian conditions a long-term development policy is in essence a strategy for green economic growth.     

Prospects of diversifying Russian direct investment abroad

The article investigates changes in the distribution of Russian direct investments between countries and regions of the world in 2014–2015. The specificity of increasing Russian investment in Asia and Africa in the 2000s has been identified. The possibilities and limits of geographic diversification of Russian investments abroad are shown, including for scenario when Russia’s state support for legal overseas expansion of domestic firms has been developed.     

The dynamics of housing affordability for the population of Russia in 2008–2014

The article discusses the dynamics of affordability for the Russia’s population of purchase of ownership of housing in the period between the two crises of 2008 and 2014. We conducted a comparative analysis of the results of housing affordability assessment made using different methods. We constructed a typology of Russian regions, i.e., subjects of the Russian Federation on a classical housing affordability index. We made an estimate of the proportion of housing affordable for acquisition by the population and the proportion of households with the opportunity to purchase standard housing. Multivariate calculations conducted will improve the objectivity and reliability of the assessment of housing affordability level. It is shown that the financial affordability of housing in Russia after the crisis of 2008 has increased in all considered indices.     

国外主要石油公司质量管理的经验及其对我国石油企业的启示

国外主要石油公司都十分重视质量管理,这也是其成功的因素之一。文章归纳了其质量管理的经验,主要为：高度重视质量管理、实施标准化建设、加强质量控制和监督、开展有效的激励和培训以及采用先进的质量管理方法和技术。我国石油企业质量管理方面还比较落后,针对其存在的问题,文章提出了几点建议,紧跟国外主要石油公司的步伐,建立符合我国石油企业实际情况的质量管理体系。