Health protection problems in Russia’s working population

This paper considers a forecast of Russia’s population size and mortality and disability levels among working-age people. The dynamics of working conditions and the health status of the working population in the Russian Federation is estimated for the past 20 years on the basis of the indices of occupational injuries, professionally and industrially caused morbidity, as well as temporary work incapacity.     

System and management problems of the electric power industry’s development in Russia

The current management system of Russia??s electric power industry??s development, including industry regulatory documents and mechanisms by which generating capacities are built up, is considered in the article. The management problems of the industry??s development are analyzed. Ways of its further improvement are suggested.     

State-of-the-art of Russia’s heat supply systems

The paper overviews the contemporary state of Russia’s heat supply systems and fuel consumption within its centralized part, the structure of heat consumption by economic sectors and types of industrial consumers. As shown, the centralized heat supply systems, providing the major part of country’s economy with low temperature heat, have heat losses and accident rate at a critical level. The state of decentralized heat supply systems of low rise buildings is not covered by national statistics at all. A second paper on the prospects and development of Russia’s heat supply systems will be published in a subsequent issue.     

Social development of Russia’s Northern Regions

Specific features and trends of interregional differences in the social development of Russia’s Northern Regions are considered, using methods of econometrics and mathematical statistics. Statistical characteristics point to the process of convergence of the northern regions against the background of their high social differentiation. Based on the methods of principal components, factor analysis, and Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis, we grouped the northern regions by their social development level into four types: highly-developed, developed, developing, and problem. A purposeful governmental regional policy must be developed for each type to level their uneven development and raise the living standards of the population in the northern regions.     

Russia’s salt industry: Problems of development

The paper describes the current situation in the salt industry. It points to the inadmissibly high and expanding market share of imported salt products despite the country’s own colossal resource base and the domestic enterprises’ huge unused capacities. It has been shown that OAO Russian Railroads (OAO RZhD) will economically benefit due to its reasonable policy of selective reduction of the railroad shipment tariffs for salt for domestic producers due to the inevitable growth of the country’s own salt output.     

The role of infrastructure in China’s regional economic growth

This study investigates the relationship between infrastructure capital and China's regional economic growth for the period 1990–2013. Four types of infrastructure are considered: electricity generating capacity, roadway, railway, and telecommunications. Using a vector error correction model, we find mixed support across time period and region for the contribution of infrastructure investment to economic development. With regard to road construction in lagging regions in particular, the impact appears to have become negative under a program of ramped up efforts. The results resonate with the theoretical literature on the inverse U-shaped relationship between infrastructure investment and growth which posits a “crowding-out effect” of private capital when infrastructure investment becomes too dominant.     

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.     

Dynamics of Russia’s competitive positions on foreign markets

The article considers main trends in the competitive positions of Russia on foreign markets by product groups on the basis of UN foreign trade statistics across the period 2002–2011. A summary rating of the export competitiveness of Russian manufacturers is developed and calculated by product groups, based on several indicators: export growth, changes in the unit value of exported products, as well as the trade imbalance coefficient. Changes in trends in the postcrisis period are emphasized.     

Involvement of resources in Russia’s construction materials complex

The problems of using resources in the construction materials complex of the Russian Federation are reviewed in the paper. The processes of involvement of resources in the economic application in the main types of economic activities providing production of materials are analyzed. The scope of limitations of resources used in economic branches is revealed on the basis of research of corporate and financial development mechanisms. The necessity to strengthen reproduction processes in the country as a basis for the formation of demand for domestic constructional materials is substantiated.     

Projections of Russia’s agricultural development under the conditions of climate change

This paper analyzes the possible impact of irrigation on the development of agriculture in the Volga River Basin and Black Sea Basin. Scenarios of the development of agriculture in Russia up to 2030 under the conditions of the expansion of irrigation and persistence of the current situation with irrigation have been calculated and analyzed based on the IMPACT-3 econometric partial equilibrium model.     

Effect of the ruble exchange rate on Russia’s economic activity

In this paper, we present and analyze our estimates of the effect of changes in the real ruble exchange rate on economic growth in Russia and on the output in various sectors of the Russian economy and provide a review of domestic and foreign studies investigating these indicators.     

Pricing in Russia’s sugar supply chains

The russian sugar market is considered as a production and logistics system that reflects the integration processes in the supply chain of goods. The existing plants can meet Russia??s domestic demand for sugar. To enter the international market, Russian companies need competitive prices, which can be obtained through the management of logistics costs. The development of a national stock exchange for trade in goods will have a positive effect on the formation of sugar supply chains.     

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.     

Economy of Russia’s Northern regions: Investment in fixed assets

This article discusses the features of the dynamics of investment in fixed assets in northern regions and the main factors of its rapid growth before the crisis and sharp decline in the crisis period. The contribution of individual regions to the growth rate of investment in the entire economy of the North is determined, and the territorial structure of investment by sectors and types of economic activity and the main sources of financing and changes in the structure of investment are investigated. An evaluation of the tendency towards investment and the investment attractiveness of northern regions are given.     

Study of the multiplier effect of increasing public spending on Russia’s economy

This paper examines the impact of increase in public spending in Russia on the dynamics of macroeconomic and sectoral indicators using econometric methods and a dynamic input–output model.     

Processes and mechanisms of the long-term development of Russia’s construction materials complex

The paper considers the development mechanisms of the Russian construction materials complex and their role in its future. The means of efficient accumulation of capital are discussed within the inertial and constructive options of economic growth. Special attention is paid to problems of import substitution and added value of materials, as well as methods of their solution in the changing macroeconomic environment.     

On the Development of Russia’s Information and Communication Technologies Ecosystem

A quantitative model of Russia’s information and communication technologies (ICT) ecosystem has been proposed that describes the main relationships between its participants, as well as the impact of environmental factors on the functioning of the ICT ecosystem. Based on the model, we have assessed the long-term (until 2030) potential for the development of Russia’s ICT sector in the case of the state’s active and stimulating strategy and the formation of an advanced system of institutions. We have also evaluated the contribution of the ICT sector to the macroeconomic dynamics while implementing the target scenario.     

Long-term forecasting of the development of Russia’s pension system: Factors and conditions

The problems associated with the reformation of the pension system have gained extreme urgency in the process of forming the long-term strategy for Russia??s socioeconomic development (until 2030), which is determined by the growth in its influence on the macroeconomic strategy. This paper gives an actuarial substantiation of the actual factors and conditions, on which the development of the pension system in the Russian Federation depends, and prospects for the stability of the pension budget based on insurance principles.     

Russia’s energy systems: Opportunities and prospects

The paper considers macroeconomic forecasts of the performance of Russia’s Fuel and Energy Complex (FEC) up to 2030–2040 based on projections of economic development (worked out at the Institute of Economic Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences), predictive assessments of the economic aspects of the production of major fuel types, Russia’s involvement in meeting the world’s demand for oil and gas, and the progress in the development of new energy sources. It is demonstrated that, according to the expected demand for energy carriers and the proposed changes in the FEC structure and technological base, carbon dioxide emissions by FEC facilities in the considered term will not exceed the 1990 level recorded in the Kyoto Protocol. It is shown that the annual volume of investment in the energy industry by 2030 should be at least double the level of the 2000–2010 requirements and by 2040 it is expected to increase by another 15–20%.     

Russia’s financial policy in the perspective period

The article considers the financial and monetary support of the economic dynamics that is required to realize the economic growth potential, the parameters of which were grounded in the forecast of Russia??s economic development until 2030 developed by the Institute of Economic Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences.