Vol 29, No 5 (2018)

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.

The article presents the results of an analysis of regional development forecasts assumed by the government authorities and developed by scientific organizations. It is shown that the hypotheses included in the forecast scenarios, as to the prospective dynamics and changes in regional production structure, have not been implemented. The problems of the long-term forecasting of regional development, their possibilities, and directions of improvement, and the methods used when preparing the forecasts have been studied.

Various aspects of sustainable development and quality of life are considered, including the impact of standardization. Particular attention is paid to the study of the role played by standardization in improving environmental protection. In this connection the significance of standardization is shown as a factor of improving the technological potential of an enterprise and the quality of life. Various approaches to methods for assessing the effective impact of standardization on the quality of life are analyzed.

The creation of common European currency is the most ambitious institutional project of the European Union for decades. The idea of launching this kind of currency has merits. However, the implementation of this idea has already led to very negative consequences, as political considerations had priority over economic ones. The article shows how theoretical approaches to common currencies have been evolving since 1960s and why misuse of economic theory provokes inevitable collapse of the European monetary union.

The article discusses the long-term development of the energy complex and its role in the Russian economy in the context of the restructuring of world energy markets and considering the draft Energy Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period through to 2035. Using the SCANER modelling and information complex, representative scenarios for the evolution of world energy markets have been developed, as well as relevant scenarios for the development of Russia’s economy and energy, including the dynamics of domestic consumption of major fuels and energy in view of energy conservation, as well as effective volumes and directions of basic fuel exports. Based on this, the dynamics of extraction and processing of basic fuels, the use of renewable energy resources, and electricity production by various types of power plants are optimized, and the necessary capital investments and returns on the dynamics of domestic prices for fuel and energy are determined. Changes in the main macroeconomic indicators of the contribution of the energy complex to the development of the Russian economy, corresponding to these scenarios, indicate a possible relatively rapid decrease in its dependence on energy exports.

This paper presents one of the possible versions of the scenario for industrial development of the Russian economy. An analysis of the interrelation of production and investment in metallurgy in 1990–2017 was carried out. The need to consider the experience of investment development in individual industries and manufactures in the design of options for the economic development of the country and the implementation of a selective state policy is substantiated.

In the article, the existing approaches to the definition of food security are considered, and their structure analyzed. The logic of the evolution of the concept of food security in the socio-economic development of the country is described, the actual directions of its adjustment in the Russian Federation are justified.

This paper presents the results of the analysis of scientific and technological development in Russia in the period between 1997 and 2017, based on the example of creation and application of technological innovations. The empirical study is methodologically based on “The main provisions for the concept of innovative industrialization in Russia” [1, 2]. The best performing groups of organizations are identified in the following innovation segments: development of advanced production technologies; application of advanced production technologies; production of novel innovative products for specific markets. The performance is assessed based on the number of created and applied production technologies, the volume of manufactured innovative products and a comparative analysis of labor productivity performed for technologically innovative organizations and organizations that are not engaged in technological innovation.