Aim. This study aims to examine consistent patterns in the formation of interdisciplinary and interregional interactions within multi-level socio-economic structures. Methods. The author’s theoretical and methodological paradigm is expressed in a concept of strategic competitiveness management for the Russian agro-food complex. This study employs data provided by the Federal State Statistics Service, OECD, and the Research Institute of Agricultural Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which serves as the statistical basis for the study. Results. We provide the fundamentals of the management of interdisciplinary and interregional interactions within multi-level socioeconomic structures using modified input-output models. We also demonstrate the existence of invariant parameters of such models, which allow for examining interdisciplinary complexes as relatively autonomous objects of strategic innovative management. We also demonstrate that the substantiation of a program for ensuring food security of a country and modernization of interdisciplinary interactions management within multidisciplinary structures of the agro-food complex proposed by the author can be implemented.

Developing foreign economic relations between countries becomes crucial amid global competition. Unlike other countries suffering from global political and economic crises, Vietnam actively participates in the development of foreign trade relations and has maintained positive economic growth over the entire 30-year period of transformation. Aim. This study aims to analyze the successful practice of implementing the Doi Moi model in Vietnam, which has ensured sustainable growth of foreign trade. Tasks. This study examines the dynamics of the growth of Vietnamese foreign trade, determines the specific manner in which Vietnam trades with various countries and regions, and identifies the advantages and drawbacks of the Vietnamese economy. Results. Development issues pertaining to Vietnamese foreign trade are analyzed in the context of bilateral relations and participation in free economic zones. The advantages and drawbacks of Vietnam are compared with those of the members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). It is substantiated that the application of the Doi Moi model helped maintain positive growth in the economy and trade. However, it is found that amid global economic threats, the Vietnamese economy, which is integrated into the world economy to a large extent, enters a more difficult stage of development. Therefore, there is a need for non-standard solutions and measures to ensure stability and growth.

Overcoming the economic recession in Russia is possible through the funding of a limited number of priority projects that could be implemented by various mechanisms; a public-private partnerships is one such mechanism. Aim. This study aims to propose improvements in the institutional environment of public-private partnerships. Results. This study identifies problems in the development of public-private partnerships that require improved procedures for project selection and funding schemes, including corporate social responsibility, tax regulation, and standardization of preparation and implementation of investment projects. We demonstrate the necessity of establishing an association of renowned companies to successfully implement projects as a part of public-private partnerships, and we propose a functioning mechanism for such associations. Tools for public support of projects implemented as part of public-private partnerships and other forms of cooperation between the government and businesses require systematization. Therefore, we develop proposals for an adjustment of the institutional environment to enable the implementation of such projects.

This study deals with current problems related to reforms in the system of pricing and budget normalization in the construction industry. Aim. This study aims to determine the primary directions for adequate reforms in the development of material and labor consumption rates within the framework of the 400 Days Concept implemented by the Federal Center of Pricing in Construction of the Russian Ministry of Construction, thus improving the development of budgets for major construction projects. Tasks. This study identifies problems in the existing Russian state pricing system that uses the basis index method of the budget-normative base for 2001, which is inconsistent with modern construction materials, production technologies, machines, and mechanisms. This study also determines ways to transition toward a more market-based input method for pricing in construction. Methods. This study uses general scientific research methods to examine the problems of pricing and budget normalization reforms in construction, which have persisted in various fields in the national economy since 2001. Results. The study determines ways to transition toward an input method for construction pricing based on actual consumption rates and budget prices in the market. It shows that budgets set by the input method are more consistent with the market price of construction as they are based on the current market prices of resources used, thus eliminating the contradiction between the budget (normative) price of construction and actual (market) price of construction products. The results obtained by the input method are 15%-30% higher than those of the basis index method in 90 cases out of 100, which calls for strict control of the price of resources used by construction firms. Conclusion. There are many problems in budgeting, particularly those associated with excessive state pricing and flawed competition. There are fewer such problems in other industries and in construction industry in other developed countries. This breaks the basic law of business in global competition: minimum costs lead to maximum results. With the world struggling to save resources, it is advisable to adopt practices of developed capitalist countries.

The problems of the Russian petrochemical complex development become particularly crucial when viewed as a part of the strategic objectives aimed at innovative development in the country. Aim. This study aims to analyze the current state of the petrochemical complex to assess the efficiency of its development and implementation of strategic objectives within the framework of the Strategy for the Petrochemical Complex Development until 2030. Tasks. This study analyzes the development of the country’s major production facilities, identifies the main problems in the petrochemical complex development amid financial instability, and estimates the competitiveness of the Russian complex compared to international competitors. Results. The research focuses on the long-term development of the Russian petrochemical complex. Russian petrochemical enterprises have long been in need of re-equipment of their production plants because nearly half of their machinery is obsolete. This study examines the dynamics of increased investments in the Russian petrochemical industry from 1990 to 2014. An analysis of the competitiveness of the petrochemical industry reveals an increase in production in the petrochemical industry in 2013 despite unfavorable economic conditions. The plastic industry shows the most rapid growth.

This study examines problems with debt collection in Russia. Aim. This study identifies the problems in the collection of debt in the context of increasing confrontation between creditors and debtors amid economic instability. Tasks. This study determines the factors that negatively affect debt collection, the working phases of collection agencies, and the legislative background of debt collection in Russia. Methods. This study uses general methods of scientific cognition to examine the reasons for debt loss and identifies trends in the current state of debt collection. Results. It is determined that debt collection has been officially recognized by the government as an economic activity. Debt collection (debt recovery) is meant to be an independent activity performed by legal entities and private individuals at their own risk and aimed at a systematic receipt of profit. Conclusion. A legal framework for debt recovery would allow the protection of rights and interests of debtors while serving the interests of creditors, thus providing efficient settlement of past-due debts. A promising direction in the improvement of legislation is to extend the restrictions and prohibitions on the methods of debt collection.

A mechanism for leasing business management needs to be established, as evidenced by the volume and growth rate of gross domestic product, withdrawal of money from the economy, and a slump in investments. Another crucial problem is outdated equipment, which requires total renewal. Leasing has traditionally been a form of financing for economic entities; therefore, it plays a significant role in the solution of these problems. International practices of using leasing mechanisms in economics include methods, mechanisms, and instruments adopted by many countries. Aim. This study conducts a theoretical analysis of the problems associated with the use of leasing as an efficient instrument for conducting business in Russia. Results. This study analyzes boundaries for the development of the leasing sector in the country’s economy. The results of the analysis indicates the following problems: an underdeveloped financial credit system; high loan interest rates and the ensuing complications in obtaining credits; and low awareness among entrepreneurs regarding the benefits of leasing. Ensuring constructive cooperation between the government and leasing participants by improving the infrastructure of the leasing market is required to solve the aforementioned problems.

Selecting the equity-debt ratio to ensure efficient operation of a company is a vital part of management. This problem has become crucial with the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis, when excessive debt burden became critical for many Russian companies. Aim. This study aims to determine the correlation between the financial performance and the capital structure of Russian companies. Tasks. This study analyzes the formation of traditional and modern theories of capital structure in developed and developing markets, determines the internal and external factors of capital structure formation specific to developing markets (including the Russian market), develops statistical models relevant to this objective, and interprets the results obtained. Methods. Hypotheses on the existence of correlation between financial performance and capital structure are developed and tested using data on Russian companies over a three-year period (2010-2012). A selection of 432 firms was used in the study. A Wald test, Breusch-Pagan test, and Durbin-Wu-Hausman test areconducted to substantiate the selection of linear regression models with six-factor variables. Results. Russian companies are characterized by a low proportion of long-term funding in the capital structure, with short-term liabilities exceeding long-term ones. The level of ownership concentration only affects the formation of the overall level of debt. Compared with the other factors in the model, its effect is insufficient. This is the first study that uses a quantitative variable rather than a binary one to characterize the ownership structure. The direct correlation between the overall debt level and the level of ownership concentration is empirically proven. However, the correlation coefficient suggests that this relationship is rather vague. Conclusion. Companies in the Russian market tend to retain the hierarchy theory in the selection of funding sources. They attract a lot of debt financing at the onset, and the debt burden at this stage is 3.5%-6.5% higher than in other periods. There are no universal criteria for capital structure formation. Each company requires a customized approach that considers the internal and external factors specific to the company.

The microlending market currently has certain specific features, including the fact that borrower behavior influenced by certain external challenges. Aim. This study aims to find a solution to the problem of portfolio management for microlenders by determining common patterns in the behavior of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under certain conditions considering the projection of these patterns on a microlender’s portfolio. Methods. This study uses system analysis, logic analysis, and simulation modeling. Results. We propose an approach for solving the problems of portfolio management for microlenders who provide loans to SMEs. We analyze modern approaches to the development of simulation models that would adequately reflect the factors and processes influencing the relationship between microlenders and SMEs. We conclude that an agent-oriented model of active borrower behavior should be developed using AnyLogic based on a two-dimensional classification of active borrowers. The optimal spatial detail of the model’s environment (grid) is being discussed.

Aim. This study aims to examine the organizational structure and institutional content of financial integration processes in the ASEAN member countries. Tasks. This study examines the tools for organizing the financial integration process, identifies the main problems of legislative regulation, and substantiates the need for the formation of comprehensive infrastructure that would facilitate financial integration. Results. We analyze the development of financial integration as well as the major tools for cooperation among the ASEAN member countries in the field of financial liberalization. We examine in chronological order the key moments of financial initiatives and key aspects of their functioning. Keeping in mind the history and subject matter of decisions pertaining to financial integration, we assess the relations in the field of financial cooperation among the ASEAN member countries.