The digital world has been developing at an impressive rate for over a decade now. The rise of the Internet, mobile communications, and online services has laid the groundwork for the formation of the digital economy. These processes affect all economic sectors, as well as social activities, production, medical care, education, finance, transport, and other areas. Aim. This study examines the current issues in the formation of a digital society. Tasks. The research compares foreign and Russian behavior patterns in the context of the developing digital world and assesses the impact of “digitalization” on the country’s overall socioeconomic development. Methods. The authors use the analytical method of cognition and comparative analysis. Results. This study is theoretical and shows the need to explore the history, prerequisites, and prospects of development of the Russian digital economy. A global transition toward a digital society could lead to all economic sectors becoming unrecognizable, could bring about a new wave of innovation and changes in governance. For Russia, the main goal is to be a part of this technological leap and become a technologically advanced country.

This study examines the experience of socioeconomic modeling and explores the feasibility of using the elements of the economics of quality for the purposes of such modeling. Aim. This study assesses the possibility of managing the development of socio-economic systems using modeling techniques based on the elements of the economics of quality. Tasks. In the study, the authors analyze the current state of the theory and practice of life quality modeling within the framework of the socio-economic system and evaluate the efficiency of socio-economic system modeling using the tools of the economics of quality. Methods. The socio-economic system and the elements of the economics of quality are examined from various perspectives using general scientific methods of cognition. The methods for the assessment of the quality of life are presented as an important factor of socioeconomic system development. Results. The available Russian and foreign experiences in socio-economic system modeling are examined, and major development trends in this field are identified. The feasibility of using the elements of the economics of quality in socio-economic system modeling (including agent-oriented modeling) is substantiated, and the corresponding approaches are determined. A basis for compiling a list of life quality indicators is provided. A model simulating information processes in socio-economic systems is proposed. Conclusion. The study’s results can be used to improve the quality of forecasting and management of the development of socio-economic systems. Agent-oriented modeling should help select the optimal strategy for system data development, which would increase the economic stability and quality of life.

This study examines approaches to finding combinations of skills and knowledge that would make it possible to meet the challenges of the increasingly diverse modern economy. Aim and Tasks. This study aims to show that the Soviet development model for the mineral resource sector was largely based on the typification and unification of approaches to project implementation, making it easier to control the process from a single center. Since then, the conditions have changed. With no readily available oil or giant new mineral deposits waiting to be developed, diversification plays an increasingly important role. Attempts to pursue the former model and experience have led the economy to face temporary difficulties. Overcoming these challenges will require an increase in the scale of geological exploration to uncover giant new deposits; developing new technologies (within the confines of specialized territories aided by the government and spearheaded by major companies); and expanding preferential advantages and benefits when dealing with heavy, non-conventional, and increasingly costly hydrocarbons. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition - such as analysis and synthesis, the institutional theory, comparative and statistical analysis, and systematization-to demonstrate the specifics of integrating resource regions into the new economic environment. These methods also highlight the need for a smooth transition from a centralized technological system oriented to a decentralized system that would be better suited for current market conditions. Results. Objective, materialized knowledge is not only a value in itself; its availability to those who have the necessary knowledge and skills to take on the colossal risks of developing a small oil and gas deposit is equally important. Only a person with widely varied knowledge and considerable practical experience is capable of taking on such a project. It is necessary to establish conditions that encourage the implementation of such projects, including creating an adequate taxation system and ensuring the availability of financial resources. Conclusions. Modern challenges require new solutions. Russia is still searching for such solutions as radical economic reforms have yielded little in terms of creating the conditions and prerequisites for future development. The illusion persists that problems can be solved by simply introducing new laws and regulations; it takes a long time for changes in the economic environment to reach critical mass (the number of participants, accumulated knowledge, tried and tested forms of cooperation, and ways of solving problems) on which the efficiency of norms and regulations is hinged. Instead of moving forward, the Russian oil and gas sector has been moving along the well-trodden path back to the past.

Aim. This study aims to analyze major trends in socio-economic development in modern Russia in terms of its socio-economic impact. Tasks. In this study, the authors perform a comparative analysis of the first and second phases of depopulation and identify major risks of demographic development for the modern labor market. Methods. The study uses general scientific methods of cognition, including the analytical method, to examine the dynamics of sociodemographic development. Results. The performed analysis is based on the correlation among the demographic, social, and economic factors of social reproduction. Despite the inertia of demographic processes, the study substantiates the need for the intensive implementation of the population policy and new managerial decisions to overcome the second phase of depopulation. Conclusion. In the coming years, socio-demographic development should focus on the maximum use of reproduction and migration reserves to minimize depopulation and lay the groundwork for a new demographic rise. Achieving this goal involves collecting and analyzing extensive statistical and empirical data obtained by monitoring according to all major indicators, including ethnicity. Guidelines based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which revolve around the integration of demographic, socio-economic, and socio-cultural policy measures, should also prove useful.

The presented study summarizes the current experience of the practical implementation of sustainable development in public administration under the banner of preventing global climate change. Aim. The study aims to systematize major factors that affect national governments and force them to introduce new elements in the public administration process with the purpose of providing sources of funding for national economic environmentalization programs and ensuring business reorientation toward green development. Tasks. In this study, the authors determine the tools used by national governments to raise funds for green development. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition to examine the model of green economic growth, which has gained global support since the 1980s, to identify trends in the current state and the development of national policy in this field as well as to determine its major directions. Results. Setting global priorities that would substantiate the necessity of a transition toward a green economy is not sufficient. The success of such a transition should be further supported by national priorities, while the transition’s rate should be determined by the capabilities of the national economic structure and the level of development of financial market institutions and infrastructure. Conclusion. Preparing the national economy for a transition toward a green economy should be identified as a mid-term objective of public administration.

The presented study analyzes the federal form of government from the perspective of systems methodology. Aim. The study aims to substantiate the need for improving the national regional policy with regard to struggling regions through the case study of the North Caucasian Federal District (NCFD). Tasks. In this study, the authors analyze budget revenues and expenditures in relation to the subjects of the NCFD, examine the growth rate of the core indicators of regional socio-economic development, and predict the scenario of long-term regional development. Methods. The study uses general scientific methods of cognition and elements of predictive modeling. The study employs data provided by the Federal State Statistics Service for statistical analysis. Results. The principles of Russian federalism are presented in the context of the formation of the goals and objectives of regional policy. Mechanisms for their implementation are also described. Socio-economic development of the constituent entities is regarded as an important factor in strengthening federative relations. The basic principles of regional policy formation under federalism are clarified, and the current state of struggling regions (the NCFD and its subjects) is assessed. The need for the effective support of struggling regions using the framework of national regional policy implementation is substantiated, and possible development scenarios of the North Caucasian region are examined. Conclusion. Pursuing sustainable socio-economic development of constituent entities and enhancing interregional economic relations are important factors for strengthening federative relations, ensuring efficient management of a common economic space, and alleviating interregional disparity in terms of the achieved level of socio-economic development.

This study examines the role of the militaryindustrial complex (MIC) in creating opportunities for sustainable socio-economic development and national security of the Russian Federation. Tasks. This study characterizes the level and rate of economic growth in Russia, assesses the impact of the MIC on socio-economic development, economic growth, and attention to of national security problems. Furthermore, it identifies the channels of such impact and evaluates the prospects of government regulation of the activities of MIC enterprises. Methods. The study uses retrospective and comparative analysis, expert assessment, content and structural analysis to assess the impact of the Russian MIC on socio-economic development, to identify problems of economic growth in the country, to describe the system properties of the MIC as a factor of economic growth, and, based on the analysis of empirical data, to substantiate the need for improving government regulation of military production and support of military-technical cooperation between Russian and foreign countries. Results. It is established that economic growth in Russia is not sustainable, and the authors are conservative in their assessment of the mid-term prospects of socio-economic development. At the same time, the intensity and the number of challenges of national security is increasing. With this in view, it is necessary to take advantage of extensive growth factors, and to implement growth intensification only after the situation has stabilized. Comparative and retrospective analysis show that the MIC can be viewed as a factor of economic growth and national security, which makes it possible for national policy to focus resources on this sector with the purpose of increasing the rate of socio-economic development. Direct and indirect effects of the MIC on the national economy and national security are identified. Conditions for the balanced development of the MIC and the national economic complex as a whole are determined. Conclusion. The military-industrial complex can play a key role in stabilizing the Russian socio-economic system and facilitating its progressive development. This requires changes in government policy (particularly the industrial, innovative, and foreign economic policies) aimed at regulating its functioning. This should provide a comprehensive solution to the problems of economic growth and national security.

This study examines the major problems associated with the nature and principles of cash flow management under the current economic conditions. Aim. The study aims to identify the fundamental principles of cash flow management and to provide insights into the development of an efficient cash flow management system. Tasks. The authors study the formation of an efficient corporate cash flow management system under the current economic conditions. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition, such as analysis, synthesis, generalization, induction, modeling, classification, and the logical method, to determine the current trends in efficient corporate cash flow management. Results. The first step to achieving the highest efficiency in cash flow management is to maximize the coordination between the divisions of an economic entity. The following basic ratios play an important role in the assessment of the efficiency of corporate cash flow management: • cash flow liquidity ratio; • cash flow profitability ratio; • cash flow adequacy ratio. Conclusion. Based on the results, the authors believe that an efficient corporate cash flow management system should be developed according to the following principles: continuity and variability of financial planning, complexity of financial management, correlation between achieving long-term (strategic) results and motivation, unification and consistency of the applied document formats, and coordination and interdependence between the functional subsystems of the company.

Economic expectations and their correlation with the savings strategies of the Russian population reflect a complex set of external and internal individual motives in savings approaches, thus providing a safety cushion to a degree. Aim. The issue of developing a savings strategy in Russia is crucial for evaluating the values and goals the population associates with their economic expectations. Tasks. This study aims to examine Russian and foreign approaches to the rational expectations theory, to analyze the dynamics of economic expectations indices, and to identify the characteristic savings strategy of the Russian population. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition, including the socioeconomic method. The statistical basis of the study is data from the poll conducted by the Institute of Socio-Economic Studies of Population of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which was commissioned by the State Corporation Deposit Insurance Agency. Results. The study analyzes the response patterns of those surveyed regarding the organization and savings deposit, identifies major factors affecting the development of the savings strategy in Russia (including low quality of life, low financial awareness, and lack of trust in financial investment tools), and determines that the opinion on the expediency of savings and confidence in the banking system is similar among different social classes. Conclusions. As the most common form of financial behavior in Russia, savings behavior should be viewed from economic, sociological, and psychological perspectives. Statistical data on the economic expectations index dynamics serve as the basis for the conclusion on the mutual effect of personal predictions of material well-being and the potential for savings.

This article analyzes the problems of practical application of the cluster approach and develops guidelines for adjusting the approach to the formation of industrial clusters within the forest industry. Aim. The study presents major stages of industrial cluster formation in a structured fashion and identifies drawbacks that hinder efficient application of the cluster approach in the forest industry. Tasks. In this study, the authors analyze theoretical approaches to cluster formation; specify the definition of the industrial cluster; determine the sequence of steps in industrial cluster formation; examine major regulatory and legislative acts governing industrial clusters in the Russian Federation; analyze the obstacles to advanced wood processing within the industrial cluster; provide guidelines on creating a working cluster mechanism in the forest industry. Methods. The study uses general scientific methods of cognition in various aspects to examine the cluster approach, determines approaches to the formation of a modern industrial cluster, and identifies the major problems associated with this process. Results. Today, there is no consistent approach to the practical implementation of cluster policy as a tool for spatial planning in the Russian Federation. Therefore, there is little experience of government-supported application of the cluster approach. Analysis of an actual opportunity for industrial cluster formation through the example of the forest industry as well as opportunities for obtaining government support shows a number of drawbacks that hinder the development of this tool. The authors propose a number of changes that are required for creating a working cluster mechanism for the purposes of spatial planning in the forest industry. The results of the study can be extrapolated to other industries as well. Conclusion. Examination of industrial cluster formation shows the specific problems of regulation of this process and makes it possible to determine the factors that affect the application of the cluster approach.