Being a set of rules, procedures, and payment infrastructure, payments systems have a significant effect on the development of non-cash transactions in a country, which ensures better transparency of the financial system. Payment systems such as VISA, MasterCard, and MIR are currently developing rather rapidly in Russia, despite certain problems associated with the specific financial, economic, technical, and technological functioning of these systems. Aim. The presented study aims to develop guidelines for improving the development of the most-used payment systems in Russia. To that end, the authors assess the specific features of the development of payment systems across the world and in Russia, analyze the dynamics of the development of payment systems in Russia, and propose directions for the development of payment systems in Russia. Methods. This study uses general and special scientific methods of cognition. General scientific methods include analysis, synthesis, comparison, and modeling. The special methods include legal analysis, process analysis, and statistical analysis of dynamics and structure. Results. The study examines the most popular payment systems used by banks and non-bank credit organizations that issue cards (VISA, MasterCard, and MIR) that circulate in Russia and beyond. It is concluded that the number of transactions made using bank cards (both debit and credit cards) has increased significantly. Relevant problems of data processing by international payment systems in Russia and regions that fall under international sanctions are analyzed. Development prospects for the Russian payment system MIR and realization of its competitive advantages in the internal and external market are examined. Conclusion/Relevance. Nowadays, international payment systems (primarily VISA and MasterCard) are rather closely integrated in Russia. At the same time, ongoing attempts to develop the Russian system MIR have not yet been sufficiently successful. Even though MIR cards are widely accepted by acquiring operators in Russia, making transactions using these cards at the international level is still problematic, which requires the government and the banking industry to focus their efforts on facilitating the turnover of such cards.

The presented problem is important due to the regions’ (constituent entities of the Russian Federation) demands for economic security. In times of crisis and economic downfall, social problems become aggravated, quality of life decreases, and strain on the labor market rises.Alleviating negative factors responsible for the above outcomes requires solutions aimed at improving the regional economic structure, supporting individual industries and fields, and attracting investments. These steps can be considered the keys to providing economic security. Aim. The presented study aims to provide a conceptual representation of a regional economic security system. Methods. This study uses analysis of theoretical sources, comparison, and synthesis of conceptual conclusions. Results. Major approaches to the concept of regional economic security are presented, and the components of economic security are identified. Conclusion. It is concluded that regional economic security is a responsibility of public administration, which in turn should undertake to monitor key indicators, which should then be used to substantiate and make decisions that would facilitate positive changes in regional economy.

The presented study examines major economic transformations that shape the new business model for entrepreneurship. Aim. This study aims to perform a comparative analysis of the current state of the transformation in entrepreneurship in accordance with external challenges and in the context of the digital economy’s development in Russia and other European countries. Tasks. The authors’ model identifies “pressure points” in the efficient development of a system to provide an information society and digital economy in the Russian Federation based on support for entrepreneurship. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition to examine factors that constitute the foundation for the entrepreneurial shift currently underway both in developed and developing countries - mobility, cloud computing, business analytics, and social media -and to determine trends in the current state and development of Russian enterprises. Results. The investment level in database storage systems is currently increasing, and rapidly growing companies are planning to use smart devices to improve their efficiency and performance and minimizing costs. The rise of the digital economy has radically changed the way employees work and get paid at enterprises. The transition to a new technological wave in Russia requires the principle of division of labor to be fundamentally revamped in line with trends emerging in the knowledge-based economy. Network platforms have the best capacity for continuous expansion of their activities by providing services for many business functions such as data processing, telecommunications, and financial operations in the field of an organization’s primary activity, which is due to their high capacity for generating new knowledge based on the accumulated experience. Conclusion. The global digital space is thriving as a result of a favorable investment policy enacted by leading countries and an aggressive strategy followed by the world’s largest IT companies. Structural changes can be seen in the capital market, with investments in global projects continuously growing due to the formation of consortia and integration associations involving leading countries and rapidly developing countries. Global investment flows are aimed both at “mass demand” technology (web games, e-commerce) and at database storage technology, which leads to the monopolization by global companies based on intellectual capital and a unified digital information space. The development of the global and local digital markets lays the groundwork for entrepreneurial activity in countries with a high level of education and informatization of national economic models.

The modern Russian economy focuses on increasing gross domestic product (GDP) through enhanced investment and labor productivity. There is a direct correlation between the dynamics of labor productivity and amounts of compensation received by employees. Underpaid labor cannot be productive. A cheap labor force hinders the increase of labor productivity. This study examines the problems of labor productivity growth and labor compensation in the construction industry, which is classified as a crucial industry. Aim. The presented study aims to examine the current state and problems of labor productivity and labor compensation in construction and determine ways of increasing labor efficiency in the current stage of Russia’s economic development. Tasks. The author tries to describe the shortcomingsof the work and salary organization in the sphere of construction and economy in general, to reveal reserves and factors of increase in labor productivity and labor compensation in the sphere of construction. Methods. The study uses general scientific methods and the monetary (value, cost) method to assess labor productivity. Data provided by Eurostat, ILO, OECD, and national statistics agencies constitute the statistical basis of the study. Results. Methodological foundations of labor productivity and compensation along with their indicators and evaluation methods in construction are provided. Formulas and examples of labor productivity and compensation evaluation are also presented. Reserves and factors of labor productivity growth are determined. Current labor productivity and compensation levels in Russia and developed countries are compared based on a number of sources. The comparison results show that the level of human capital needs to be increased. Low labor productivity prevents enterprises from becoming innovative. The correlation between performance, productivity standards, and employee qualifications is identified. The effect of investment growth on labor productivity and GDP dynamics is emphasized. There is a significant gap between compensation of workers and that of specialized personnel and top management, with the compensation paid to labor judged as being unfair. Ways to solve labor problems in construction are determined. The objectives of labor motivation in the management of labor resources as well as the government’s goals in solving the problems of labor and labor compensation are outlined.

This study examines existing views regarding ways to solve the problem of improving the population’s living conditions, substantiating its new methodology and developing a progressive model to help improve the population’s living conditions. Aim. This study aims to develop a progressive model for improvement of the population’s living conditions through a combination of public administration, national development strategy, and government economic regulation. Furthermore, the interrelation and interdependence of these factors is determined by examining the local culture. Tasks. The authors (1) examine existing views on specific aspects of communist and capitalist living conditions; (2) substantiate a new methodology for developing of a progressive model to help improve the population’s living conditions; and (3) develop a progressive model to help improve the population’s living conditions, which involves a combination of public administration, national development strategy, and government economic regulation, all driven by civil culture. Methods. The study substantiates a new methodology to develop a progressive model for improving the population’s living conditions, including delineating its structural elements, namely, administrative, public, and social ideologies. Integration of these aspects lies at the heart of public administration, national development strategies, and government economic regulation, and creates the required conditions for a dual result, namely formation of a sustainable economy and social system. Results. A new methodology for developing a model to help improve the population’s living conditions is proposed, on the basis of which the interaction of administrative, public, and social ideologies is established. The proposed methodology makes it possible to substantiate the model’s structure, which includes public administration, national development strategy, and government economic regulation, all aimed at the formation of a sustainable economy and social system, which is represented as a closed system cycle. Civil culture is the driving force behind all processes within the cycle. Its impact manifests itself in the results of public administration activities. Conclusion. Examination of the existing views on the nature of communist and capitalist living conditions allows the authors to substantiate a new methodology for improving the population’s living conditions, which functions through the development and implementation of a national development strategy and government economic regulation as part of public administration activities, thus ensuring the formation of a sustainable economy and social system.

This study was conducted at large integrated industrial enterprises and aims to provide a theoretical and empirical assessment of the values held by personnel, which are crucial for improving the efficiency of work. Aim. The presented study substantiates the correlation between efficiency and quality of work at an enterprise on the one hand and value orientation on new knowledge, skills, proficiency, qualification, and development of novel social and labor relations in the context of the digital economy on the other. Tasks. The study performs a theoretical analysis of social development at different stages, substantiates the importance of conscious perceptions of enterprise personnel’s value orientations, which have both a direct and indirect effect on the efficiency and quality of work, and determines the divergences in value orientations of different professional, qualification, and status groups of employees. Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study draws on works of Russian and foreign scientists on the socio-professional personality construct, value orientations of employees in a system of social relations, and operation practices of modern enterprises. The study also uses content analysis, overt observation, expert assessment, and interviews of different professional, qualification, and status groups of employees. Results. The substance and characteristics of the employees’ value orientations are identified, and their incongruences in the system of social and labor relations of a modern enterprise is determined. It is established that inability and unwillingness to perceive and recognize the values of personnel leads to a crisis and chaos in social and labor relations and, consequently, to the “catching-up development” of enterprises. Conclusion. Basic studies of the efficiency and quality of work at modern enterprises should include active-objective analysis of personnel involvement in the efficiency and quality of work and should not be limited to superficial examinations of the so-called “human factors.”

The present study is relevant because the state of the Russian healthcare system increasingly affects the ability to maintain the health and capacity for work of the country’s economically active population. The transition from a paternalistic healthcare model to a marketbased model has diminished the role of the sanitarium-resort complex as a factor in maintaining the health of Russian workers and restoring the capacity for work of ill or injured people. Aim. This study aims to examine the present state of the health category and its effect on the activities of the sanatorium-resort complex, using a socio-economic approach. Tasks. The authors examine the existing methods and criteria of health assessment and evaluate the efficiency of the national social policy towards wage workers in Russia, based on an analysis of the population’s health indicators. Methods. The study uses such methods as systems analysis, systematization, and synthesis and employs the socio-economic approach to determine the essence of the “health” concept in the country. Results. The overall condition of the healthcare system and social and labor relations in Russian enterprises are not geared towards maintaining the capacity for work and health of employees. In Russia, restorative medicine has evolved into a self-contained scientific and practical field that can significantly affect the state of healthcare in Russia for workers using drug-free sanatorium-resort methods. Conclusion. Based on the performed analysis, it is concluded that the government should play a larger part in the regulation of the sanatorium-resort complex.

The present study outlines key stages in the establishment and development of Russian science. Aim. This study analyzes the establishment and development of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the time of the Russian Empire, the scientific development in the Soviet era and during the 1990s in the context of a transformational systemic crisis, and the current state of scientific development, aiming to examine the prospects for accelerated development of Russian science amid new challenges. Tasks. The authors identify major stages in the establishment and development of Russian science, examine the specific aspects of scientific organization and management in the country in the context of changing socio-economic systems, analyze the dynamics, organizational structure and financial structure of Russian science during the establishment and development of the market economy in modern Russia, examine the achievements and problems of scientific and technological development in the course of the transition from a resource export model of national economic development towards an innovative model, and analyze the prospects for an accelerated development of Russian science based on the current estimates and strategies for national scientific and technological development. Methods. This study uses retrospective analysis of scientific development in Russia, based on the historical approach of its evolution, using a socio-economic approach, systems analysis, cross-country analysis, statistical and structural dynamic analysis, complex strategic approach, and the expert assessment methods. Results. Based on the accelerated scientific and technological modernization, the current waves of innovation in various branches of the Russian economy should be developed through implementation of end-to-end information and communication technologies and development of a digital economy and information society. This requires balanced development of the three major fields of Russian science (academic, entrepreneurial, and institutional) by setting scientifically-based national priorities for the development of basic and applied research, R&D work, and technological solutions in each field. Conclusion. A successfully implemented and well-funded strategy for the scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation along with the implementation of the National Technological Initiative should transform the Russian economic system into a modern, competitive, knowledge-driven economy based on a comprehensive and efficient national innovative ecosystem that would establish the 6th wave of innovation as a growing sector of the national economy, capable of closing the technological gap between Russian and the leading developed countries.

The presented study examines historical waves of merger and acquisition deals. Aim. The study analyzes historical waves of business amalgamation deals with the aim to identify factors that increased the number of deals occurring in certain historical periods. Tasks. The authors identify external factors that facilitate increased numbers of deals, identify largest deals in each stage, make brief conclusions regarding the successfulness of each period, and determine the causes of each wave’s end. Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition to examine different stages and aspects of the development of the mergers and acquisitions market. Results. Analysis of expert works in the field of mergers and acquisitions and statistical data make it possible to identify major waves of business amalgamation spikes. The characteristic traits, major deals, and causes of beginning and end of each wave are determined. Conclusions. In the 20th and 21st century, the mergers and acquisitions market was dominated by American corporations. It wasn’t until the fifth “wave” that European and Asian companies entered the market. The Russian mergers and acquisitions market is in early stages of development and does not offer enough statistical data to identify any characteristic traits. Each historical wave has its own characteristics, such as the volume of deals, types of deals, and funding sources. Furthermore, each wave of increasing number of deals has its own positive factors that bolstered acquisition of other companies and negative factors that hinder the development of such deals.

The present study examines theoretical approaches to the formation of a regulatory and methodological framework for the development and implementation of transregional projects in the field of tourism and recreation. Aim. The study aims to propose a novel sciencebased approach to the formation of a methodological framework for transregional tourism projects, which would help achieve maximum efficiency within a unified tourism market in the Russian Federation. Tasks. The author identifies key structural components of the proposed standard for transregional tourism projects and provides a general description of a transregional tourism project charter. Methods. This study uses such scientific research methods within its institutional and structural analysis and modeling, examining trends in inter-territorial cooperation in the field of tourism and recreation, in order to identify specific features of the key characteristics of a regulatory and legal framework for the implementation of a transregional tourism project. Results. The author proposes and substantiates key structural components for a standard that may be used with transregional tourism projects: (1) standard application field, (2) classificatory aspects of transregional tourism projects, (3) general requirements for legal forms, (4) service quality requirements, (5) funding conditions and sources, (6) requirements for regulatory statistical reporting, (7) requirements for the development of project efficiency assessment criteria, and so forth. The fundamental differences between the structure of a transregional tourism project charter and the existing charters of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, municipalities, and individual tourism destinations are found in that the latter tend to focus on providing current data on tourist attractions and the corresponding infrastructure facilities. Apart from information about the conditions of a particular project, the proposed transregional project charter contains both analytical and projection data that can help government authorities make weighted managerial decisions. Conclusion. According to the results of the analysis of legal documents that regulate the processes considered, the author concludes that a federal standard for transregional tourism projects should be developed and implemented-utilizing a regulatory document that establishes a complex structure of norms, rules, and requirements for transregional project activities in the field of tourism and recreation. The main purpose of the standard is to harmonize the process of formation, functioning, and regulation transregional tourism development in the Russian Federation.

This study describes a methodical approach to optimizing the structure of a wide class of territorially distributed information systems. Aim. Develop a methodological approach to the formation of the optimal structure of a geographically distributed information system. A mathematical formalization of the problem as a 1-center problem was carried out. The method is based on the tools of tropical mathematics. Tasks. Assess the importance of the information factor in solving problems of socio-economic development of the Russian Federation. Analyze the direction of formation and state support of elements of the digital economy. To formulate the task of optimizing the structure of a territorially distributed informationsystem. To review the methodological approaches to its solution. Describe the author’s approach to the selection of the field for the optimal placement of the control center in the information system using the tools of tropical mathematics. Methods. In this paper, the trends and prospects for the development of informatization processes are considered with the help of general methods of scientific cognition (structural, retrospective and monographic analysis). Using the methods of mathematical formalization and logical analysis, the problem of optimizing the structure of the information system has been formalized. Its solution is obtained on the basis of idempotent algebra methods (a section of tropical mathematics). Results. An analytical optimal solution of the 1-center problem for a territorially distributed information system in the Manhattan metric is obtained. Conclusion. The results of the research can be used to form the optimal structure of a wide class of territorially distributed information systems. They allow to determine the optimal location of control objects (servers in computer networks, data storage centers in video surveillance systems, etc.) in the design and modernization of information systems.