Aim. This study aims to substantiate the need for the development and improvement of the infrastructure of small enterprise support through enhanced interaction between the business community, government, and economists.

Tasks. This study identifies the main problems of small enterprise development in the country; analyzes the existing system of interaction between government, social, and scientific organizations and the business environment; examines major areas for improvement in the legislative framework of small enterprise support in St. Petersburg.

Results. Major problems in small enterprise development in St. Petersburg are identified, including vending overoptimization, which facilitates the growth of large retail chains; collapse of small enterprise suppliers; corruption, etc. As a result of the determined inconsistencies in the functioning of the “government-society-business” model, systematic tightening of tax burden on small enterprises is established. The work of the special institute for regulatory impact assessment is analyzed. The institute aims to organize a system of “smart regulation” comparable to foreign countries. It is proposed that preliminary “regulatory impact assessments” involving entrepreneurs should be conducted for any future decisions on small enterprises prior to their approval. 

The formation of the concept of sustainable social development in the modern era requires critical examination of environmental, economic, and social processes and the paradigm foundations of sustainable development itself. The current situation of dynamic paradigm pluralism gives rise to the problem of new paradigm formation for the conceptual design of an innovative model for sustainable social development. The scientific need for the analysis of paradigm foundations of the current theory of sustainable social development is substantiated by the fact that understanding the methodological foundations and logical structure of the current model for sustainable development would allow estimating its potential and determining the boundary conditions for these concepts.

Aim. This study aims to determine the directions for the development of a new paradigm of sustainable development that would be most adequate for the processes typical of modern society.

Methods. This study substantiates methods for the formation of a new paradigm of sustainable social development that involve reasoning on the objects of systematic development in order to achieve the required results, i.e., an improved production and consumption culture and social progress. The identified objects include three perspectives: (1) the internal cultural environment, wherein people’s beliefs, habits, and knowledge are formed and practical experience is gained; (2) the external economic environment, which is formed and developed through the integration of economic science and business practices during the economic activities of society that are aimed at ensuring sustainable economic growth and transforming its results into a socially significant effect for the population; and (3) the societal environment, wherein a community of people is formed to satisfy social needs and exercise social control over the members of society.

Results. The relationship between the characteristics of the current sustainable development model based on environmental, economic, and social development and the feasibility of the socially significant objectives of development (improved production and consumption culture and social progress) are determined. Moreover, gaps in the system features of the process of ensuring sustainable social development provided in the theory are identified. A new paradigm for sustainable social development and objects interacting within this paradigm is substantiated according to two key parameters — the definitions of objectives and content—in terms of key elements and relationships, with the identification of public administration as a crucial element. An innovative model for the sustainable development of a society is formed, which is driven by social self­organization in combination with public administration, public incentive­based regulation of the economy and economic activity, aimed at achieving improved production and consumption culture and social progress.

Aim. This study aims to determine the conditions necessary to overcome stagnation in the economic relationship between Russia and member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Tasks. This study analyzes the general trend in the development of foreign trade between Russia and the ASEAN countries from 2008 to 2016. It also determines the impact of anti-Russian sanctions on trade development and identifies main areas for cooperation with the ASEAN countries.

Results. The problems and challenges in the relationship between Russia and the ASEAN are identified. It is established that the main areas for the development of cooperation with the ASEAN countries include the oil and gas industry, civil and military aviation, shipping logistics, truck assembly, innovations, etc. The resources required for the transition to a new level of cooperation between the countries are examined with due consideration of common interests. The results of the Third Russia–ASEAN Summit, which was held in May 2016 in Sochi, are assessed.

As part of the concept for long-term socio-economic development in Russia until 2020, the Russian government has set goals and priority directions for achieving sustainable development of the national economy and socio-economic indicators, improving the quality of life and forming tourism and recreation zones in many regions.

 Aim. This study aims to substantiate the need for the development of sports and recreation clusters as a form of innovative business  to support regional socio-economic development.

Tasks. This study analyzes the distribution of economic indicators of 20 countries to determine the economic effect of the business activity of sports and recreation clusters, determines the specific aspects of organizing public and private support for sports and recreation clusters, and provides a plan for the operation of sports and recreation clusters.

Results. Positive trends are determined in the growing number of organizations engaged in sports and recreational activities both in Russia and abroad. The operation of sports and recreation clusters within the territory of Russian regions is a matter of not only creating a highly efficient and highly competitive object of economic activity but also improving the quality of life of the region’s and country’s population, and developing the society as a whole. Major strategic objectives for the long-term formation and development of sports and recreation clusters are defined.

This study examines cluster policy as a crucial element in the development of an innovative economy.

Aim. This study aims to analyze major directions in state cluster policy, its goals, challenges, and problems associated with its formation.

Tasks. This study substantiates the need for the formation of cluster policy and determines its major objectives, identifies major directions in the development of clusters, and examines basic mechanisms of support for clusters from the state. Methods. This study uses general methods of scientific cognition such as document and logical analyses. These methods allow for conducting a sequential analysis of the need for a cluster policy, determining major directions for its implementation, and measures of state regulation and support.

Results. Analysis of scientific literature on the problems of Russia’s innovative path identifies negative factors and the potential for further development. Features of cluster structures are determined. The necessity of cluster policy is substantiated. Major documents aimed at the implementation of cluster policy are examined. A mechanism for state regulation and support of cluster structures is proposed.

Conclusion. The formation of clusters is a crucial form of implementation of innovative development of the Russian economy. The cluster approach can be adapted to the specific operating conditions of state business structures and the academic community. The government plays the leading role in the stimulation of innovative cluster formation. Therefore, it needs to work on the conceptual and methodological issues of innovative cluster development, provide regulatory support, and create a favorable economic environment. 

This study aims to analyze the investment strategy of an organization and, thus evaluating its investment attractiveness and competitiveness in accordance with the stages of the organization’s life cycle.

Aim. This study is aimed at structuring and substantiating the logical correlation between the main stages in the development of an organization’s investment project and the stages of its life cycle in order to propose measures to enhance the competitiveness and investment attractiveness of the organization.

Tasks. This study determines the sequence of actions and the range of tools that the organization’s management uses at different stages of its life cycle in order to ensure financial stability and investment attractiveness and thus enhance the organization’s competitiveness.

Methods. This study uses general methods of scientific cognition to examine the specific features of the development of an organization’s investment strategy in various aspects according to the stages of its life cycle in order to ensure financial stability and investment attractiveness of the organization; identifies the mechanisms used in the process of enhancing the competitiveness of the organization; and formulates basic approaches to the evaluation of investment attractiveness with regard to the life cycle and competitiveness of the organization.

Results. An investment project can be either commercial or non-commercial. In the latter, there are wasted and gained opportunities. In case of implementation of a non-commercial project, the set objective can be achieved by selecting the optimal way to achieve the said objective, and non-financial criteria can have higher priority than financial indicators. Thus, during the evaluation of the investment attractiveness of a noncommercial project with regard to the stages of an organisation’s life cycle, one should take into account the investor’s commitment to the achievement of the main objectives at a certain stage of an investment project as well as the global objectives of the investment project and select the less costly option from a few option of comparable quality.

Conclusion. The examination of the investment strategy of an organization, its investment attractiveness and competitiveness with regard to the stages of the organization’s life cycle not only determines the specific problems in the implementation of a commercial or non-commercial project, but also substantiates the approaches to the evaluation of the investment attractiveness if a particular investment project in accordance with the stages of the organization’s life cycle. The results of this study allow determining the areas of cost planning according to the resource needs of the organization at each stage of its life cycle (in real time, taking into account the resources, anticipated deficit of funds, and preliminary formation of alternate sources of investments). 

Modern development conditions require a different approach to the reproduction of labor power and make it crucial to determine trends that turn into patterns.

Aim. This study aims to determine social capabilities for the reproduction of labor power by industry in the Russian Federation. Tasks. This study provides a socioeconomic evaluation of average monthly salary in relation to the indexation of economic indicators for the 2013–2015 period in order to determine the correlation between average monthly salary and cost of reproducing labor power. In addition, the study analyzes the ratio of the average monthly salary by industry and the reasonable cost of the reproduction of labor power (according to M. V. Popov).

Methods. This study uses general methods of scientific cognition to examine the reproduction of labor power in various aspects as a process of continuous creation, recovery, and further development of physical, spiritual, artistic, and intellectual labor capabilities. Further, it determines the main areas that could increase the social significance of the reproduction of labor power.

Results. The process of the reproduction of labor power is tied to monetary value. The cost of satisfying physical and social needs serves as a basis for the determination of the cost of the reproduction of labor power, with salary in the labor market being a recovery factor. The results of the analysis show the unfair nature of salary indexation, given that it leads to poverty and inability to satisfy social and spiritual needs or ensure normal life and reproduction of labor power.

Conclusion. The obtained data allow us to conclude that the examined industries of the Russian Federation cannot fully satisfy the demand for the reproduction of labor power. A wide gap between the reasonable cost of the reproduction of labor power and the level of salary as a cost of labor makes for low social capabilities for the reproduction of labor power.

Currently, a steady need has emerged for the transformation of the Russian Central Bank’s role in solving strategic tasks related to the regulation of the Russian financial system while taking into account the risks of unpredictability among international financial institutions.

Aim. This study analyzes the impediments to the protection of the national financial system from the problems caused by the unpredictability among international financial institutions.

Results. The results of this study indicate that the structure of production in Russia needs to be changed in accordance with changes in the structure of the aggregate demand in order to allow manufacturers safe access to affordable financial resources for industrial investments. The study determines opportunities for increasing the stability of the financial sector, which is key to enhancing economic growth by funding investments in fixed capital and thus increasing production volumes and creating new jobs. Proposals for the implementation of credit policy are also formed, involving the attraction of various public, non-public, and cooperative specialized institutions that can fund investments in the priority industries at preferential rates on their own. 

This article provides an economic and mathematical background for experiments aimed at systematizing empirical data that can serve as the basis for the mathematical interpretation of models of internal interconnection between dynamic elements of economic systems of different levels, and for the modeling of external influences on an entire system of a national economy. This would eventually allow the development of a numerical implementation of the solution to the problem of dynamic stability of a national economy mechanism under the influence of external stochastic factors.

Aim. This study aims to propose an apparatus substantiated from the perspective of theoretical statistics for the integration of discrete experimental data examined in the form of one or several factors as independent, normally distributed random values, with possible application of the approach in the development of internal interconnection of complex dynamic economic systems, combined with the possibility of testing the statistical hypotheses determined during such modeling.

Tasks. This study interprets the aforementioned research using the apparatus of modern mathematics and a combination of mathematical and instrumental methods in economics. This allows a modern economic theorist to make a swift transition to practical methods and techniques for obtaining the entire spectrum of the necessary mathematical dependencies (functions) for the numerical implementation of the solution to the problem of dynamic stability and for analysis of the problem of boundary conditions of the entire mechanism of a national economy under the influence of external stochastic factors.

Methods. In terms of methodology, the author appeals to the problem of synthesis of discrete experimental data, the theoretical and statistical interpretation of which forms the basis for relatively accurate mathematical determination of functional relationships that serve as the basis for the mathematical theory of stability and transition processes in complex multilevel hierarchy systems.

Results. During the study, the author concludes that the process of organizing and planning experiments is a predecessor step in terms of theory and statistics. This step is essential to obtain statistically significant combinations of methods and techniques for the concretization, specification, and testing of statistical hypotheses that are fundamental to the determination of spectral functions for modeling the entire system of internal and external factors that provide a numerical solution to the problem of dynamic stability of the complex and multilevel system of national economy.

Conclusion. As a result, the study summarizes the problems of testing the hypothesis of equality of mean values of multiple normally distributed random values with equal variance for the cases, considering the influence of one or multiple factors on the entire system. The study also shows that the hypotheses of equality of mean values of multiple factors can be tested using the Fisher–Snedecor distribution. The unbiased variance estimate is compared to the variance determined using the Fisher–Snedecor distribution, which allows the author to accept or reject the hypothesis depending on the significance of its deviation from the ratio between the last estimate to the residual variance estimate. Using this data, it is possible to plot valid functional dependencies linking, with certain assumptions, the control and controlled parameters of economic systems even under conditions of uncertainty.

With the advent of information and communication technologies, the World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index shows that on a national and global scale, Russia, just like any other economically developed society, has become information-oriented. There is a great demand for the development of innovations, enhanced productivity and competitiveness, and diversification and economic efficiency.

Aim. This study aims to substantiate the need for the establishment of corporate high school (HS) formations — lateral clusters that would unite various educational institutions, companies, and organizations engaged in the training of experts in information and communication technologies — as an efficient tool for enhancing national competitiveness.

Tasks. This study analyzes major approaches to the definition of “lateral clusters,” identifies the main forms of interaction between the objects of such clusters in Russia, and examines the market of mergers and acquisitions typical for HS in Russia.

Results. The analysis of strategies for the innovative development of corporate HS formations (lateral clusters) shows that a decision made in the context of limited resources depending on the size of the corporation is a crucial factor for the optimization of planning and goal setting. If the corporation is focused on the current activity, it will have to renounce strategic diversification and vice versa. Therefore, determining the resources that would provide the best opportunities for the achievement of strategic goals is a crucial challenge in the selection of an efficient strategy for the innovative development of corporate HS formations.

This study investigates the possibility of using tools based on the theory of soft computing to estimate the efficiency of companies in the housing and utility sector.

Aim. This study aims to estimate the efficiency of an existing company in the housing and utility sector using the methods of the entropy theory.

Tasks. This study examines the key aspects of the energy-entropy approach to company activity and the most effective methods for the calculation of system entropy, calculates the entropy of an existing utility company, and estimates its efficiency.

Methods. This study uses general methods of scientific cognition and those for the estimation of company entropy as a system, calculates system entropy of a utility company, and interprets the obtained results.

Results. According to the entropy assessment conducted for the selected utility company over the period under review, its efficiency changed because of changes in both the external environment and decisions of the company management. By the end of the analyzed period, the level of entropy at the company dropped below the initial level, which indicates an increase in the efficiency of the system.

Conclusion. High uncertainty of internal processes is just as dangerous for a complex system as high determinacy; businesses are no exception to this. Methods for estimating system efficiency based on the ideas of the energyentropy theory can be applied to estimate the efficiency of a company. The combination of modern management and model theories based on soft computing facilitates bringing the company to its optimal condition.