Институт торговых представительств Российской федерации на современном этапе: оценка промежуточных итогов его реформирования

Abstract

Introduction: trade missions of the Russian Federation are the central institution for driving export development and promoting the interests of domestic exporters in foreign markets. Since May 2018, these structures have been undergoing a new round of reforms following their transfer into the competence of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Objectives: to study the current round of reforms in the system of trade missions, including the analysis of changes in personnel, innovations in the functions of these foreign economic structures and their references in media. Methods: the concept of business diplomacy, focusing on the micro-level of foreign economic actors’ activity; biographical method; analysis of formal documents on foreign economic activity. Results: the position of trade missions in the export support system, in relation to other foreign trade structures, has been defined; the main documents on foreign economic activity have been considered from the standpoint of uncertainty in goal setting; innovations in the functions of trade missions have been considered; the characteristics of trade missions’ personnel have been studied, including changes before and after the start of the last round of reforms. Conclusions: the role of trade missions in the export support system, as well as the results of their activities still elicit a mixed reaction. This stems from several reasons, including the unsatisfactory results of previous reform attempts (in 2012 and 2016) and the implicit interim results of the current reform. Trade missions, despite their dependence on the macroeconomic environment, remain as the main instrument of costs reduction and easier penetration into the markets. After the trade missions transfer into the competence of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Russian Federation, there have been indications of changes aimed at raising the quality of their services and, in general, an overall change to more efficient foreign trade institutions. This is manifested in the renewal of the trade representatives’ composition, among which there are more and more people with work experience in business.