Features of the recovery of entrepreneurial activity in Russia in the context of sustainable economic development

Abstract

The author considers the restoration of entrepreneurial activity in the Russian economy as a factor of sustainable development. We consider data from August 2020 to August 2021 on the number of small and medium-sized enterprises and the number of their employees. Methods of correlation analysis, construction of regression equations, Durbin – Watson test, Goldfeld – Quantum test for heteroscedasticity were used. The number of small and medium-sized enterprises in Russia has recovered to the level of August 2020, but this is explained by the regional peculiarities of entrepreneurial activity and the lifting of the moratorium on bankruptcy. Among small and medium-sized enterprises, there were many “zombie companies” that were not officially liquidated until June-July 2021. This also explains the lack of correlation between the number of small and medium-sized enterprises and the average number of employees. The number of personnel in small business is monotonously decreasing; it does not fulfill its function of creating jobs. In addition, in most federal districts of Russia, the number of small and medium-sized enterprises has decreased in absolute terms; almost all of the growth is concentrated in the Moscow agglomeration (Moscow and the Moscow region). In most federal districts, entrepreneurial activity is below the pre-crisis level. This is explained not only by restrictions and bans on the operation of small and medium-sized enterprises during the pandemic, but also by the economic situation in Russia, and a decrease in real incomes of the population. There is no correlation between entrepreneurial activity and inflation indices, but this may also be a consequence of accounting for non-performing firms.