Providing the population with food and, in particular, healthy, high–quality vegetable products is one of the key tasks of the regions. When solving this problem, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of each region, from demographic, climatic, to territorial location, while it is necessary to take into account the influence of political, economic and other factors. It is also necessary to take into account the peculiarities of vegetable growing in the Siberian regions. The subject of the study was a set of organizational and economic relations in the production of vegetables and consumption of vegetable products. The article considers the most significant factors affecting the self-sufficiency of Siberian regions with vegetables and products of their processing. The analysis of the vegetable market in the Siberian Federal District showed that the studied regions are heterogeneous in terms of population, monetary incomes of the population, gross production of vegetables, and, consequently, consumption and production of vegetables per capita, the technological equipment of vegetable production and processing of vegetable products, warehouse logistics, etc. also differs. The consumption of vegetable products by the inhabitants of the region is significantly less than the rational consumption norms that meet the needs and have a beneficial effect on the human body. To solve this problem, it is necessary to strengthen the promotion of proper nutrition, to ensure the economic and physical availability of vegetable products at an affordable price. The author suggests measures to increase commodity production and processing of vegetables, improve the infrastructure of the vegetable market, which will allow the region to achieve food self-sufficiency in vegetable products. The author made a forecast of consumption taking into account the rational norms of vegetable products until 2030.

The interaction of artificial intelligence (AI), global economic interdependence, and foreign policy is turning into one of the issues of modern international politics. AI has ceased to be just a technological innovation in the context of a multipolar world where the United States, China, the European Union, Russia, and the emergent regional powers engage in strategic competition. It is becoming a geopolitical tool that defines trade, finance, supply chains, surveillance abilities, and diplomatic bargaining power. The thesis of this paper is that AI enhances the weaponization of economic interdependence through states being able to monitor, predict, manipulate, and disrupt transnational network with unprecedented accuracy. The paper examines how AI is reshaping economic relationships between countries based on international political economy and foreign policy theory, which are previously sources of mutually beneficial relations, into instruments of coercion. It also studies how states can adjust their foreign policies to this fact by focusing on resilience, technological sovereignty, strategic decoupling and coordination through alliances. The paper finds that AI is redefining foreign policy in a multipolar world by making the line between economic cooperation and strategic vulnerability indistinct, and driving the states to reconsider interdependence not as the source of peace, but as a battlefield of power.

States continue to impose E-Cigarette (EC) taxes without clear evidence of the cross-price elasticities between multiple EC types and between ECs and cigarettes. Moreover, existing literature focused on EC sales or prevalence outcomes instead of consumption units of various EC types. We examined how EC and cigarette consumption respond to prices and taxes and estimated own-price and cross-price elasticities for multiple EC types using a nationally representative volumetric choice experiment (VCE) of US adults who vaped ECs in the past 30days. In the VCE, participants made purchases for monthly consumption in response to changing tax and price levels in 9 choice sets, and 700 people were recruited and answered VCE questions during 2023. Each choice set includes disposables, pod devices, pod refill packs, pod starter kits, tank devices, e-liquids, and cigarettes. Zero-inflated Poisson model was used to estimate price and tax impacts, as well as own- and cross-price elasticities of demand for these products. Increasing taxes and prices (e.g.,minimum pricing floor) reduces EC consumption among US adults who vape, and different EC types are economic substitutes. Platform goods (e.g.,tank devices and e-liquids, pod devices and refill packs) are economic complements. Increasing EC prices likely does not lead to higher cigarette consumption among the general adult EC-using population. The design of EC taxes by EC models and components may be needed given their complex economic relationships.

This essay examines the win-win narrative that China typically deploys to frame economic relations with Africa. Although this cornerstone principle aims to differentiate China’s economic engagements with Africa from the traditional North-South nature of Africa’s economic ties with the West, the problem remains that the narrative fails to admit and address the economic disparities between Africa and China. Fundamentally, Chinese political-economic considerations, not idealistic expectations, are at the core of the win-win narrative that frames economic engagements with Africa. By drawing on existing literature, relevant trade data and development statistics, this paper demonstrates that current economic relations between China and Africa tilt more towards neo-imperialism than win-win. Until this neo-imperial tendency is sufficiently acknowledged and properly addressed, Sino-African economic win-win will remain a myth never to be achieved.

The new, fundamentally changed political and economic situation of Russia after 2022 produces strict imperatives for restructuring the entire system of economic relations. The current situation has actually marked the exhaustiveness of the previous model, which was critically dependent on technology imports. To replace it a strategic goal has been formulated – building full technological sovereignty of the country with a special focus on the basic sector of the national economy, specifically the industry. The impact of the course on technological autonomy on regional industrial development is of fundamental importance. The restrictions imposed on technology transfer have put many industries in a situation of challenge, requiring immediate adaptation and the search for alternative solutions. The emerging shortage in access to advanced foreign developments and components creates risks of slowing down the innovation process in the field. This, in turn, can negatively affect long-term development prospects of the regions, undermine competitiveness of their industrial enterprises, complicate the tasks of increasing operational efficiency and optimizing production costs. In the light of these challenges, the task of quantitative and qualitative assessment of the degree of influence of sanction restrictions in the technological sphere on the dynamics of industrial development of regions is crucial, taking into account their established industry specialization. It is necessary to understand which entities of the Russian Federation and which industrial clusters have turned out to be the most vulnerable, and where, on the contrary, windows of opportunity for import substitution and formation of new competencies are opening up.

This paper examines the effect of replacing Russia’s traditional investment partners with APEC economies on the income growth of Russian regions. The relevance of the study is explained by the fact that the restructuring of Russia’s foreign economic relations has increased the importance of alternative sources of investment and their contribution to regional development. The purpose of the study is to assess how inward and outward foreign direct investment linked to APEC countries influence regional income and wage dynamics, with particular attention to the differences between developed and developing APEC economies. The analysis is based on panel data from Russian regions for the period 2014–2021 and uses econometric methodology , including Fixed Effects models, and One- and Two-step GMM models to estimate the relationship between changes in the structure of foreign direct investment and regional economic performance. The results show that a higher share of inward FDI from APEC countries in total inward FDI to Russia is associated with increased regional income and wages. This positive effect is becomes stronger for inward FDI from developing APEC economies. Outward FDI coming from Russia to APEC countries has no statistically significant effect on regional growth. The study concludes that expanding investment cooperation with developing APEC countries is a more effective strategy to support Russian regional economies during sanctions than relying on developed APEC or non-APEC partners. Its practical significance lies in supporting policies aimed at attracting FDI int o priority sectors, especially manufacturing.

This article presents an extensive theoretical analysis of the typology of contemporary legal consciousness, examining it within the framework of the doctrine of the sources of law. The study argues that each legal family—such as the Romano‑Germanic, common law, religious, socialist, and mixed systems—creates its own unique structure of legal sources, which in turn shapes corresponding forms of legal consciousness. The research identifies and evaluates the principal approaches to legal consciousness, including natural law, legal positivism, the historical school of law, psychological jurisprudence, sociological jurisprudence, Marxist theory, and ethnocultural conceptions. Natural law theory, rooted in ideas of justice, rationality, and inherent human rights, has historically influenced the doctrines of the rule of law and human rights. Legal positivism, by contrast, places emphasis on law as the command of a sovereign authority, underscoring the normative force and enforceability of legal rules. The historical school views law as an expression of the spirit of the people, shaped by customs and traditions. Psychological jurisprudence interprets law as a manifestation of human mental and emotional experiences, particularly imperatory‑attributive feelings that define legal behavior. Sociological jurisprudence frames law as a “living law,” arguing that real social relations, rather than formal legal norms, form the true foundation of legal order. Marxist legal theory interprets law as the expression of class will determined by economic relations, claiming that legal superstructures are conditioned by the material base of society. The ethnocultural approach asserts that legal consciousness is shaped by cultural identity, national traditions, and historical development, emphasizing that no universal form of legal consciousness can exist independent of cultural context. The article concludes that understanding the typological diversity of legal consciousness is essential for developing a comprehensive methodology for analyzing legal systems, interpreting legal sources, and investigating the cultural foundations of law. Such a typological approach enables deeper interdisciplinary research, supports comparative legal studies, and contributes to the formation of more sophisticated models of legal education and legal awareness.

The article examines approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of transport infrastructure development projects. Transport infrastructure is considered one of the key components of the economic system, as it ensures the functioning of economic relations, population mobility, and territorial development. In modern conditions, the development of transport infrastructure is associated with the implementation of large-scale investment projects characterized by significant financial requirements, long implementation periods, complex management processes, and the participation of multiple stakeholder groups. Infrastructure projects have a multidimensional impact and their outcomes are manifested not only in financial indicators but also in broader economic, social, and environmental effects. In particular, the development of transport infrastructure contributes to improving transport accessibility, increasing population mobility, strengthening economic connections between regions, and stimulating regional economic development. The study analyzes traditional approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of investment projects, including statistical and dynamic methods of investment analysis based on financial indicators, as well as evaluation criteria used in project management that focus on compliance with project deadlines, budgets, and technical parameters. It is determined that these approaches do not fully reflect the complex impact of infrastructure projects and the interests of different stakeholder groups. To address these limitations, the article proposes a comprehensive approach to evaluating the effectiveness of transport infrastructure development projects based on a system of indicators. The feasibility of assessing project effectiveness according to four main dimensions is substantiated: economic, social, environmental, and managerial. A system of indicators for evaluating infrastructure projects has been developed taking into account the interests of the main stakeholder groups. The proposed approach enables a comprehensive evaluation of infrastructure project effectiveness and can support managerial decision-making regarding transport infrastructure development.

Abstract This article uses case studies from eastern Switzerland, southern Germany and Austria to analyse economic relationships between feudal lords and peasants in the late Middle Ages. The focus is on agriculture. In principle, this was an asymmetrical relationship, as the feudal tenants were bound to their lords of the manor by feudal law and were therefore dependent upon them for their property and, in some cases, also personally. The aim of this article is to show that, despite the dependence of peasants on their lords, a certain consensus between them was common in everyday economic life. In the late Middle Ages, the region under study was dominated by the manorial system ( Rentengrundherrschaft) . The holders of fiefs had great power of disposal over the estates granted to them by the lords of the manor. Peasants acted entrepreneurially and promoted select agricultural sectors together with their lords. Co-operation between feudal lords and peasants was also common when it came to investing in the maintenance and expansion of the fiefs. The relationship required a certain degree of trust. The presence of landlords with institutions that served as an internal market for economic exchange with their fiefholders was important. In addition, lords of the manor sometimes coordinated the exchange between individual farmers.

ABSTRACT Türkiye uses its national airline and flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, in the context of aviation diplomacy, in line with its foreign policy, to develop relations with the African continent and leverage its soft power potential. In this study, we examined the strategic role of Turkish Airlines in Türkiye’s Africa policies within the context of aviation diplomacy and soft power, with particular focus on Djibouti, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda. In the study, we examined changes in Türkiye’s diplomatic, economic, cultural, and educational relations with Djibouti, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda following the launch of direct flights by Turkish Airlines in 2012. As a result of the study, we found that following the launch of Turkish Airlines flights, diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Djibouti, Rwanda, and Burkina Faso intensified, economic relations strengthened, trade volumes expanded, and the number of visitors travelling from these countries to Türkiye increased significantly. We also observed a steady increase in the number of students coming from these countries to Turkish universities. Finally, we determined that Turkish Airlines plays a very significant role as a soft power actor in Türkiye’s efforts to achieve its foreign policy objectives in Africa.

This article focuses on studying intersectoral economic relationships in the agro-industrial complex (AIC), whose relevance has increased amid foreign trade and political risks. It calls for further improvement in quantitative assessment methods for these relationships, taking into account key cash flow indicators: profitability and tax burden. An algorithm has been developed for the economic evaluation of intersectoral interactions among business entities, based on a net indicator calculated separately for businesses categorized by type of economic activity and integrated into agri-food supply chains. Regions were grouped and ranked by business entities to determine the impact of business scale on financial results. The findings are supported by empirical calculations of the net indicator, derived from the ratio of sales profitability to tax burden (net cash inflows and outflows), enabling diagnostics of entrepreneurial activity in small, medium, and large agricultural, food processing,

This paper analyzes China-Italy trade relations pre- and post-Italy’s withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). By incorporating a long-term historical perspective from 1990 to 2024, the quantitative data reveals that bilateral trade has demonstrated remarkable resilience, remaining stable despite the withdrawal. The analysis indicates that the prosperity of China-Italy trade is built upon deep structural complementarity rather than a single policy framework. Furthermore, external shocks such as the COVID-19 outbreak impacted trade volume significantly more than the BRI exit. Contrary to existing studies, this analysis suggests that Italy’s withdrawal will not fundamentally disrupt bilateral economic relations. Instead, the withdrawal provides an opportunity for Italy to reassess its long-term strategy vis-à-vis China, working toward a more balanced and sustainable relationship driven by market forces rather than political commitments.

The article is devoted to the history of trade and economic re-lations of the Russian Empire with Spain and Portugal in the Russian North during the XVIII and XIX centuries. Prior to the founding of St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk remained the leading center of Russia's foreign trade relations with Europe-an countries. The article analyzes the specifics of Russia's trade relations with Spain and Portugal, the range of export and import goods, prices, the number of merchant ships ar-riving in Arkhangelsk, etc. Special attention is paid to the sale of Spanish and Portuguese salt in the Russian North, on which the processing and marketing of products from the fisheries of the Pomors, Sami, Nenets, Karelians, Komi, etc. largely depended. Attention is focused on the role of Russian diplomats in promoting domestic trade interests at the Madrid and Lisbon courts. The importance of Arkhangelsk as a lead-ing center of Russian-Spanish and Russian-Portuguese trade and economic relations in the Russian North is revealed. The importance of the Russian North in the fishing activities of Spanish fishermen and whalers is noted. The importance of the sale of so-called colonial goods in the Russian North, de-livered to Spain and Portugal from their possessions in Latin America, Africa and Asia, is emphasized. In addition, the role of Spanish, Portuguese wines, aniseed vodka and other alco-holic products in the sale of goods in the Russian North has been determined. An estimate of the total exports of Portu-guese and Spanish wines to Russia based on foreign sources is presented. The article is based on rare archival documents from central and regional archives, pre-revolutionary publica-tions in Russian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of migration processes to changes in the world-system. We highlight the significance of these processes and their impact through a comparative historical perspective. By using an approach based on an integrated comparison, two cases are compared: the rise of the early modern Dutch state to hegemony and the corresponding rise to hegemony by the United States in the twentieth century. In presenting secondary sources on the two cases, we argue that neither expansion had been possible without a significant inflow of labor and skills carried by migrants. There seems to be a strong correlation between migration and changes in the world-system in general and the rise to hegemonic status in particular. By analyzing long-term processes like migration and its role in energizing and stimulating changes in the world-system, we argue, in line with the new economics of migration, that previous economic explanations to the rise of hegemony can be qualified. We also argue that the use of integrated comparison in the way we tentatively do in this paper can be fruitful in better understanding historical processes and their impact on power relations and economic relations in the world-system.

This article examines the role of trade tariffs in Azerbaijan's international economic relations. Tariff policy was gradually optimized between 1991 and 2024 with the aim of protecting national production, stimulating exports, and increasing budget revenues. Between 2010 and 2020, digitalization and the electronic procurement system increased the transparency and efficiency of customs duties, and between 2021 and 2024, it was used as a strategic tool for regional integration and investment attraction. As a result, trade turnover increased, strategic sectors were protected, and export potential increased. Keywords: Azerbaijan, trade tariffs, export, import, strategic sectors.

The effect of project selection strategy on irrigation-system upgrade program cost: The cost of not quantifying conservation

This research study, entitled as “Chinese FDI in Vietnam under Xi Jinping’s Policy in the 21st Century”, aims (1) to study Chinese FDI in Vietnam under Xi Jinping’s policy, and (2) to study the factors of Chinese FDI in Vietnam and the change on geo-economics. The strategy of Chinese FDI in Vietnam under Xi Jinping’s policy in the 21st century is a result of President Xi Jinping's announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The strategy has evolved into partial cooperation between China and Vietnam, which is shaped by China's economic relations strategy with ASEAN. This extent will be a crucial driving force for China’s investment in Vietnam. Moreover, Vietnam has a high potential as a groundwork for investment, production, and export to other foreign countries. Since the factors of Chinese FDI in Vietnam and the change on geo-economics are involved with politics and economics, they have an impact on China's investment in Vietnam. The political factor has risen due to the policy of President Xi Jinping regarding the declaration of the BRI. Economic factor concerns the opening of new markets, the release of domestic supply, and the adjustment of international reserve funds by establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Meanwhile, China's open strategy towards foreign countries has brought its strategic investment policies in Vietnam closer together, as well as the economic interests of both countries. This may lead to a significant impact on economic and political relations between China and Vietnam in the future.

Our research is aimed at identifying problems related to women's entrepreneurship. Gender analysis is very difficult to implement in the field of micro, small and medium entrepreneurship, since there is almost no data on the representation of women and men in the business world. In addition, contradictory data on women's participation in enterprises of different sizes are essentially due to the application of different definitions and methodlogies. During the research, an attempt was made to analyze the main indicators of women's participation in business, the motivations for involvement in business, the main achievements the advantages of female entrepreneurs and the foundations of failures. Through empirical research, women's preferred areas of economic activity, trends toward expansion or limitation of business plans have been revealed. The unified database of state registry data served as the basis for the research. When selecting the sample, consideration was given to ensuring the representativeness of data obtained about women. The research was conducted according to forms of economic activity and sizes of economic entities, based on official statistical databases. The primary unit of the sample is the economic entity. The insufficient accessibility of financial-credit, property institutions, ownership and land use makes it difficult to involve women in new economic relations, limits women's professional growth and establishment in business. Let us also add that women's possibilities for control over assets in turn also predetermine their level of economic independence. The next problem is that women's unpaid work is greater compared to men, as a result of which women do not have time to engage in entrepreneurial or social work. Limited accessibility of such resources for women means that their possibilities to create their own capital are also generally limited. Our research aimed at increasing the role of women in business allowed us to make recommendations that will be useful in developing state policy directions.

The objective of the research – to establish the relationship between the volume of environmental funding and key results in the agro-industrial complex (AIC) and the regional healthcare system. The object of the research is the system of economic and medical-social relationships between environmental investments and key indicators of the AIC and healthcare in Krasnodar region. The empirical base is official statistics from Krasnodar region for 2019-2023. Over the analyzed period, a structural transformation of investment priorities was revealed: a shift from the dominance of water management projects (71.2 %) to a climate and air protection agenda (68.1 %), with the formation of a sustainable two-component financing model. A comprehensive analysis, including correlation and regression methods, revealed statistically significant relationships between the volume and structure of environmental investments and indicators of agricultural and healthcare development, confirming the hypothesis of an indirect impact of environmental investments on the economy of related regional sectors. A detailed study of the problem revealed a nonlinear relationship between environmental investments in period "t" and the volume of agricultural production in period "t + 1". An optimal investment threshold (≈ 9.1 million rubles) was identified; exceeding this threshold leads to reduced returns and the effect of environmental overstrain. A regression analysis was conducted to comprehensively assess the impact of environmental factors on public health. The results allowed us to construct a highly accurate polynomial model (R2 = 0.9627), demonstrating the presence of a threshold effect in the relationship between environmental investments and the general morbidity rate of the population. The practical significance of the study is confirmed by the potential application of the results to optimize budget planning and develop differentiated government support measures for the agro-industrial complex, considering the identified patterns of impact of environmental investments on the economies of related regional sectors.

Theoretical, methodological, and applied foundations for adapting Ukraine's tax administration to EU standards in the context of European integration transformations, the digitalization of public administration, and wartime economic challenges are revealed. The principal areas for the modernization of Ukraine's tax administration by the requirements of EU law, and the strategic priorities for the further transformation of the system are outlined. The relevance of the topic is driven by the need to enhance the efficiency of the tax system, increase the transparency of fiscal procedures, and strengthen the state's financial resilience in the process of integration into the European economic area. The research subject is the organizational and economic relations arising in the process of reforming tax administration and harmonizing it with EU norms and practices. The information base includes legal acts of Ukraine and the EU, analytical materials of international institutions, and data from the State Tax Service of Ukraine. The study demonstrates that the introduction of electronic services, automated VAT administration, risk-based tax control, and international exchange of tax information contributes to greater procedural transparency, reduced tax risks, and improved administrative efficiency. It is proved that the digital transformation of the tax service, the development of e-audit, and the integration of information systems with European networks create the preconditions for the transition to a service-oriented and analytical model of tax governance. The scientific novelty lies in the further development of theoretical and methodological approaches to the adaptation of tax administration based on the integration of institutional, digital, and compliance-oriented approaches, as well as in the elaboration of an approach to assessing its effectiveness in the context of European integration. It is substantiated that the harmonization of tax administration with European standards contributes to a higher level of voluntary tax compliance, increased trust in fiscal authorities, and the fiscal sustainability of the state.