Economical Representation Research Articles

Left Behind Economically or Politically? Economic Grievances, Representation, and Populist Attitudes

Research on the relationship between discontent and populist attitudes abounds. However, whether this discontent arises in response to economic grievances or a perceived lack of representation remains understudied. While previous research has considered both as independent factors, we assume their interaction drives populist attitudes. We argue that deprivation and sentiments of being left behind exacerbate the feeling that one’s policy positions are not recognized and represented in politics. To test this claim empirically, we draw on recent data from the German Longitudinal Election Study of 2021. We combine egocentric and sociotropic indicators of being left behind and interact these with the perceived distance of one’s own policy positions to the positions of the opposition and government parties represented in parliament. We find that both perceptions of personal and societal deprivation, as well as a greater perceived distance from the government, are associated with populist attitudes. Furthermore, we find that the effect of distance from the government is contingent on someone’s economic position, albeit the direction of the interaction effect contradicts our initial expectations: The effect of perceived ideological distance from the government on populist attitudes is primarily reinforced among those who are better off rather than for those who struggle economically. This implies that populist attitudes ought to be addressed depending on the source of discontent rather than treating populism as a general expression of indiscriminate protest. Our analysis contributes to understanding the various origins of populist attitudes and to developing possible ways of mitigation.

A Study on The Problematization of Logistics in Agricultural Production in The State of Tocantins

Objective: the research aims to describe the logistical service system, observing the problematization of agricultural production in the state of Tocantins, considering that this sector is one of the most promising in terms of socioeconomic and regional development in the country. Theoretical benchmark: with the growing advancement of agricultural production and the exploration of new frontiers, Brazil stands out as one of the main exporters of agricultural products today. Given the significant development of agriculture, it is observed that the logistical factor, mainly costs and infrastructure, is among the elements with the greatest impact on the efficiency of the entire agricultural production chain in the state of Tocantins. Method: the methodology adopted will be the deductive method, based on theoretical logistics studies, applicable legislation, and support materials for logistics learning systems, in addition to economic representation in the state of Tocantins. The resources used include bibliographic and documentary material and other instruments or research techniques in accordance with the adopted methodology, aiming to provide support for research on the proposed theme. Results and conclusion: given the content of this study, it is highlighted that the chain of agricultural processes encompasses a complex network of activities in the production chain, and cannot be conceived solely as a relationship between producer and consumer, given its breadth of action. In this context, it should be noted that logistics services end up representing one of the obstacles to the development of agriculture in the State of Tocantins, mainly due to its geographic location. Implications of the research: the approach adopted in this research offers unprecedented scientific contributions to the field of logistics, providing theoretical bases for interventions and public policies that can impact this economic activity in a Brazilian state with strong economic and social growth trends, whose production has repercussions at national and international levels. Originality/value: the social transformations of recent decades, related to the process of globalization of the economy and technology, have directly influenced the social and economic life of countries, affecting production and service chains and interfering in labor relations. Therefore, the increase in regions dedicated to agribusiness activities is a general trend among emerging countries, requiring a deeper understanding of the territorial approach to regional development, especially in economic activities hampered by bottlenecks in the logistics system, both national and international. Thus, new reflections and planning are necessary and imperative elements in Brazilian states like Tocantins.

Integration of energy system and computable general equilibrium models: An approach complementing energy and economic representations for mitigation analysis

Energy system and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models play vital roles in climate change mitigation studies. These models have advantages and disadvantages, and attempts have been made to integrate them. This study aimed to describe the method for integrating energy system and CGE models and demonstrate the new model that captures the strengths of both models. The method developed in this study ensured the detailed convergence of the energy system by exchanging the results iteratively. We demonstrated the model integration by adopting the method to MESSAGEix-GLOBIOM and AIM/Hub and estimating a mitigation scenario that limits the temperature rise to below 2 °C under the middle-of-the-road socioeconomic projection in Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. As a result of the integration, the index showing the difference between the two models proposed in this study decreased from 1.0 to 0.066. Therefore, we confirmed that these models estimated consistent scenarios. The diagnostic indicators showed that compared to its counterpart CGE model, the newly-developed model was characterized by a higher contribution of demand-side reductions, a lesser alteration in the primary energy supply composition, and lower abatement costs. Given the convergence and advantages of the integrated framework, the proposed method is useful for further application to mitigation studies.

Unstable platforms: Uber’s business model and the challenge of organisational legitimacy

ABSTRACT Lauded as the poster child of the sharing economy, the success of Uber’s business model was once viewed as inexorable. However, a disastrous Initial Public Offering and a series of legal rulings since have led some to question whether it has a viable model at all. This changing sentiment raises important questions about how we define a business model and understand the determinants of its success and failure. Rejecting the dominant diagnostic approach, this paper synthesises critical accounting work on business models as narratives with Suchman’s concept of organisational legitimacy. We argue that business models are narratives articulated by firms in order to achieve both pragmatic and moral legitimacy. In contexts where stakeholder interests diverge, this requires careful framing in order to foreground certain economic and moral representations whilst omitting others. Business model narratives are consequently partial, unstable and open to contestation. Applying this formulation to Uber, we argue that its pragmatic legitimacy was contingent upon a particular set of conjunctural conditions and the undisclosed exploitation of legal grey areas in order to grow at scale. We highlight the tensions that emerge when those undisclosed practices become a focal point for social mobilisation and understand Uber's recent problems as emerging from external challenges to the moral legitimacy of its business model narrative. The paper contributes to accounting research on business models and legitimacy and presents a revisionist account which positions platforms as fragile economic and moral entities dependent on conjunctural institutional and capital market arrangements, rather than heroic technological disruptors.

Surfing across industrial revolutions: A resilient sensemaking perspective on innovation

AbstractEmploying the sensemaking perspective, this paper aims to study the relationship between social innovation and resilience. The study highlights how sensemaking of social innovation is a process that takes place within existing social and economic representations. This study has a qualitative nature and is based on multiple case studies, which is the methodology best suited to highlight the drivers of social phenomena in specific socioeconomic contexts and which characteristics they manifest. The paper contributes to the literature along three different lines. First, it describes social innovation as the resilient outcome of sensemaking or the result of a capacity for collective reorganization following environmental, political, economic, and social disruptions. Second, it provides policymakers with a model to use to establish the intensity of social pressure and the openness of baseline social representations to change. Third, it allows policymakers to jointly observe and analyze the relationship between social representation and economic representation, highlighting the central role of firms in achieving social innovation. Although this paper presents the findings of a wide theoretical analysis, the developed model needs to be empirically tested by firms and policymakers.

Leveraged Futurity: Markets and Militants in the Transition

ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of a market-led energy transition, before enquiring into what this new terrain of struggle implies for militants. Market institutions such as central banks and private money markets dominate how transition is framed. A market-led transition requires leveraging vast amounts of capital, which in turn requires a monetary environment in which private capital dominates production. This remakes sites of political conflict: over asset values, over the state, and the profitability of energy forms. I focus on one aspect in particular: conflict over economic representations of the future. I call this ‘leveraged futurity’, analysing it in corporate narrations of energy transition as well as science fiction. This concept shows how transition constitutes a ground of struggle that has its origins in the relation between energy and value congealed in the factory, but extends far beyond it, into the time of fiscal and investment politics.

COMMODIFICATION OF FOOD CULTURE OF THE BODO COMMUNITY OF ASSAM

Food, which is a basic requirement for a healthy life and survival, has broadened its scope. In a nutshell, it states that, aside from being a necessary component of survival, It has also evolved into a commodity for commerce and financial gain. The North-East of India, particularly Assam, is home to a diverse range of ethnic and other linguistic groups, each with its own distinct personality, resulting in a vibrant and colourful landscape. Every town has its own traditional foods, as well as a particular style of preparing, presenting, and exhibiting its cultural identity. This paper provides an outline of food commodification. Indigenous foods, which were previously primarily conserved and limited within the four walls of a community, are now being shared on global platforms and among other communities for economic gain, community representation, and man and woman empowerment to improve lifestyle and culture. The study area is comprised of six villages and sub-urban areas in Sonitpur District, Assam, India, primarily in the Chariduar area, where the majority of the population is from the Bodo community. The data and facts for the preparation and conservation of the Bodos' local traditional ethnic foods were gathered through discussions with families, commercial outlets such as ethnic restaurants, local markets, and other people involved in the process of preparing and selling the unique dishes on a commercial scale. The report also considers the chances for continued development of Assam's ethnic cuisine industry.

GEOSTRATEGY OF UKRAINE: A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF BUILDING SECTORAL INSTITUTIONAL-ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES

Structuring the geostrategic landscape entails using integrated modeling methods to expand strategic horizons to forecast the development vectors of political and economic systems. The reasons for the barbarous war of the Moscow regime against the Ukrainian state have a significant basis both for theoretical study and further practical implementation of the obtained data into political and security practices. Examining the cause-effect complex of articulation of destructive paradigms has become the subject of many sciences. However, requiring their completed conceptualization within the political reality, individual phenomena are poorly studied from the standpoint of economic representation in the context of mathematical modeling of institutional implementing strategic national interests in the most crucial areas of life. Thus, public infrastructure policy is one of the reference areas. The development of the geostrategy of the modern Ukrainian state actualizes the task of elaborating precise mathematical models for assessing geostrategic processes, primarily the economic component. Clarifying the economic foundation of the war against Ukraine makes it possible to identify the facts of falsification in the modern political reality of those economic concepts which focus on the genocide of the Ukrainian nation under the guise of the development concept, reform, modernization, integration, etc. The paper articulates the conditionality of referring to the mathematical dimension of geostrategy implementation as exemplified by state infrastructure policy, analyzes the models of rendering political and economic decisions, specifies essential characteristics of institutional structures, and determines the algorithm for selecting experts. The article extends the central author’s idea of a clear distinction between geopolitics and geostrategy. Therefore, mathematical modeling assists in proving the nullity of argumentation and the lack of logical and other prerequisites for implementing Ukraine’s economic policy in the interests of third countries. It is concluded that the scientific study of alternatives to building institutional structures carrying out geostrategy, combined with articulating the economic dimension of their efficiency in the most important areas of life, constitutes an essential layer of political and economic doctrines. They should lay the groundwork for the design of the geostrategy of the modern Ukrainian state outside the context of stigmatization and attempts to rewrite history, semblance of the geostrategic landscape in a space-time format, and imposing destructive economic models on Ukraine.

Comparison Between ARIMA Model and OLS Model Based on the Economic Representation

This paper investigates the comparison between Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) model. As two good ways to deal with time series datas, these two methods have been widely used in the economic world. Based on these phenomenon, it has a significant research value in the field of finance. Since ARIMA model and OLS model are fit the historical datas and make prediction, it is important to know about the charateristics of them. In this paper, basic information of ARIMA model and OLS model are mainly discussed, including the definition, modeling process and summary of the main protries. Then, the paper will do comparison from three parts: applicable data types, treatment of errors, validity. And it is concluded that both models take a good fitting effects. Finally, this paper derives the practical applicability of ARIMA and OLS models to be provided to research members as a reference.

Editorial Board Composition Among Pediatric Cardiology Journals: Time to Cast the Net Wider

BackgroundNo data currently exist on the diversity of editorial board members (EBMs) of pediatric cardiology journals. ObjectivesThe objective was to investigate the editorial boards of 5 pediatric cardiology journals to assess the composition of these boards in terms of the geographical, gender, and economic representation of their members. MethodsInformation on EBMs was collected directly from 5 journal websites accessed in February 2022. The following data were collected: country of practice (including World Bank geographical and income classification), institution of practice, role on editorial board, and whether an individual held a role on 1 or more of the boards included. ResultsA total of 455 EBMs were identified. A total of 369 (81%) were male. All editors-in-chief were male, and 4 were from the United States. EBMs practicing in North America accounted for 278 individuals (61%) of the editorial boards reviewed. The next majority of EBMs are practicing within Europe and Central Asia (23%, n = 103), East Asia and Pacific (7%, n = 31), Middle East and North Africa (4%, n = 18), and Latin America and Caribbean (4%, n = 16). Less than 2% (n = 9) practice in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Over 90% (n = 415) practice in high-income countries. There was no representation from low-income countries. ConclusionsWomen and pediatric cardiologists practicing in countries outside of Europe and North America were underrepresented on the editorial boards of the journals studied. Diversifying composition of editorial boards may provide greater representation of underserved areas and encourage broader avenues of investigation and research.

The Interplay between Digitalization and Competitiveness: Evidence from European Countries

In modern societies, digitalization plays a tremendously important role for people and businesses. Apart from an economic representation, competitiveness characterizes a society from political, cultural, or human points of view. In this article, we aim to highlight the role of digital development from a competitiveness perspective, as there are few studies related to this relationship. The empirical investigation is based on panel data analysis for European Union countries for 2017–2022, considering the digital economy and society index (DESI) and the index developed by International Institute for Management Development (IMD), respectively IMD world competitiveness index. The results obtained are reported both for general indices and for the components of DESI, presented separately for the groups of Central and Eastern European countries and Western European countries. They indicate different influences for the two groups of countries, with only a few common aspects. The most obvious is the case of skilled labor. This aspect demonstrates the link between the various dimensions of digitalization and changes in human capital development strategies, as they appear in the specialized literature.

There is Many a Slip Betwixt Cup and Lip. An Inquiry to Dig Out Hurdles Faced by the Stakeholders in Gender Representation in English Textbooks of Pakistan

Gender is an important aspect of life noticeably revealed through visuals in textbooks with a deep impression on recipients. School textbooks are made compulsory for the students to read and later on they develop some perceptions and ideals about a society based on these read texts. These textbooks are a combination of text and images through which different concepts are taught. This study aimed to assess the awareness about the sensitization level of visual representation of gender created through textbooks in the provincial curriculum of the English language of Pakistan. The study's objective is to find out issues involved on the side of the stakeholders in bookmaking and publishing regarding gender representation. A qualitative research design was used to collect data from four chairpersons of textbook boards and two authors of textbooks from each province of Pakistan. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted through a semi-structured interview guideline. Findings showed an apparent unawareness of all stakeholders regarding gender and their social, political, and economic representation. It was found that some of the stakeholders even did not know the true concept of gender and thought that gender equality means only the equal number of visual representations of males and females without bothering that how are they being presented. They ignore that it is more important to see how both sexes are embodied rather than how many times. Text is not in the domain of this study; only the perspective of the stakeholders about the visual’s representation is discussed here. The study brought issues into the limelight that must be resolved to make visuals complement the text and present latent meaning independently with a positive impact. This study will reveal how much is this important to make the stakeholders gender sensitized for the better and more positive gender representation. Keywords: Gender, Visuals, Semiotic, Textbooks, Stakeholders, Qualitative research DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-25-04 Publication date: September 30 th 2022

PROJECTION OF WOMEN IN NAIPAUL’S INDIAN TRAVELOGUES

This paper seeks to represent the Indian women in V.S. Naipaul’s Indian travelogues – An Area of Darkness, India: A Wounded Civilization, and India: A Million Mutinies Now. Naipaul’s three books on India are not only a discourse of a diasporic individual who returns to his ancestral land to re-establish the severed ties with the homeland, but it is also a cultural, social, political, and economic representation of India towards the end of the nineteenth century. While portraying the lives of Indians in these three books, Naipaul has also portrayed how Indian women cope with the changing society. Through years of discrimination and subjugation holding them back, Indian women gradually stand up against the patriarchal society, and Naipaul’s on his three books on India record how these women cope with the changing societal norms.

#Ownvoices, Disruptive Platforms, and Reader Reception in Young Adult Publishing

The concept of #ownvoices writing has gained traction in contemporary publishing as both a genre of reader interest and a focus for debates about authors’ rights to write cross-culturally. This paper examines tensions the #ownvoices movement reveals between the commissioning, publishing, and critical reception of a book, using debate about Craig Silvey’s Honeybee, an Australian novel focalized through a young trans protagonist but written by a straight male author. Drawing on the theory of recognition, it analyzes author and publisher media interviews, social media, and literary reviews in mainstream publications, which are given context through with selected interviews with Australian publishers. Misrepresentation and appropriation are concerns for many readers, while judgements about aesthetic quality vary. Structures within the book industries limit the economic representation of diverse creators which, in turn, has implications for the diversity of experience represented in young adult fiction and its literary quality.

The impact of economic diplomacy on exports: The Portuguese case

It is widely recognized that exports contribute to economic growth. Many governments have seen economic diplomacy representation (foreign offices, embassies and consulates) as an important tool to diminish export barriers and foster economic growth. Thus, this study aims at understanding to what extent does the presence of Portuguese economic diplomatic representation in foreign states impact Portuguese exports. Based on merchandise exports to 144 countries for the period between 2008 and 2018, and using a quasi-gravity model of trade, results indicate that ceteris paribus, Portugal exports more to countries which host a Portuguese office and an increase in the number of offices in a foreign country positively affects exports to that country.

Influences of Mahathirism in Utusan Malaysia editorials on Mahathir’s policies during his premiership from 1981-2003

This study examined editorials in one of Malaysia's Malay newspapers, the Utusan Malaysia, from 1981 to 1987, during Mahathir's premiership. The study specifically examined the influence of Mahathirism on Utusan Malaysia's editorials on government policies. The theoretical framework of Reese's hierarchy of influences served as the foundation for this study. This qualitative study utilised retrospective in-depth interviews with key personnel of Utusan Malaysia as its methodology to answer the research questions. This study found no compelling evidence of direct or overt influence of Mahathirism on the editorials. What the study discovered was the chief editor, Zainuddin Maidin (ZAM)'s enthusiasm for Mahathir's thinking and his conviction that this Prime Minister possessed the courage to carry out his promises of a modernised and prosperous Malaysia and a greater share of the economy for Malays. The editorials demonstrate that he shared Mahathir's concerns about how Malaysia should be developed and how the Malay agenda and increased economic representation for the Malay community should be accomplished. We find in the editorials, not verbatim echoes of Mahathir’s thoughts and ideas, but ZAM’s original thinking about Malaysian nationalism, the Malay agenda and the assertion of Malaysian sovereignty in the face of Western dominance. Many of these ideas are reflected in what is conveniently called Mahathirism. By personal choice ZAM became UMNO's (United Malays National Organization) official spokesman and the journalist, who through his own thinking and unique perspectives on government policies, emphasised Mahathir's political and economic objectives for Malaysia, as well as Mahathir's emphasis on the Malay agenda, as the intellectual basis for his pro-Mahathir editorials. Utusan editorials are primarily influenced by ZAM's thinking and his commitment to Mahathirism or aspects of it.

U.S. Women Faculty in the Social Sciences Also Face Gender Inequalities.

There is a national interest in United States women’s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); however, gender inequality in the social sciences has not received similar attention. Although women increasingly earn postgraduate degrees in the social sciences, women faculty still experience gender inequities. Consistent gender inequities include slower career advancement, blunted salaries, unequal workloads, work-life conflict, systemic gender biases, underrepresentation in positions of power, and hostile work environments. Cultural biases suggest that once women have achieved parity, gender bias no longer exists. This review challenges that notion by providing evidence from social science domains in which women are well-represented but continue to face systemic gender biases. We examine cultural influences on gender representation and career advancement in psychology, economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology. We make interdisciplinary comparisons of career trajectories and salaries using national data, documenting patterns across the social sciences. For example, women economists face gendered standards in publishing, and women political scientists are less likely to have their work cited than men. Furthermore, data show that salaries become stagnant as the representation of women in these fields increases. These disparities reflect cultural biases in perceptions of women’s competence stemming from social role theory. We discuss best practices to address these problems, focusing on the ADVANCE organizational change programs funded by the National Science Foundation that target (a) improving academic climate, (b) providing professional development, and (c) fostering social networking. Federally supported interventions can reveal systemic gender biases in academia and reduce gender disparities for women academics in the social sciences.

ВИКОНАННЯ ЕКСПОРТНОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКОГО ВИРОБНИЦТВА В КОНТЕКСТІ ЗАГОСТРЕННЯ СВІТОВОЇ КРИЗИ ПРОДУКТІВ

Анотація. Метою дослідження є вивчення сутності, основних тенденцій і проблемних аспектів реалізації експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарського виробництва в умовах загострення продовольчої кризи. Використовуються теоретичні та емпіричні методи пізнання в їхньому діалектичному поєднанні. Основними методами, що використовуються в цьому дослідженні, є статистичний аналіз, індексні, графічні та аналітичні методи, методи оцінки структурних динамічних зрушень, порівняння і монографічний метод. Дослідження також включало загальні методи економічних досліджень, зокрема: у розкритті змісту експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарського виробництва, формулюванні висновків використовувалися теоретичні узагальнення та порівняння, індукція та дедукція; за допомогою синтезу та економічного аналізу проводиться оцінка сучасного стану та тенденцій розвитку експорту сільськогосподарської продукції; для аналізу експорту сільськогосподарської продукції використовувалися графічні, економічні, статистичні та міждержавні порівняння; для оцінки внутрішнього і зовнішнього експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарської продукції в регіональному контексті були впроваджені статистичні методи (групування). Вплив зовнішнього і внутрішнього експортного потенціалу на експорт пшениці вивчався шляхом регресійного аналізу. Необхідність забезпечення продовольчої безпеки країнами в усьому світі наголошує на важливості аграрного сектору як каталізатора економічного розвитку, джерел валютних надходжень, напрямів інвестицій тощо. Вивчення спеціалізації сільського господарства привело до висновку, що пшениця і цукор — товари з найбільшим експортним потенціалом. Обґрунтовано, що країни Південної Америки, ОЕСР, Північної Америки та Європи мають найвищий рівень реалізації експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарського виробництва, а африканські країни залежать від імпорту. Крім того, низька експортна орієнтація Африки та Азії через особливості їх природних і кліматичних умов установлюється на основі оцінки експортно-імпортних операцій у регіональному контексті. Проаналізовано внутрішній і зовнішній експортний потенціал кожного з регіонів. Було застосовано економіко-математичне моделювання оцінки впливу найважливіших факторів на обсяги експорту пшениці, що дозволило передбачити обсяги експорту пшениці й ухвалити обґрунтовані управлінські рішення щодо реалізації експортного потенціалу агрокомпаній. Обернена пропорційність обсягу експорту споживанню пшениці на душу населення і пряма пропорційність ефективності та площі земель, що використовуються для вирощування пшениці, була встановлена шляхом кореляційного і регресійного аналізу. Наукова новизна результатів дослідження полягає в тому, що вперше проводиться цілісний аналіз потенційних можливостей і можливостей експорту наявної та збільшення експорту сільськогосподарської продукції у світі та за групами продуктів. Визначено сутність та особливості економічного представлення експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарської продукції на міжнародному і національному рівнях. Окреслено основні чинники, що впливають на розвиток експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарської продукції в регіональному контексті та досліджують їхній вплив шляхом проведення відповідного аналізу агресії. Додатковий розвиток отримало дослідження внутрішнього і зовнішнього експортного потенціалу за регіонами світу. Проведено аудит внутрішнього і зовнішнього експортного потенціалу сільськогосподарського виробництва у регіональному контексті, у результаті якого були визначені основні рекомендації щодо підвищення їхнього рівня з метою активізації розвитку агропромислового сектору економіки. Ключові слова: експортний потенціал, сільськогосподарське виробництво, експорт, інтеграція, продовольча безпека. Формул: 1; рис.: 7; табл.: 5; бібл.: 26.

Analysis of export of agricultural products in the context of the global food crisis

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to study the nature, main trends and problematic aspects of realization of the export potential of agricultural production in the countries of South America, OECD, North America and Europe in the context of aggravating food crisis.
 Methodology / approach. Theoretical and empirical methods of cognition are used in their dialectical combination. The main methods used in this study are statistical analysis, index, graphical and analytical methods, methods for estimating structural dynamic shifts, comparisons and monographic method. The study also involved general methods of economic research, in particular: theoretical generalization and comparison, induction and deduction are used in revealing the content of the export potential of agricultural production, drawing conclusions; the current condition and tendencies of development of export of agricultural products is estimated by means of synthesis and the economic analysis; graphic, economic, statistical and interstate comparisons are used to analyse the export of agricultural products; statistical methods (grouping) are applied to assess the domestic and external export potential of agricultural products in the regional context. The influence of external and domestic export potential on wheat exports is studied by regression analysis.
 Results. The need to ensure food security by countries around the world urges the importance of the agricultural sector as a catalyst for economic development, sources of foreign exchange earnings, investment direction, etc. The study of agricultural specialization led to the conclusion that wheat and sugar are goods with the highest export potential. It is substantiated that the countries of South America, OECD, North America and Europe have the highest level of fulfilment of export potential of agricultural production, and African countries are import-dependent. Besides, the low export orientation of Africa and Asia due to the peculiarities of their natural and climatic conditions is established based on the assessment of export-import operations in the regional context. The internal and external export potential of each of the regions is analysed. The direct correlation between the exports volume and area of land used for wheat cultivation, as well as with its yield, was established through the correlation and regression analysis.
 Originality / scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the results of the study is that the authors were the first who carried out a comprehensive analysis of the potential capacity and ability to increase exports of agricultural products in the world and by product groups. The essence and features of economic representation of export potential of agricultural products at the international and national levels are determined. The main factors influencing the development of the export potential of agricultural products in the regional context are outlined and their influence is investigated by carrying out the regression analysis. The study of domestic and foreign export potential by regions of the world is further developed.
 Practical value / implications. The analysis of the internal and external export potential of agricultural production was carried out in the regional context, which resulted in the identification of the main recommendations for increasing their level in order to enhance the development of the agro-industrial sector of the economy.

"Rural Agglomerations” and "Rural Associations of Settlements” — Possible Directions for the Development of Local Self-Government in the North-West of Russia

The problem of improving the effectiveness of local self-government in the Russian Federation is particularly complex. Geographical and historical prerequisites work against economic efficiency and proportional political representation. The concepts of rural agglomerations and rural associations of human settlements can be considered as search directions in the search for a solution to the problem of “efficiency or equality”. The North-West of Russia can be considered as an effective training ground for the development of new management approaches.