Russian State Policy Research Articles

Blogging about Climate Change in Russia: Activism, Scepticism and Conspiracies

ABSTRACTThe article explores the new media’s role in climate change communication in Russia. By providing an open space for the expression of very diverse points of view, the internet creates a substitute media reality where both climate activists and climate sceptics can question the established discourse. Analysis of 374 entries published on the LiveJournal blogging platform has resulted in the identification of four discursive categories: “conspiracies of climate change,” “climate change impact,” “political games of climate change” and “online (anti-)environmentalism.” Each category demonstrates how the same topic can be framed in very different ways depending on bloggers’ worldview rather than the nature of the discussed environmental problem. The findings also show that the blogs act as “echo-chambers” for both climate deniers and climate activists reinforcing their behold beliefs. Finally, the analysis discovers some parallels with the traditional media coverage in their minimal critique of Russian state policy on climate.

РЕАЛИЗАЦИЯ ПРОГРАММ ТРАНСПОРТНОГО РАЗВИТИЯ БРЯНСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

One of the important factors limiting social and economic development of Russia is considered to be the state and efficient functioning of transport and logistic infrastructure. 
 The creation of a modern road and transport net-work is one of the factors providing sustainable eco-nomic growth, implementation of social programs and, eventually, improvement of the quality of human life. 
 Interaction of financial state interests and private business through mechanisms of state-private partner-ship has to become the main objective of modern Rus-sian state policy in favor of intensification process of capital investments increase in transport infrastructure.
 The use of such mechanism will allow carrying 
 out projects which the state and business cannot im-plement alone. It will help to reduce social problems, will become the driving force of Russian economy, will promote the establishment of the international financial center in the Russian Federation.
 The purpose of the study is to research compre-hensively the existing funding mechanism and distribu-tion of budget funds for creating transport infrastruc-ture with economic substantiation possibility of attract-ing and using non-budgetary sources.

THE ROLE OF THE RELIGIOUS ELITE IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PROCESSES OF DAGESTAN

The crisis phase, which is going through Russia, is a breeding ground for extremist ideas, therefore, a threat to national security of the country is growing. Today it is important to understand all the need and importance of a national Russian idea of ideological support of the fight against terrorism and extremism, tolerant thinking education of citizens, especially young people and the role of the religious elite in this direction. The goal – to identify the role of the religious elite in social and political processes of Dagestan. Method or methodology of work: The article uses the results of sociological research conducted by the author of the survey. Results: a sociological analysis of religious extremism in the Republic of Dagestan for more awareness in combating it. Application of results: the results it is advisable to apply in the framework of the Russian state policy in the sphere of national policy and inter-confessional relations.

(Monitoring of the Global Competitiveness of the Russian Financial Market and Analysis of Measures for Its Improvement)

В работе рассматриваются вопросы глобальной конкурентоспособности национальных финансовых рынков (финансовых центров), ее комплексной оценки применительно к России. Исследованы меры по повышению глобальной конкурентоспособности, реализуемые конкурентами России, сформулированы предложения по модернизации российской государственной политики на финансовом рынке.The paper deals with the global competitiveness of national financial markets (financial centers), its comprehensive evaluation in relation to Russia. Studied measures to improve global competitiveness, implemented competitors Russia, formulated proposals for the modernization of the Russian state policy in the financial market.

Государственная политика противодействия распространению экстремизма в молодежной среде: проблемные аспекты

The article is devoted to the actual problems connected with manifestation of extremist behavior among youth. The basic principles of counteraction of extremist activity are revealed. The analysis of the legislative base regulating policy of counteraction to extremism in the Russian Federation is provided. The author shows the mechanism of state policy realization on counteraction to extremism among young people. The priority measures of the Russian state policy directed to decrease in a possibility of involvement of youth in the extremist organizations and associations are revealed and generalized.

UKRAINIAN EVENTS AS HISTORICAL, INTERNATIONAL CATASTROPHE

In the scientific article fully examines current events in Ukraine in 2014-2015. The author believes that the causal and comparative historical analysis of the current Ukrainian crisis allows characterizing it as a major historical and ethnic catastrophe on a global scale after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Obvious microand macroeffects inevitably impact on the history of relations between Ukrainian and Russian brotherly nations, lead (and has led) to freeze their contacts, projects and links. It causes a feeling of well-founded anxiety for the fate of not only bilateral relations between Ukraine and Russia and the state of Post-Soviet space, but also for the development of all Slavic ethnic groups in the world. According to the author, it is necessary to review quickly realized Ukrainian direction of Russian state policy. It is necessary, as quickly as possible to get away from officiously promotional activities, technologies and techniques of information war and bring aid all the diversity of cultural cooperation. It is only a means of soft power, understood by us in the manner of the approach of its founder, American political scientist Joseph Nye, are able to restore the broken trust and interaction structures. Only the culture, and more specifically it such areas as language, traditions, generation feats, faith, can gradually normalize, and then to improve the bilateral relations, the each other perception, to restore a sense of respect, friendship and mutual assistance between Ukraine and Russia. It is obvious that bilateral cultural project able to change the existing negative situation.

(Monitoring the Global Competitiveness of the Russian Financial Market and Analysis of Measures for Its Improvement)

The paper deals with the global competitiveness of national financial markets (financial centers), its comprehensive evaluation in relation to Russia. Studied measures to improve global competitiveness, implemented competitors Russia, formulated proposals for the modernization of the Russian state policy in the financial market.

Индикаторы оценки качества магистерской подготовки: проблема выбора приоритетов

Development of educational system is one of the priorities of state policy of Russia. Ensuring the high quality of education, its compliance to today´s and tomorrow´s requirements – both economic, and social ones – sets for higher education institutions some tasks of updating the contents and techniques of preparation, strengthening of ties with employers. To improve the level system of higher education educational standards became the quality control tool of graduates’ knowledge; new stantards are aimed at training specialists in demand economy. This article describes the indicators for assessing the quality of master´s training, which are represented by four units (the main (basic); auxiliary; showing results of master students (achievements); optional).

PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA: CHALLENGES, PROSPECTS, AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

The development of education and science is a priority for Russian state policy. Global trends define the main goals of the Russian higher school modernization. However, these also identify the need to overcome a number of contradictions in Russia’s national higher-education system. Pedagogical, or teacher-training, education is of special importance in the development of the entire educational system in the country. Quality education at all steps – preschool, primary, secondary (general and professional) and higher – depends mainly on the quality of pedagogical education. The modern market of educational services recognizes high quality of education and competences of students as the only advantage point for an academic institution over its competitors. Quality is the only universal commodity in the world market that increases the value of all other goods and services. The authors refer to the category of quality management in relation to higher pedagogical education, and describe the key principles of the system of quality assurance applied at Southern Federal University.

Basic Directions and Mechanisms of State Policy in Arctic and Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (2000-2014)

This paper covers the transformation of the Russian state policy in Arctic since early 2000’s till now describes and assesses the factors governing its certain directions. Russia’s competitive positions in the Arctic space in connection with country’s economic and geopolitical presence in that area are assessed. Special attention is paid to promising projects for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. It is noted that the specifics of the Arctic policy of Russia at the present stage is the comprehensive approach to the development of the Russian Arctic zone and protection of national interests in that region accounting for legal, international, scientific, economic, military and other elements.

Military-political Processes in the Caucasus Region and the Security of Russia

The unipolar world breaking and the tightening of geopolitical struggle led to destructive military-political processes in different regions of the world. In conditions of instability along the perimeter of Russia's borders the significance of the Caucasus region increases, especially in geo-strategic and geoeconomic perspectives. The efforts of world politics actors for the transformation of the region environment increase substantially. As a result the dynamics and the scope of the proceeding military-political processes in the Caucasus are complicated. The failures in the assessment and the prediction of the processes development influence on the safety of Russia. Wrong gradation of existing threats and challenges can lead to disastrous and irreversible consequences for state security. Designated circumstances caused the need for the expert survey on assessing the impact of the current military-political processes in the Caucasus region on the security of the Russian state and necessity for the concretization of military dangers and threats, due to political and military developments in the Caucasus. An expert survey was conducted in June 2014. During it authors interviewed 40 Russian and foreign experts representing Federal and regional authorities, academic community, research centers, analytical structures. Implementation of the survey allowed to identify the experts positions and the degree of their coherence on the military-political processes in the Caucasus region and their impact on the modern Russia security. As a result the degree of destructiveness of the regional military-political processes was fixed. We conclude that anti-Russian processes in the countries of the Caucasus continue to determine the overall geopolitical situation, including in the military-political sphere. The reason is mainly seen in interests clashing of Russia and countries of the "Atlantic world." Analysis of the military-political processes in the Caucasus region has allowed to formulate the main directions of improving the efficiency of Russian state policy in security sphere in the North Caucasus and in the States of South Caucasus.

Forecast of the Demografic Development of Russia

In the article, the contemporary issues of the reproduction of the Russian population, their reasons, and state policy toward them are considered. Relevance of the task solution of assessment of the most expected birth rate dynamics of the Russian population in future in the conditions of low norms of the parenthood status taking into account the influence of government measures for the birth rate stimulation is proved. In order to achieve this objective, on the basis of the behavior probability distribution function of crude birth rate, the probabilistic assessment of the future birth rate dynamics of the Russian population was conducted. On the basis of the modernized Hirst method, two expected dynamics trajectories of crude birth rate were constructed: the first trajectory corresponds to the scenario at which the value of crude birth rate will be in the range of 8-10,5 born / 1000 people (probability — 0,182), including the negative external impact, the second trajectory will be in the range of 13-16,5 born / 1000 people (probability — 0,618), including the positive external impact. In spite of the fact that these scenarios are quite different, the dynamics trajectories of crude birth rate predicted according to them during the period of 2015-2041 that corresponds to the time of the reliable prediction are almost identical. The analysis of the received results enabled to conclude that the state population policy cannot affect the future dynamics of the birth rate due mainly to to the conjunctural changes.These conclusions confirm the intellectual vested interest of the academic circles that government regulation of a demographic situation in Russia has to be aimed, first of all, at the health improvement and increase of the expected life interval of the population.

Self-Consciousness Issues in Modern Society. Changes in Public Life and Its Impact on the Social Self-Conscience. The Self-Consciousness Issue in Multicultural Society

In the course of its XXth century development, the Russian society came to know opposite trends in terms of the political, ideological, social and economic transformation stages. This is the result of transition from the social and economic identification to the ethno-social one. The numerous researches performed showed that identifying the reasons of these aspects would be possible after a more detailed examination of principles referring to the investigation of both national and general self-consciousness of the Russian society individuals. The result of the investigation is the evaluation of the Russian society general self-consciousness and the problem of its transformation under the influence of the Russian state policy changes. The purpose of this process is identifying solutions to current problems and minimizing risks of the self-consciousness instability and personal identity conflict. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p2574

OLYMPIC GAMES IN SOCHI AS A SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT EVENT AND THEIR IMPACT ON TOURISM IN THE REGION

Research background. The article discusses the possible ways of solving systemic problems of Sochi city popularization as a year-round resort, which confirms the need for the development of the unified state promotion policy of Sochi city as a unique republic`s property, the place where Russia's Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were grandly held for the first time. The state promotion policy should be based on the combination of institutional and project-based approaches, the development of cooperation between all levels of governmental structures, the business community and civil society organizations and aimed at implementing the priorities within the framework of each strategic direction. The object of research was the tourist market of Sochi resort and mass sports entertainment events. The purpose of research was an assessment of the impact of mass sports entertainment events on the tourism development in the region. Methods. The authors used a set of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization) and specifically – scientific (theoretical) research methods. The quantitative impact assessment was carried out by analysing the volume of tourist flow, the passenger traffic of Adler airport, the availability of hotels and a number of other indicators, including the dynamics of gross regional product. Results. The preparation and holding of major international sporting and cultural events will be certainly based on the experience gained during the Olympic Games 2014. The construction of new and reconstruction of existing sports facilities required for the successful conduct of these activities will also contribute to further development of the infrastructure of sports facilities. And this, in turn, will provide Russian Federation with a further strengthening of the status of a leading sports power. Conclusion. These directions give the possibility to use effectively objects after the Games due to the formation of modern venues, most of which have no analogues on the territory of modern Russia, which, of course, is not only a long term investment in the development of professional sports in Sochi, but in the tourism industry in Russian Federation as a whole. Sochi tourist and recreational clusters represent themselves a set of interrelated objects of recreational and cultural orientation, collective means of accommodation, catering and related services provided the necessary infrastructure available in the modern city of Sochi. In short terms the result will be the satisfaction of needs of different categories of Russians, as well as foreign citizens, active and fulfilling rest, health promotion using balneology resources of Sochi, joining a growing number of sports and recreational as well as cultural events held in Sochi city. The tourism as an industry, stimulating economic development, can be used as an instrument of Russian state policy to optimize economic development. Due to the Olympic Games 2014 we can observe the improvements and significant changes in the Russian sphere of tourist services. According to the forecasts of tour operators the demand for rest in Sochi by different estimates has increased from 15 to 40 % (on the date 15.05.2014). The emergence of new possibilities for the practice of tourism and promotion of winter sports will be aimed at improving the image of Sochi city, which together can provide the significant economic benefits. Keywords: Sochi city-resort, steady growth, heritage games, MICE-tourism, entertainment event.

Intеllectual Migration to Israel: the Russian Aspect

The article is dedicated to studying the factor of intellectual emigration from Russia to Israel. Historical preconditions are examined, and its various tendencies in different times are learned. The author tries to analyze “brain drain” from Russia to Israel and gives recommendations on formulating Russian state policy for the purpose of current Russian intellectual migration flow to Israel reduction.

Les firmes multinationales russes: vers la maturité

The study of Russian multinational companies (MNCs) becomes a true field of research covered by a hundred of publications. In the first place the conditions of the origination of these companies are evoked, in the second one the comparison of their foreign investment toward the other countries in transition is being run; afterwards their industrial and regional specificity is empirically exposed. Russian MNCs can be difficult to suit the framework of the existing theories due to the fact of their opacity and their interrelations with the Russian State policy, which demands the elaboration of the particular explanation model. Apart from these last considerations, it is important to highlight that Russian MNCs became one of the mainstays of the State capitalism in Russia.

Problems and perspectives of the development of innovative technologies in OAO Nizhnekamskneftekhim

This paper discusses prospects for the innovative development in the OAO Nizhnekamskneftekhim corporation. Only the innovative technologies are identified from the entire variety of research and development activities of last years, and their development and industrial implementation is analyzed in a number of examples. The key participants of the innovative technologies market are briefly noted, and Russian academic institutions (Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences) in the research and development and in the development and implementation of their own new catalysts take more active involvement. Some successful aspects of the integration of the university research and science-technical services of the corporation are exemplified by the cooperation of Kazan (Volga) Federal University and the Nizhnekamskneftekhim corporation. The problems of innovative development in other universities and the effectiveness of Russian state policy in the development of the innovative economy are briefly reviewed.

Ecologization of socioeconomic development of regions as the realization tool of state policy in the nature management sphere

In article authors allocate realization features of the Russian state policy: perfection of the government system and regulatory environment in nature protection sphere, formation of economic regulation system of market relations, ecologization of social and economic development of Russian regions, the account of necessity of scenario development conditions.

Natural bitumen fields in the northeast of the Siberian Platform ( Russian Arctic sector)

In the northern and northeastern Siberian Platform, within the Anabar and Olenek zones, there are a number of hypergene bitumen accumulations (fields) and natural bitumen seeps, whose total resources are estimated at >5 bln tons. Bitumen fields are confined to a wide stratigraphic range from Precambrian to Mesozoic. A detailed geochemical study was performed for bitumens of the largest Olenek field, whose naphthides are localized mainly in Permian sandstones of deltaic and coast-marine genesis. Chromato-mass spectrometric analysis showed that normal alkanes are drastically reduced in the saturated fraction of the bitumens and most of terpanes are a homologous series of 25-norhopanes, which evidences the intense bacterial degradation of hydrocarbon pools. Identification of bicyclic sesquiterpenes, tetracyclic onocerane, and other biomarkers testifies that the organic matter of source rocks was rich in higher-plants remains. The concentrations of steranes are low, whereas those of earlier unknown 8-14-secosteranes are rather high. The set of geochemical data on the Permian bitumens of the Olenek field, including the isotopic characteristics of carbon (δ 13C of −25.8 to −31.3‰), suggests that the coeval oil source rocks on the passive continental margin (at the place of the present-day Verkhoyansk fold belt) were the main source of hydrocarbons for the field. Assessment of oil and gas resources, including giant bitumen pools, and their exploration in the framework of “The fundamentals of Russian state policy in Arctic up to 2020” have become a top-priority problem. Petroleum refining products might be economically feasible raw materials in the eastern Russian Arctic sector to be supplied via the Northern Sea Route.

On Striking the Balance of Shareholder Interests During the Consolidation of Shares

AbstractThe authors present an analysis of the developments in Russian state policy in finding a balance of interests between majority and minority stockholders in the event of the use of the legal institution of consolidation of shares. They argue that in the contemporary economic and legal environment, the development of corporate governance in Russia will be drawn towards the German model (in the traditional conception thereof) with its orientation to a large degree on the protection of strategic investors.The incentivization of institution and individual investors in the corporate governance of a company may significantly be supported by the Russian state during the next stage of economic development of the RF, as the institutional infrastructure, as well as enforcement practice will be improved. That having been said, in resolving a conflict (including in the promulgation of legal norms) among various groups of shareholders, it goes without saying that the lawful interests of all actors need to be taken into account. On the basis of Russian legislation and case law of the RF Constitutional Court, the authors set forth arguments supporting the conclusion that corporate governance is a tool by which, firstly, provision is made for various interests, and secondly risk of abuse by person having a significant degree of managerial influence is lowered.If, at the end of the day, the public interest dictates the necessity of a redistribution in law of the risks (of possible gain and loss) in favor of one of the actors involved in an economic conflict (for Russia this would be strategic investors), the interests of the "suffering" investors (first and foremost individual investors) must be restored by way of the payment to them of reasonable compensation. The redistribution in legislative acts of risks in favor of one of the parties in a stockholders' dispute must be fair (spravedlivyi). Therefore, a diminution of interests must not only be accompanied by the payment of compensation but must, also, be grounded in the consent of the party that has suffered the diminution of its interests. This line of thinking is illustrated by examples from the case law of the Russian Federation Constitutional Court including the issue of the constitutionality of consolidating shares of stock.