Terms Of Innovation Activity Research Articles

Инновационный потенциал Кемеровской области – Кузбасса: состояние и перспективы развития

The effective innovation activity in the region depends on the state and development of its innovative potential. The authors used theoretical, statistical, comparative, and analytical methods to describe the concept of innovative potential, evaluate its current state in the Kemerovo Region, and identify the promising areas for its development. The article introduces a comparative analysis of innovative and entrepreneurial activity in the Kemerovo Region in 2016–2020. The methodology developed by the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University made it possible to compare the indicators of innovative development in different regions of the Siberian Federal District. The analysis included the dynamics of the factors in order to calculate the indicators of innovative development and rank the regions. In terms of innovation activity, the Kemerovo Region appeared to be inferior to such leading regions of the Siberian Federal District as Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Krasnoyarsk. However, the region has good potential opportunities for innovative development. The authors recommend several promising directions that could develop the innovative potential of the region, create competitive advantages, attract additional investment, develop its digitalization potential, and increase its participation in the federal innovative, scientific, and technical policy, as well as to make it attractive for young people.

СТАРТАП ЯК ІНДИКАТОР КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ СФЕРИ ТУРИЗМУ ТА ГОСТИННОСТІ

The paper overviews Ukraine's place in the world rankings during 2019-2021, in particular, such as Global Startup Ecosystem Index, Global Innovation Index, Global Competitiveness Index, World Competitiveness Ranking and Doing Business. The competitiveness analysis demonstrates an improvement of Ukraine’s position in the global rankings during this period, in particular, in terms of innovation activity as well as in the Technology and Knowledge blocks. Quite often, information products emerge as start-ups which then continue to gain popularity and become the unchanging totalizer of the service sector. In the tourism and hospitality business this is evidenced by the large number of start-ups that have been growing in recent years. Businesses are trying to be the first to find such products in order to improve their own competitiveness further enabling them to distinguish significantly from the competitors and, more importantly, to become market leaders with a large number of competitive advantages. The European Union promotes the best travel start-ups in the global level, the Ukrainian Startup Fund deals with startups at the state level. The number of startups in Ukraine has increased significantly over the last 3 years, which, in turn, has ensured an increase in the ranking position by 5 points. Analysis of the results shows positive trends in both the number of key investments and rankings in Ukraine. As to the Ukrainian regional distribution, the leader in the number of startups during last years was Kyiv. Despite the significant number of startups and their funding, which is growing every year, there are a few problems, such as Ukrainian startups are not in great demand, lack of favorable conditions and appropriate organizations, investment attractiveness is very low for platforms in this field, promotion of both the country and regions as tourist destinations is insufficient as well as government support for both the service sector and IT service providers.

The impact of Court Fairness on Innovation: Firm-Level Evidence from World Enterprise Survey

Innovation works as an engine of growth for the country and the backbone for the performance of the firm. Pakistan is a developing country and it is lagging behind in terms of innovation activities in the region. In Pakistan, due to the weaker quality of institutions, court fairness is biased. The objective of the study was to measure the effect of court fairness on the innovation of the firm in the case of Pakistan using the World Enterprise Survey. The results of the study indicate that court fairness increases the likelihood of innovation. From the perspective of the policy proposal, it is suggested that proper reforms in the judicial system must be initiated and it is the utmost need of the society, firms, and the nation as a whole.

The impact of lending availability and conditions for SMEs on the global development of venture financing systems

Research background: The current situation, which caused global economy recession, has shown that all participants of the venture capital market are not ready for such occasions. Small and medium-sized businesses found themselves in a in a pickle that completely limited the ability to conduct business in most sectors of the economy and venture investors had to urgently reassess their capabilities and their requirements for investment objects. Different events have been constantly influencing the venture financing system to change and develop during decades of its existence. The most important changes are happening today in new world order dictated by COVID-19. Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to analyse the current state of venture financing, find out how VC is related to the ICT development in European countries, compare VC to other lending mechanisms for SMEs and assume how the global venture industry may be changed by global isolation. Methods: The ARDL model for panel data is used to assess the impact of ICT developments on VC. Comparative and statistical analysis of available datasets on financing mechanisms is conducted. Findings & Value Added: The results show that the increase in value-added in the ICT sector is driving the growth of venture capital in leading countries in terms of innovation activity. Venture capital will be forced to transform towards globalization and centralization, but with the delegation of authority to local representatives, through new communication forms. Countries with high ICT development may be more attractive for venture financing.

РЕЗУЛЬТАТИВНОСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ПОДДЕРЖКИ ОБРАБАТЫВАЮЩЕЙ ПРОМЫШЛЕННОСТИ В ИНДУСТРИАЛЬНЫХ РЕГИОНАХ РФ

The Russian manufacturing sector is concentrated in regions considered as potential centres of technological development, productivity growth and long-term export opportunities. Realization of this potential requires the timely implementation of effective support measures. Using relevant statistics, the study aims to analyse how budget subsidies affect the dynamic and structural aspects of the development of Russian industrial regions. The research methodology is based on assessing the total budgetary cost of government support and correlating it with regional industrial indicators. To this end, data from the Treasury of Russia, statistical indicators, industry databases and target indicators were examined. The study revealed that government subsidies not always positively affect the industry target parameters, even distorting market mechanisms. In general, the implementation of state programmes in Russia has led to an increase in export volumes, costs for innovative activities and labour productivity with stable employment in industry. However, in industrial regions, an increase in the share of the manufacturing sector does not cause an increase in economic growth. In addition, fixed capital investment in the manufacturing sector is lower in these regions. A sharp increase in the number of high performance employees due to the implementation of support measures was observed in Russia and individual industrial regions. In terms of innovative activity, the number of patent applications in industrial regions is significantly lower than the national average. The efficiency of industry support measures in the Russian Federation can be re-evaluated based on the obtained results. Future research will focus on further detailing the budgetary cost of government support and assessing its long-term results.

The economic impact of changing the environment for innovation in Argentina—Applying the lessons of Asia to Latin America

AbstractThis article discusses the potential impact of reforming Argentina's innovation policy on innovative and economic activity, drawing from evidence of case study markets. We review existing evidence on the relationship between changes in innovation policy and innovative activities to develop an analytical framework. Using the framework, we compare innovative activity in Argentina to other Latin American markets and case‐study markets in Asia that have experimented with innovation policy. Drawing on a statistical analysis of the impact of these policies on innovative and economic activity in the case‐study markets, we develop a scenario‐based model on the potential innovative growth in Argentina, focusing on the pharmaceutical industry. These results are particularly relevant for Argentina, as a market with a strong resource base to undertake innovation, but which has underperformed in terms of innovative activity. Strengthening the policy environment could unlock Argentina's potential and support a step change in innovative activity and the transition to a more knowledge‐intensive pharmaceutical industry. This could be achieved by strengthening intellectual property rights relevant to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and by providing regulatory data protection.

DEFINITION OF CONDITIONS OF FORMATION OF INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE TERRITORIES IN UKRAINE

Topicality. The article is in accordance with the classification of administrative territories adopted in the EU, in Ukraine there are officially 27 administrative territorial units corresponding to the scale of the second level, namely, NUTS-2. However, since 2014, this number has actually dropped to 25 units. NUTS-2 level administrative units or regions in Ukraine are represented by administrative regions and the city of Kyiv. They all differ significantly in terms of socio-economic development. Indicators that characterize the level of innovation activity in each region are not an exception. This is notwithstanding the unity of the regulatory framework in the state and the obligation to comply with the provisions of the law. In particular, the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Innovation Activity" emphasize that the main goal of the state innovation policy is to create socio-economic, organizational and legal conditions for the effective reproduction, development and use of scientific and technical potential of the country, ensuring the implementation of modern environmentally friendly, safe, energy - and resource-saving technologies, production and sales of new products that are competitive in the world markets. Possible reasons for this situation may be differences in the conditions of formation of innovative potential of administrative territories, in particular, uneven placement of educational institutions, scientific institutions and, as a consequence, scientific staff within each region. This situation creates conditions for significant imbalances, both within and outside the administrative territories in terms of innovation activity, as well as the socio-economic status of the regions as a whole. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to determine the conditions of formation of innovative potential of administrative territories in Ukraine Research results. In order to confirm, or to refute, the assumption that a possible reason for the uneven development of innovation activity in the regions of Ukraine may be the unequal placement in their territory of educational and scientific institutions, which are the basis for the formation of the innovative potential of the administrative territory, the tools of statistical analysis are used. The results obtained are an improvement of the methodological support of the process of formation of innovative potential of administrative territories in Ukraine. Conclusion. Confirmation is received that the reason for uneven development of innovative activity in the regions of Ukraine is, first of all, uneven placement on the territory of educational establishments and scientific institutions. It is the uneven distribution of highly qualified scientists and their concentration in the capital region that leads to significant differences in the volume of innovative products relative to the population in the regions of the country. The formation of innovative potential should become a strategic objective of the plan of implementation of the strategy of socio-economic development of each administrative territory of Ukraine. Such a task is impossible without clear parameters for assessing the current state of innovation by the criteria for the production of innovative goods, works and services, the amount of funding for research and project work and the quantitative characteristics of the scientific elite of the region.

ІННОВАЦІЙНІ МАРКЕТИНГОВІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ У СВІТОВІЙ ПРАКТИЦІ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ ІНДУСТРІЇ ГОСТИННОСТІ

The relevance of innovative technologies is due to the rapid globalization of the world market and shortening the life cycle of products, as well as the need for a strategic approach to updating the quality characteristics of products and services. The purpose of the article is to analyze the international experience of introducing marketing innovative technologies in the practice of enterprises of the hospitality industry and to determine the most acceptable examples for the Ukrainian economy in the context of economic development impressions. The article presents the main features of the economy of impressions as a direction that involves the organization and improvement of creative activity in the business of accommodation establishments. The author proves that the development and implementation of an innovative product in the hotel business should be carried out in the following sequence: determining the needs of the client; environmental monitoring; application of new methods and forms that meet the wishes of the client; making a profit from the sale of an innovative product. The author analyzes the world experience of successfully implemented innovative hotel products in practice and presents projects of future innovations in the activities of international hotel chains, the implementation of which will be on time and in demand in the global hotel market. Marketing innovations are the most important component of the activities of hotel enterprises aimed at expanding markets. The article highlights the general types of innovations, the main measures for the development of the hotel sector in terms of innovation activity. The author emphasizes the need for state support for the creation and implementation of innovations in Ukraine. On the basis of foreign experience the main purposes and expediency of introduction of marketing innovations in practice of domestic enterprises of hotel business are substantiated. Transition to an innovative way of development of the hospitality industry is possible processes of production of services, and in development of new hotel products and management system in the industry of entertainment and rest in Ukraine.

Industrial development of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union in transition to the digital economy

The rapid growth in high-tech production is a key development trend in the modern world industry. However, the situation in the developing countries, as well as in “transition economies” (former socialist countries) differs from the one in developed countries. The economy restructure during the transition “from plan to market” in the post-Soviet states after the collapse of the USSR did not improve the state of the industrial sector in these countries. On the contrary, some industries were lost, economic interregional and intersectoral relations were destroyed when they became sovereign countries. And their foreign trade was reoriented outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and later the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The purpose of the article is to assess the degree of readiness of the EEU and the CIS countries as a whole for the digital transformation of the economy on the basis of an analysis of their innovative and industrial development. The differentiation of the EEU countries by the level of industrial development, as well as the degree of lagging behind global trends in the transition to a post-industrial economy, is revealed. The analysis of the positions of the EEU countries in international rankings showed, that these countries continue to yield to the world leaders in terms of innovation activity and economic development. Today this gap may even widen. Only three countries still correspond to the main trends of world innovative development in the post-Soviet space: Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Others have difficulties in innovative and industrial development.

РОЗВИТОК МЕТАЛУРГІЙНОЇ СМАРТ-ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ: СВІТОВИЙ ДОСВІД ТА УРОКИ ДЛЯ УКРАЇНИ

Визначено ключові напрями розвитку металургійної промисловості України на «розумних» засадах з урахуванням світового досвіду становлення металургійних смарт-виробництв. Розглянуто передумови та проблеми розвитку металургійної смарт-промисловості в Україні. Процес розробки і впровадження «розумних» технологій у галузі перебуває на початковому етапі, незважаючи на її стратегічний характер для національної економіки. Причинами є загальне відставання України та вітчизняної металургії за рівнем інноваційної активності, значний обсяг надвиробництва металу та критично низький рівень внутрішнього споживання металопродукції, недосконалість нормативної бази діяльності галузі.Узагальнено особливості та наслідки впровадження «розумних» рішень і технологій у металургії зарубіжних країн. Досліджено основні напрями використання новітніх технологій у виробничій, організаційно-економічній і соціальній сферах діяльності металургійних підприємств. Виявлено, що порівняно із світовими аналогами в українській металургійній промисловості застосовується лише частина смарт-технологій, широко відомих у провідних країнах-металовиробниках. Проте головні тренди смартизації галузі здебільшого є схожими, і полягають вони у цифровізації продукції та послуг, посиленні клієнтоорієнтованості бізнес-моделі, оптимізації роботи устаткування, покращенні умов праці та її безпеки в режимі реального часу.«Вузьким» місцем впровадження смарт-технологій є виробнича сфера, що пов’язано з необхідністю великих капіталовкладень для здійснення принципово нових інноваційних відкриттів з удосконалення металургійного процесу. Стримуючим фактором є неготовність співробітників сприймати нову цифрову культуру та зміни на ринку праці.

УТЕЧКА УМОВ: ПРЕДПОСЫЛКИ И ПОСЛЕДСТВИЯ ДЛЯ РОССИИ

Brain drain is a threat not only to economic but also to national security for any country in the world. The massive outflow of scientific personnel at the end of the last century led to a significant decrease in Russia's intellectual potential, which immediately affected the loss of leading positions that the Soviet Union occupied in the world in terms of innovative activity. The article analyzes the main causes and consequences of the brain drain on the Russian economy, suggests measures to reduce, and in the long term prevent, the departure of scientists and talented youth abroad.

National innovative performance and sustainable development – the case of Slovakia

Abstract Innovation are considered as the engine of sustainability and economic growth. Innovations are an integral part of the business that is expressed in scientific and research activities. If a company want to gain competitive advantage, it must do the business activities in accordance with economic, environmental, social and institutional factors. Business activities in this area are reflected in macroeconomic indicators of the country. This article deals with innovations and sustainable development issues. The main goal of research is testing interaction between innovations and sustainable development through the selected indicators. Summary Innovation Index (SII) represents innovations and sustainable development is represented by the set of indicators from four areas: economic, environmental, social and institutional. The analysis is based on values of the Summary Innovation Index proposed by the European Commission to measure the competitiveness of European countries in terms of innovation activity and values of sustainable development indicators such as GDP per capita, energy intensity of the economy, migration, transport performance, greenhouse gas emissions, application of environmental management system, mining and consumption of mineral resources, etc. The research is carried out on the case of Slovakia with application of mathematical-statistical apparatus (correlation analysis). The main benefit of research lies in the identification of strengths and weaknesses of Slovakia in analysed areas and determining the expected development.

SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE FAR EASTERN FEDERAL DISTRICT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE REGIONAL INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT: TRENDS AND FORMATION PROBLEMS

The topic of the article is important, as it is related to the formation and development of the scientific and research infrastructure (SRI) in the Far Eastern Federal District (FFD). The main scientific and practical problem of the article is the low level of innovative development of the region. What makes it apparent is the FFD lag from other Russian regions in terms of innovative activity, which reduces the capability of sustainable social and economic development of the Russian Far East in the long-term perspective. The purpose of the research is to update the current trends and problems of the SRI formation in the FFD. The object of the research is the SRI of Russian Far Eastern Federal District. The article shows the role of the scientific and research infrastructure in the region as a basic component of its innovative development, the main function of it being the resource support of research activities. There are analyzed dynamics and level of sufficiency of organizational, institutional, financial and material resources in Far Eastern science during the period of 2010–2017. Based on the analysis, a conclusion about the level of formation intensity and the effectiveness of SRI in Far Eastern Federal District is made; the most important problems of the SRI development in the region are identified. The research mainly results in displaying the sustained lag of the FFD from other Russian regions by most of the indicators characterizing the scientific and research infrastructure development, which reflects the low research potential of the region. The research is original, as it identifies trends in the SRI development and formulates its problems for the innovation system of the Far Eastern Federal District – the largest, the most remote from the center of the country, and the least developed region. The results of the research might have a special value for federal state authorities who directly form SRI in the whole country and distribute federal funds between regions, as well as for regional authorities who can have a significant motivating effect on local enterprises and organizations in terms of material support for SRI.

Analysis of the Main Factors of Innovative Development of the Arctic Regions of Russia

The article analyzes the main factors affecting innovative development of the Arctic regions. It is shown that the Arctic regions have rather stable positions in terms of innovation activity, the number of organizations and the number of highly qualified scientific personnel. However, it lags significantly behind federal indicators in terms of effectiveness of innovation, creation and implementation of advanced production technologies and inventive activity. The available resources are not used to increase the effectiveness of scientific, technological and innovative development of the Arctic, which has almost no effect on the main socio-economic indicators of the region.

Mathematical Model of the Influence of Innovative Development Factors on the Economy of Leading Countries and Russia

This article is dedicated to the econometric analysis of the influence of different factors on the economic development. It has been proved that the gross domestic product is under the influence of exogenous variables such as value added of knowledge and technology intensive industries (KTI), number of patents granted in smart grid technology and expenditures on R&D. Creation of econometrical models provides an empirical evidence to support the evaluation of economic relationships, which occur in a modern economy in the era of development of digital technologies.The penetration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into all sectors of the economy and the sphere of vital activity of the population is a key factor of scientific, technical and economic progress in the context of globalization. Opportunities and difficulties of the countries of the world in the transition to a post-industrial economy reflect international ratings. They characterize the unevenness of innovative development and the use of innovations and information technologies. For the analysis of Russia's positions in the world innovation economy, several international ratings of innovative development have been selected (The Global Innovation Index, The Networking Readiness Index, and The Global Competitiveness Index). The analysis showed not only the representativeness of the international innovation ratings chosen for the analysis, but also the high correlation between the indices in international innovation ratings and individual indicators of economic development of countries. The importance of policies in the use of ICT and the digital economy for structural changes in the economy is noted.Russia is inferior to the world's leading leaders in terms of innovation activity and economic development. In the light of the economic sanctions of the economically developed countries of the West against Russia, this gap may even increase. Assessing Russia's position in international innovation development ratings, including R & D spending, has highlighted the need to take into account global trends and challenges, and econometric analysis helps to understand the world trends better and to offer reasoned recommendations for improving the situation in this area.The recommendations will facilitate Russia's early transition to a socially-oriented innovative type of economic development. The main direction is the development of the national innovation system and the inclusion of Russia in the global innovation space.The purpose of this research is to describe mathematically the influence of modern innovative factors on economy on the example of one of the leading countries, to characterize Russia's position in international innovation ratings and highlight Russia's problems in research and innovation. Results and practical importance are to issue recommendations for improving the activation of Russia's involvement in the process of internationalization in the field of research and innovation. It is necessary to adjust the direction of further development.

THE FEATURES OF RUSSIA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONALIZATION OF INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY

The penetration of information and communication technologies (further - ICT) into all sectors of the economy and the sphere of vital activity of the population is a key factor of scientific, technical and economic progress in the context of globalization. Opportunities and difficulties of the countries of the world in the transition to a post-industrial economy reflect international ratings. They characterize the unevenness of innovative development and the use of innovations and information technologies. For the analysis of Russia's positions in the world innovation economy, several international ratings of innovative development have been selected (The Global Innovation Index, The Networking Readiness Index, and The Global Competitiveness Index). The analysis showed not only the representativeness of the international innovation ratings chosen for the analysis, but also the high correlation between the indices of the world indices in international innovation ratings and individual indicators of their economic development. The importance of policies in the use of ICT and the digital economy for structural changes in the economy is noted. Russia is inferior to the world's leading leaders in terms of innovation activity and economic development. In the light of the economic sanctions of the economically developed countries of the West against Russia, this gap may even increase. Assessing Russia's position in international innovation development ratings, including R & D spending, has highlighted the need to take into account global trends and challenges, and has offered recommendations for improving the situation in this area. The recommendations will facilitate Russia's early transition to a socially-oriented innovative type of economic development. The main direction is the development of the national innovation system and the inclusion of Russia in the global innovation space. The purpose of this research is to characterize Russia's position in international innovation ratings, highlight Russia's problems in research and innovation. Based on the analysis of the current situation, to propose recommendations on the activation of Russia's involvement in the process of internationalization in the field of research and innovation. Results and practical importance are to issue recommendations for improving the activation of Russia's involvement in the process of internationalization in the field of research and innovation. It is necessary to adjust the direction of further development.

’A Comparative Analysis of Regional Innovation Characteristics Using an Innovation Actor Framework

Knowledge, a fundamental component of innovation, expands more effectively when innovation actors are in geographical proximity to each other. Innovation in each region is driven by innovation actors, and thus, the innovation capability of a region is directly linked to the activities of innovation actors in that region. In keeping with this perspective, this study was conducted in order to present the characteristics of the cross-regional innovation capability using an analytical framework of regional innovation actors, such as research institutes, technology intermediaries, universities and firms. In order to analyse the position of each Korean region’s innovation actors, this study classified research subjects from the 2013 National Research and Development Investment Program Information into seven sub-categories and utilised them as the data for the analysis. Multiple factor analysis (MFA), which compresses the various indices effectively, was applied in order to classify the regions that have similar innovation actors into a small number of categories. Based on the factors derived from MFA, the innovation characteristics of sixteen regions were examined. The results showed that the innovation actors differ across regions, although Seoul, Gyeonggi and Daejeon are ahead of all other regions in terms of innovation activity. The policy implications of this analysis are as follows: first, the imbalance in the innovation capabilities among regions must be improved. Second, differentiated regional innovation policies are required because the innovator actors who lead regional innovation differ from region to region.

In Search of Complementarity in China’s Innovation Strategy through Outward Strategic Mergers and Acquisitions Policy: A Behavioural Additionality Approach

Chinese policymakers have witnessed great efforts in building indigenous innovation-led economy as well as a deep interest in promoting outward strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as a major approach to acquire advanced technological know-how. Although debates take place regarding whether the governmental promotion of strategic M&As has an impact on the particular responsiveness of Chinese enterprises in terms of innovation activities, most studies use input or output additionality approaches that directly measure either the additional investment in innovation or the innovation output in the form of commercial benefits. The adoption of these approaches has led to inconclusive results. In this article, we assess the relationship between the governmental promotion and enterprises’ responses using a behavioural additionality approach. The findings show that China’s outward strategic M&A policy is likely to increase enterprises’ willingness to venture abroad, extend their international innovation networks, change their focus on innovation and, last but not least, enhance the learning capacity of Chinese government. We conclude that outward strategic M&As is an avenue to achieve the innovation-led economy in China.

Explaining firm-level total factor productivity in post-transition: manufacturing vs. services sector

Post transition economies carry the legacy of previous system, supposed to have collapsed in partly due to inability to sustain innovation and technical progress. In terms of innovation activity, they still lag behind advanced market economies. This brings the issue of total factor productivity (TFP) for these countries/industries/firms in focus of research interest. Relying on the TFP firm - level estimates from the World Bank’ Enterprise Survey dataset, we analyse the main contributing factors in following post - transition economies: Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Mongolia, Slovenia and Croatia. The potential determinants include variables frequently named in the literature: R&D efforts, human capital, ICT investment, competition (product market regulation) and international trade. The data for the TFP determinants is drawn from Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS V), which includes both objective variables and perceptions of firms’ management. Since many objective variables are simultaneously determined with our dependent variable, we argue that by relying on perceptions we omit the endogeneity issue. In addition to aggregate firm -level TFP determinants, we also distinguish between the manufacturing and service sector. The aim of the research is to emphasize the structural differences between these two segments of post-transition economies.

Global trends in education: Russia case study

An improved system of Russian vocational education is seen as a major factor in the country’s economic development. It is currently recognized that the global labour market is emerging as a consequence of globalization processes, which significantly affect the establishment of national educational systems. The paper discusses global educational trends, with a particular focus on the tendencies in the demand for labour both in Russia and in the world. The paper aims to describe changes in attitudes towards the relevance of specialist qualifications and the sufficiency of professional competencies acquired through education. In addition, the analysis of structural changes in the Russian system of vocational education starting from 1990 to the present day is given. The research is carried out using the methods of comparative and statistical analysis. The competency maps of future are drawn (Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, the USA), including the description of trends that alter the habitual context for the labour force, as well as key skills needed for a successful career. The ‘Atlas of New Professions’ describing most promising professions in the field of education is reviewed. It is shown that the country’s role in the international division of labour can be used as an objective criterion to assess the performance of the country’s educational system. In this respect, the data on Russia’s position in the world rankings of competitiveness, innovation development and human development index, as well as the comparative data on the rate that Russian companies demonstrate in terms of innovative activity and technology exports are provided. The analysis of disproportions in the structure of graduates both in terms of levels and specialities of vocational education for the period 1990–2013 is given. Key problems faced by the Russian vocational education system are considered, including a weak focus on the actual needs of national economy and global changes in the labour market, a decline in the quality of training and the number of working specialities, as well as the low flexibility of educational programs.