Vol. 25 No. 2 (2023)

The article considers the impact of new military and emergency threats on assessing the effectiveness of regional authorities exercising their powers under special regimes (response levels), for example, the medium response level (using the examples of frontier constituent entities of the Russian Federation).The author examines the situation with the normative regulation and practical implementation of Presidential Decrees No.756 and No.757 of October 19,2022,at the level of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (on the example of the Bryansk region).The article pays particular attention to the independence level of regional heads in responding to military and emergency threats. The author analyses the impact of emergencies on other measures of regional government effectiveness, in particular, socio-economic. The results of the activities of the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for 2022 and 2023 should consider the response regime imposed on the territory of the constituent entity being assessed. The study concludes on the need to amend the legislation governing the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the constituent entity's executive bodies,namely,the introduction of new criteria defining the powers of the constituent executives to establish a system to prevent and address emergency threats.

The article focuses on the federal lawon state control (supervision) and municipal control.The law singles out a specific category among types of state control (supervision), i.e., types of state control and supervision activities (CSA), aiming to minimize the risk of harm/damage to legally protected values (LPV). Improving this category of control and supervision is no longer just a matter of the usual lowering of administrative barriers and reducing the costs to business activities (particularly private businesses) associated with state control and supervision but also of improving the security of legally protected values, including those significant to citizens. The study used the data from sociological surveys conducted by RANEPA in 2017-2022.The authors note positive trends in developing both vectors of client-centered state efforts to improve control and supervisory activities and assess the state’s attention to each of these vectors and the concerns of the respective parties to such activities. At the same time,there is still an imbalance in favor of one of the parties.The authors point out the need to reduce this imbalance and to equalize the pace of improvements in which the parties to the state’s control and supervision activities are interested.

The article discusses the topical issues in public administration arising in the spheres supporting the activities of public authority - in human resources (HR) and accounting services. The necessity for creating an effective model of public administration at the regional level,which not only meets the needs of modern society but also accounts for the territorial, sectoral, political, and other characteristics of the region, is determined by the search for ways to increase the productivity of the state apparatus using the minimum amount of resources (both financial and physical). Administrative reform aims to optimize the number of civil servants, eliminate duplication, automate and digitize processes. These objectives can be achieved by centralizing or outsourcing some of the duplicated functions. The article analyzes the possibilities for centralizing and automating the functions of HR and accounting services, using the experience of the Novosibirskregion as an example; the stages and main effects obtained from centralization and reorganization are described in the course of the work.The centralization of HR processes provided a stable recruitment and selection system,formed a civil service personnel reserve,and demonstrated a high degree of adaptability.

The article presents an analysis of the legal framework and peculiarities of creating the federal propertymanagement system in the context of its keyblocks,including determining the method to achieve the goal, regulating the order of making managerial decisions by state bodies, continuously receiving, processing,and analyzing the information on the workof managers and management objects,responsibility for the management results,motivation of managers.The author focuses on the prospects and methods for improving the efficiencyof managing propertycomplexes (land plots and buildings) assigned bythe owners of federal property to subordinate organizations (federal state institutions and enterprises).The results of the study led to the conclusion about the need to create an interactive, regularly updated database of federal property objects in order to adopt the effective management in relation to federal property complexes throughout the country and to achieve the goals of national economic development.The newly built federal property management system should include clear programs of activities and implementation roadmaps for the managerial goals and objectives with an appropriate system of instructions and responsibility for the management results throughout the management vertical from the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation to the executive authorities and subordinate organizations.

The article presents the results of a complex scientific study of the historical background regarding the formation of the situation related to protecting the rights of the entrepreneurial activitysubjects.The author systematizes knowledge about forms of economic activity that have damaged the development of the positive image of entrepreneurs. Some forms of economic activity that were common in the 1990s, such as pyramid schemes,have done considerable damage to the positive image of the entrepreneur.In the post-Soviet period, regulations from the Soviet era that did not complywith the changed market economycontinued to be in force. Insufficient legal literacyhas led to a systemicproblem of violation of the rights of business entities. Aqualitative change in the existing system of social relations is impossible without an open dialogue between lawenforcers and the business community, with the participation of the academic community. The Centre of Expertise for Criminal Law Policy and Enforcement of Judicial Acts of the all-Russian public organization «Delovaya Rossiya» is actively discussing measures aimed at the comprehensive protection of the rights of business entities.The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs is also dedicated to consolidating efforts to improve the business environment and maintaining a balance between public,government,and business interests.

The article provides the author’s system for the fair appraisal of Russian oil, including the list of indicators for regular publication.The author proposes to use the formula for oil settlements that includes a price index for the standard oil Brent,formed on the Moscow Exchange (MOEX),or Dubai,formed on the DME,and a differential (premium or discount) mutually agreed between Russian producers and importers. During the post-Soviet period, foreign countries controlled the price of Russian energy resources. Russian oil companies export oil according to formulas that include quotes from Platts, a US-based pricing agency. The price formulas are used for the settlement of Russian oil deliveries not only for exports but also for the domestic market.The ongoing depreciation of Russian oil at half the world price is a «challenge» to act vigorously to change approaches to price formation.The restrictions imposed by G7 countries and the EU on Russian oil deliveries by sea, the imposition of price ceilings, non-market pricing methods, and the manipulation of price caps for sales combine a signal for an urgent transition to a national system of Russian oil pricing, involving the consolidation of actual transaction data from Russian producers themselves.

In this research paper the question ‘Do hedge funds with a high incentive fee really outperform hedge funds with a below average or low incentive fee?’ is answered by carrying out author’s own regression on historical data and the variables that may explain the outcomes in this question. The author also considers academic researches to support the findings and add additional explanations to the outcome. Aside from testing whether hedge funds with high incentive and management fees really outperform the hedge funds with low incentive and management fees, the author also assesses whether they will offer better diversification benefits in times of need by looking at the correlation during a crisis period. In order to come to the article’s conclusion, the author answers the following questions: what relation does the fee-structure have to absolute returns, what relation does the fee-structure have to risk-adjusted returns, does paying higher fees mean better diversification benefits. This topic is relevant since many investors started questioning the benefit of investing their money in hedge funds because of poor performance of the hedge fund industry.

The article addresses significant issues of the state's securitydue to threats posed bythe European Union, the United States, and their allies. These countries openly declare that they will do everything to inflict a military defeat upon Russia on the battlefield and subsequently divide the country into many smaller state formations, thus making it impossible to revive the Russian Federation.The main objectives of these states include the takeover of markets for their products and the seizure of Russian natural resources. Such countries impose various unilateral, illegal sanctions and terrorist acts, as well as proxy and hybrid wars, to achieve their goals.They did not participate in such actions directly until recent events in Ukraine.Most active participants are mercenaries and military personnel from countries belonging to the NATO bloc and posing as volunteers.The only thing that keeps these countries from direct invasion are Russia's nuclear and other types of weapons which they do not have themselves. Given the factors described above, to counter threats coming from the European Union, the United States, and their allies, the author proposes to transfer the country's economy to a mobilization model of development with the subsequent introduction of strategic planning. The author describes the advantages of mobilization model of the economy using the examples of other countries and defines the conditions for transitioning to mobilization economic development.

The article considers the prospects for active use of electric vehicles in Russia and the possible government incentives for it. The authors refer to the provisions of the recently adopted Concept for the Development of Production and Use of ElectricVehicles in the Russian Federation until 2030. This concept’s objectives should be achieved bystudying the international experience of government programs to stimulate demand and production on the part of both end-users and producers of electric vehicles for further application of best practices in the domesticenvironment. The research analyzed the competitive advantages of owning an electric vehicle compared to the offerings of the traditional car market. The authors also highlight selected examples of the benefits of electric transport within the decarbonization of the global economy and in terms of creating a new energy paradigm in general.The study assesses the cost dynamics of a vital element of an electric vehicle - the battery - and its correlation with the energy storage systems market. The study shows the relationship between the most innovative areas of digital energy sector. The obtained conclusions will allow not only optimizing the achievement of the main goals of the Concept but also for generating additional consumer demand for electric vehicles, encouraging electric vehicle manufacturers, including related sectors of the national economy, to build the necessary infrastructure for electric charging stations and synchronizing their commissioning with the growing demand.

The article highlights the current issues for commercial and public sector organizations in assessing and discovering employees' potential. The authors propose an expanded view of employee's potential by shifting the focus to the fact that a staff member can learn quickly and effectively, renewing their knowledge and competencies as well as revealing abilities unused in current occupations for different reasons.The article discusses new possibilities for developing the employee's potential by increasing their behavioral and social flexibility and raising their general level of awareness,education,and culture.Among the methods proposed, the development of mental models and the use of eurythmy practices are of particular interest.The authors recommend specific trainings in companies and organizations to transform the Fixed mindset into a Growth mindset, as well as dedicated classes that use the business eurythmy practice.The study reveals approaches and instruments promoting the development of employee potential, as well as examples from the experience of Russian and international organizations.

The study aims to explore students’ version of the «patriotism» concept and to analyze the attractiveness of existing practices of patriotic education in modern Russian universities. The study used quantitative methodology and information was collected by using an online survey (n=765).Students tend to define patriotism as a global social phenomenon. Students are more inclined to consider those who choose professions based on service to society. According to the evaluation of the activities aimed at patriotism formation in the university, students find historical and commemorative events, vocational guidance, and volunteering activities most effective. Based on the study findings, the authors formulated conclusions offering suggestions to improve activities aimed at fostering patriotism among students.The authors emphasize that when developing and implementing educational programs in higher education institutions,it is necessary to consider patriotism not as an abstract social phenomenon but through actual social practices aimed at forming individual patriotic consciousness.

The article presents findings and proposals for developing state pension insurance in the context of digitalization. Digital technologies improve the quality of interaction with the population, expand the geographical reach and contribute to the stable functioning of the state.Digital innovations in state pension insurance allow the formation of proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of citizens’ pension support. When developing state pension insurance in a digitalized environment, citizens’ readiness for change is particularly significant. The methodology used was digital services to help citizens find a job and apply for it.The aim was to simplify the technology and process of finding a job as much as possible. Creating a single digital platform for employment and labor relations at the federal level is proposed to improve the efficiency of pension provisions. The increase in providing services to the public and businesses via digital platforms in electronic format is the most convenient mechanism for the Pension and Social Security Fund and citizens.

This article examines the key issues concerning opening rehabilitation procedures in the French legal system. The author examines the presumptions for consolidating or rebutting the need for procedures aimed at the debtor’s welfare. The rehabilitation procedure has economicand legal aspects, which are interconnected. The first comes down to the fact that the rehabilitative procedure depends on the structure of the debtor’s assets and capital. The legal ground is the presumption of the need for a rehabilitation procedure. Usually, the economic criterion consists of simple rules guiding the judge: businesses that participate in soft or hard oligopoly markets cannot be liquidated immediately because they would cause significant harm to the economy (except in declining economic sectors); representatives of markets with monopolistic competition do not generally affect a large number of people and do not make significant superprofits, so their liquidation would not cause considerable harm to the economy. The presumption of the need for rehabilitation is rebutted byprocedural means of proof. Creditors must provide evidence that payments have been suspended on their claims and that the financial statements show the structure of assets and liabilities of the debtor’s property can be considered insolvent.