Vol. 28 No. 1 (2026)

The article examines the three primary facets of state strategic planning and illustrates how these concepts intersect and overlap. The author emphasizes the need to align strategic, territorial, and spatial planning processes, while also considering the particularities and attributes of these processes in the context of current global and local challenges. The article looks at the legal foundation of strategic planning in the Russian Federation and analyzes the strategic planning experience of Russia and other countries. The analysis indicates the need to establish a legal system of spatial planning documents, including master plans, to ensure consistency with federal and regional planning documents. The results obtained allow the author to propose several measures aimed at improving the scientific, methodological, and legal support in this area.

The article examines the theoretical and legal basis of local self-government in Russia, as well as its particular features of development in the Republic of Dagestan. The author’s analysis covers a range of topics, including institutional, socio-economic, and financial challenges, the evolution of reforms in recent years, options for organizational models (single-tier, two-tier, mixed), as well as strategies for digital transformation and public engagement. The study pays special attention to providing financial support to local self-government and offering practical recommendations for increasing local budget revenue. The article outlines the key distinctions between the Federal Law «On the General Principles of Local Self- Government in the Russian Federation» (2003) and the Federal Law «On General Principles of Local Self- Government in a Unified System of Public Authority» (2025), as well as changes that took place when the two-tier model gave way to the single-tier model. The Republic of Dagestan faces specific challenges in local self-government due to its multinational population of more than thirty ethnic groups, historical forms of communal self-government (jamaats), mountainous geography, and high proportion of rural areas. In such circumstances, the organizational design, financial base, and personnel stability of municipalities are critical aspects in ensuring socioeconomic stability.

The article outlines essential legal mechanisms for reducing corruption risks in business-government interactions. Based on a literature analysis, the article identifies the main causes of corruption and establishes legal mechanisms to counter it. The study investigates the legal foundation of the Russian Federation’s anti-corruption mechanism. The authors identify key policies that help minimize the threat of corruption and improve the trust and relations between businesses and the government. The authors highlight the significance of public support for entrepreneurs and the adoption of new technology, while also analyzing other aspects of the anti-corruption system, including the actions taken by enterprises. It is noted that, although businesses are required to develop and implement anti-corruption measures, there are no penalties for non-compliance, which underscores the preventive nature of such activities. In conclusion, the authors propose changes to further improve anti-corruption legislation and its practical application.

The study analyzes the legal regulations governing the activities of the Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo). It examines the individual legal acts (laws and administrative regulations) that characterize Rosimushchestvo as both an executive authority and an entity within the centralized public administration. The article provides an overview of the scientific literature, emphasizing that gaps in legislation hinder the effective regulation of government activities. It also highlights the importance of involving scientific personnel in normative work. The author notes that certain acts regulating the activities of Rosimushchestvo require revision in order to align with current legislation. These measures, along with several amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, will provide legitimacy to the individual provisions and acts of these documents.

The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the administrative and legislative systems intended to stimulate investment activity in Russia at both the federal and regional levels. The authors examined current federal and regional legislation regarding investment activities and analyzed the application of special economic zones, advanced development territories, special investment contracts, and other investment incentive instruments. A comparative analysis of foreign experience revealed the primary challenges in coordinating investment policy across levels of public authority, including the duplication of powers, contradictory regulatory provisions, and ineffective inter-level interaction mechanisms. The authors present a classification of administrative and legal regimes for fostering investments and provide recommendations for improving coordination mechanisms.

The article justifies recognizing marriages registered abroad as a multi-level, institutionally differentiated process, rather than a one-time legal act. Although marriage is recognized under Russian law (Article 158 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation), its practical implementation depends on completing a series of procedural steps. Two scenarios for recognizing marriages with a foreign element are examined in detail: through civil registry offices and through notarial authorities. The study reveals that civil registry offices are primarily administrative and legal entities. They do not assess the material reality of marriage, but rather ensure the admission of foreign civil status records into the national document flow. The administrative rules applied by civil registry offices determine how marriage is actually enforced in everyday legal life. They act as a filter through which foreign marriages must pass to become legally «valid» in the national system. The author substantiates the infrastructural role of the notary, which involves establishing the evidential validity of foreign marriage documents for use in administrative and judicial proceedings. There is a fundamental difference between recognizing marriage as a legal fact and accepting a document that confirms this fact within the legal system of the Russian Federation.

The article examines the problem of tax discrimination in the Russian Federation when granting transport tax benefits to large families. The purpose of the study is to analyze regional differentiation of transport tax benefits for large families in the Russian Federation, identify forms of tax discrimination, and develop proposals for their elimination. The study examines federal and regional regulations (the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, laws of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation), the practice of applying benefits in 89 regions, the socio-economic consequences of inequality, as well as scientific publications by Russian authors. The authors found that 27 regions provide full tax exemption, 19 regions do not provide any benefits, and the rest limit benefits based on engine power or family income. The study identified three types of tax discrimination: regional, based on vehicle characteristics, and income-based. The authors suggest specific measures to unify benefits at the federal level: exemption from tax on one vehicle without restrictions on power and income, and automation of the provision of benefits through the “Gosuslugi” public services portal. These measures will contribute to strengthening the principle of equal taxation and the implementation of the national “Family” project.

The article introduces the Russian school of management (RSM) as a comprehensive system of knowledge and practices consistent with Russia’s cultural and historical identity, as well as its contemporary geopolitical challenges. The authors have identified and systematized the stable elements of the Russian management model: a core set of values and meanings, priority of the common good, mobilization flexibility, paternalism, and a synthesis of tradition and innovation. The authors formulated 10 key postulates of the RSM based on an analysis of historical practices and the best domestic schools. The study overcomes the fragmented nature of research on Russian management traditions, presenting them as a holistic, historically continuous phenomenon with a unique ideocratic paradigm.

The article discusses the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into public administration procedures and examines international approaches of doing so. This study examines national strategies, regulatory acts, and the practical results of AI implementation. It is noted that the results of implementing AI technologies depend on the quality of legal regulation, technological infrastructure, and human resources. One of the key factors is cooperation between the government and the private sector. The investigation revealed several differences in approaches to understanding and applying AI in different countries. These countries include Estonia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The author concludes by classifying these countries’ experiences according to current trends in AI development and provides suggestions for integrating foreign methods into the Russian public administration system.

The article examines the Lipetsk region’s implementation of political-economic strategy sessions, which represent innovative approach to social diagnostics in regional domestic policy. Empirical data demonstrates that the format has the potential to create a comprehensive diagnostic system that provides high-quality management information. The presented interdisciplinary approach is relevant to new challenges and enables a novel system of interaction between authorities and citizens. Indicators of trust, quality of communication, and public satisfaction are becoming as important as traditional economic and infrastructure metrics. This entails a transformation of domestic policy instruments. Social architecture is replacing the administrative methods and short-term political strategies that are typical of election cycles. A socio-political framework based on mutual recognition and engagement is considered essential for ensuring long-term political stability.

The article explores strategies to enhance personnel policy in the context of changing the legal and organizational framework of the civil service. The authors pinpointed issues in the current personnel policy implemented by Russian Federation government agencies and outlined the tasks and primary directions for addressing them. The authors note that there are opportunities to improve the personnel policy of government bodies. They suggest utilizing positive experiences from leading regions and foreign countries, such as the United Kingdom. This experience includes introducing a managerial model of public service and using the potential of higher education institutions in the field of state and municipal administration, such as the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. The strengthening of NATO sanctions against Russia and growing inflation, which results in fewer benefits for civil servants, are two elements that threaten the execution and advancement of state personnel policy. The authors' proposed personnel policy improvements aim to update the forms and methods used by state authorities. If adopted by the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the country as a whole, these improvements will enhance the effectiveness of state authorities at the federal and regional levels.

In the digital age, the effectiveness and sustainability of management decisions in public administration are not determined by the level of technological equipment, but rather by the evolving role of civil servants as decision-makers. The increased use of digital and algorithmic technologies in public administration is accompanied by growing demands for the justification, accountability, and predictability of management actions. At the same time, the logic of the analytical models used in the decision-making process is becoming less transparent. The article examines the phenomenon of the algorithmic «black box» as an institutional challenge to the public service system. It also analyzes the role of the mental flexibility of civil servants in the context of algorithmically mediated management. According to the author, the digital transformation of public administration makes procedures for interpreting, verifying, and explaining management decisions more important. In the context of digitalization, the stability and legitimacy of public administration depend on civil servants’ ability to anticipate the social and institutional consequences of their decisions and prevent administrative responsibility from being transferred to opaque algorithmic models.

The article presents a mentoring model based on the Presidential Academy Mentoring Project, which meets the labor market’s modern requirements for managerial personnel. The author additionally outlines the project’s competency model and practical instruments for working with mentees. The project’s results provide a basis for replicating the discussed mentoring model in other universities and educational institutions to increase students’ awareness of their career choices. An examination of the evolution of mentoring as a socio-pedagogical phenomenon has revealed that it was widespread and reached its peak of development during the Soviet era, caused by both socioeconomic and ideological factors. The development of mentoring systems is gaining significant scientific interest. This is because it is seen as a valuable resource for delivering high-quality professional training to young specialists, which is crucial for sustainable socioeconomic development. External changes determine the system of requirements for the design of mentoring systems and technologies, which also reinforce the need for their integration into educational activities. The emphasis on strengthening individual focus and flexibility, as well as meeting the professional needs of future managers, contributes to modern approaches to mentoring. This ensures a meaningful and value-based relationship between key stakeholders: students and government agencies as representatives of employers.

The urgent need to improve public administration’s efficiency and create a highly adaptable government apparatus capable of handling opportunities, threats, and challenges calls for both the application of modern Western management theories and the utilization of our predecessors’ proven management expertise. The article combines biographical and historical documents to reveal the foundations of corporate time management of the Russian Empire’s highest and middle levels of government during the prereform period in the first half of the XIX century. This was not a time of «darkness.» Instead, it was a period when the foundations of capitalism were being established. Key developments included ministerial reform, the creation of the State Council, the adoption of patent and joint-stock legislation, the establishment of a system of commercial courts, and other significant regulations that facilitated rapid economic growth in the second half of the 19th century. The business practices and organizational mechanisms of that era, along with the related management conflicts, bear a striking resemblance to those of today. The study’s findings will be useful to researchers and government administrators who seek to develop management strategies based on Russian traditions.