Safonov Maksim

Despite how divided the modern world may be, environmental conservation is quickly emerging as one of the main challenges. By increasing public awareness of nature conservation, the state not only increases the citizens’ responsibility to the environment but also addresses several other urgent issues. The potential for modernizing institutions in our society remains untapped, even after thirty years of economic reforms. Therefore, a new system of state support for environmental protection initiatives must be created. Some specific organizational and economic characteristics of environmental protection make it inappropriate for integration into the framework of typical market relations. Financing any activity, including environmental protection, should not be transferred from the state to the society through implementing new interactive systems between the authorities and society. The primary source of this support should still be state funds; however, additional funding sources like endowment funds, philanthropic organizations, philanthropists, and public-private partnerships should also be considered.

The article discusses the transition to a closed-loop economy, also known as cyclical or circular, based on the principle of reusing resources. In a cyclical economy, wastes become raw materials for new production through a closed chain of production and consumption. The ever-increasing needs of humanity, along with limited resources, pose new challenges for government and business. Researchers believe that transition to «green» economy is a possible solution to the problem. Nevertheless, current supply chains, logistics, and resource consumption patterns do not meet the requirements of «green» economy. An intermediate solution is a closed-loop (or cyclic) version. The qualitative transition relies on technological solutions, many of which are still in development. The Russian Federation has also developed and approved an economic policy in this direction, specifically the «Closed-Loop Economy» federal project. Since the metallurgical industry in Russia produces a significant amount of waste compared to other industries, the authors propose to analyze the implementation instruments, future effects, and current realities with particular attention to this industry. After addressing the issue, we can create a structured approach to transitioning to circular economy and eventually to «green» economy.

For the past three centuries, sanatorium treatment has been an integral part of the Russian health care system. Wise use of natural resources can significantly reduce the morbidity rate, prevent many diseases, and effectively treat chronic illness. In Russia, after the reforms of the 1990s, the health resort complex was not able to immediately enter the market of services, which led to a reduction of personnel, obsolescence of material and technical base. However, nowadays, the situation is changing radically. At the moment, the state has already solved the problems of the transition period but has faced other challenges in the field of health protection of the nation. The author concludes that special attention should be paid to the further development of the industry aimed at recovering the most valuable resource - a person.

The article examines the recent active public debate concerning the organization of expert activity in Russia. Along with terminological ambiguity in this area, there are significant issues related to the status of the expert, expert’s independence, and the general devaluation of expert opinion. The activity of expert councils formed under the executive authorities is subject to particular criticism both from the citizens and the state. At the same time, special attention is paid to the participation of the scientific community in the independent expertise of programs, projects, and decisions. In this connection, according to the results of the meeting of the Council on education and science, the list of instructions of the President of the Russian Federation provides for the introduction of amendments into the legislation concerning the concept “scientific (scientific-technical) expertise”. It is necessary to establish the criteria and mechanisms for this expertise, as well as the rules for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of budgetary allocations for state support of scientific research and development.

Taking practical responsible decisions in the field of social and industrial management in the context of rapid development of digital technologies in the era of the knowledge economy is impossible without reliance on expertise. A kind of organization of activities for the production of ‘predictions’ is required, when not only an accurate assessment of the impact of certain factors and their possible interactions with each other is given, but also as a result of creative construction of scenarios for the development of processes and events, an understanding comes which factors need to be taken into account. At the same time, the expertise constantly faces criticism, calling the conclusions of experts arbitrary, unreliable and subjective. Often, expertise is confused with monitoring, evaluation, diagnosis, inspection or counseling. The authors of the article carried out a structural analysis of the content of the expertise processes in the project management vector in the digitalization era and came to the conclusion that the effectiveness of the expertise is significantly increased in case of clear regulation of this type of activity, providing the necessary status.

In the article, development institution is considered from its legal form and nature, in which it can and should carry out its activities, namely, as a subject of public law. The relevance of this article is expressed by the introduction in the Russian law of a public law company concept, which is a new alternative to state-owned corporations. On July 3, 2016, Federal Law No. 236-FZ “On Public Law Companies in the Russian Federation and on Amending Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” (with amendments and additions) was adopted. After its adoption, a new wave of discussions began to take place on the active use of such concepts as a legal entity of public law in Russian legislation. At the legislative level, it became necessary to implement general principles regarding legal entities of the same type in the framework of the legal matrix, into which it is possible to attribute all known subjects of law.

In the article the authors consider the reasons for the emergence of such phenomenon as ‘digital economy' and describe the features of its study and application in modern Russia, when it is imperative for the country to take a leading position in the global economy, to achieve accelerated rates of economic development, to increase productivity, to form new industries to achieve sustainable growth. The relevance of the work is due to the fact that the program ‘Digital economy', approved by the government of the Russian Federation on July 28, 2017 goes to a new stage of its implementation, when it should become the most important engine of innovation, competitiveness and economic recovery. Special attention is paid to the issues of strengthening the role of the state and improving its policy in the field of regulation of innovation processes at the national level and further participation in the formation of the national innovation system. The issues arising during the creation of the ‘innovative elevator' and the prospects for its subsequent development are explored. The necessity of taking priority measures in the field of state regulation of the national innovation system is emphasized. The problems accumulated in the Development Institutions lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the system as a whole. In the short term, one of the main tasks is the implementation of measures to establish the work of the system itself. It is necessary to eliminate the disproportion that has arisen in the system of costs aimed at the development of the national innovation system.

The level of innovative development of the country in the information age is largely determined by the institutional mechanisms based on knowledge and ensuring the effective implementation of market relations. The formation of such mechanisms is the most important task for public authorities and management. State policy should stimulate the emergence of new economic institutions, enhance the effectiveness of political structures, support social organizations and enhance the activities of science, education and culture. The generalization of world experience shows that under the conditions of globalization a competitive advantage is enjoyed by those who, on a par with scientific and technological successes, can use the most effective mechanisms of innovation activity and develop a system based on knowledge infrastructure. The development of knowledge industry, the active penetration of information technologies into all spheres of society's life offers colossal opportunities for humanity. However, at the same time, new problems appear and require solutions at the state level.

The article examines issues of concern pertaining to the institutional framework, organizational structure and functions of the national system of counteraction to money laundering and financing of terrorism.