Vol. 23 No. 4 (2021)

The article considers some actual problems in legal regulation of renumeration and retirement benefits for some categories of federal civil servants. These problems relate to the assessment of the equal status of the higher legislative, executive, and judicial branches of state power of the Russian Federation. The author has studied in detail the relevant legal acts, scientific articles, and monographs published on similar topics and provide convincing arguments about the need to correct the current imbalance. The author concludes that it is necessary to raise the level of attractiveness of civil service and increase the competitiveness of the state as an employer. It is suggested that this can be achieved through equalizing the level of wages of civil servants with the wages of workers in the corresponding/similar specialty and qualifications of the non-state (commercial) sector. The author identifies priorities for further improvement of legal regulation, formulates proposals to eliminate the selective approach in determining and changing the salaries and other significant parameters of the monetary content of federal civil servants of some higher state authorities.

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the regulatory framework and features of constructing systems and structures for executive authorities in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It also examines the systematization of region-wide trends and approaches, identifying best practices, distortions, and drawbacks in the institutional framework of the regional executive authorities. In the course of the research, the author found an excessive spread of the typology of regional executive authorities in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, significant variability of regional systems of executive power, a disparate understanding of the essence and role of certain types of executive authorities in the mechanism of public administration. It is noted that the current federal legislation does not provide prerequisites for developing unified systems and structures of regional bodies of executive power, which, in turn, leads to the complication of management processes within the developing unified system of public administration. The author concludes that it is required to establish common approaches to the typology of executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the standards of their organization, as well as to develop a general list of regional executive powers.

The article examines the introduction of digitalization into justice processes and the processing of judicial decisions in administrative and civil personal injury compensation disputes. The purpose of the implementation of the algorithms was an attempt to develop indicative criteria and ways to determine the amount of compensation for bodily injury. It is noted that the new rules were met ambiguously by the professional community. For example, delegations of lawyers from G7 countries expressed concerns about the future of justice. The reason for their discontent was the possibility of excluding adversarial discussion from judicial proceedings if artificial intelligence was used. In this context, the regulation of algorithms used in the justice sector, designated by the term “algorithmic models of judicial decision analysis” (MAAD) seems to be a priority for the preservation of democracy and the rule of law. The author believes that MAAD will promote greater openness of the judge, both to the plaintiffs and to the judicial institution, as well as - “coherence” of the case law, making it available for judges to examine. It is emphasized that the introduction of such algorithms is a form of digital judicial collegiality, not the standardization of judicial thinking.

The legal aspects of implementating personnel policy are an integral part of the successful work for the regional administration. The article examines the legal mechanisms used by the state civil service of the Lipetsk region administration, aimed at forming a model of qualification requirements to fill positions in civil service and developing the system for material and non-material motivation, increasing efficiency in state-service relations. Currently, to reform and improve the effectiveness of the state civil service, we need to create a flexible system of incentives for employees; since the effectiveness of their activities largely depends on their personal interest in the performance of official duties at a high level. The Lipetsk region administration monitors the regulatory legal framework on civil service in real-time. This method of quality control contributes to the improvement of personnel policy, standardization of personnel processes, and their uniform application in all governmental bodies of the region.

The article considers project financing as an investment tool for financing infrastructure projects since recently this approach is quite relevant in Russia. The analysis revealed both the strengths for the development of project financing and the factors constraining its application. In the research, the author identified some problems connected with the participants of project financing as well as with the use of debt instruments. In project financing, the key role is played by the generated cash flow. An important condition for its compliance with forecast parameters is not only the improvement of the corporate management system but also the creation of a satisfactory system for monitoring and operational control over the implementation of projects through the optimization of all processes. It is also important to improve the system of benefits and guarantees for investment projects using project financing The article formulates measures, the adoption of which can contribute to wider and more effective use of project financing for implementing infrastructure projects.

The article analyzes the scientific approaches of Dutch scientists to the problems of managing the transition to sustainable development. Based on the analysis of research in the Netherlands, the author concludes on the methodological dominance of the coevolutionary concept and the theory of complex systems. The transition to sustainable development is seen as coevolutionary social change. Coevolution of sustainable development implies the possibility of transforming the processes of coevolution into a more sustainable way of development. The essence of managing the transition to sustainable development is goal-oriented modulation and directed coordination of all actors involved in this process. Transition management is viewed as a particular form of multilevel governance in which state and non-state actors work together to co-produce and coordinate policies in an iterative and coevolutionary way at different levels. The necessary qualities of such management are adaptability, reflexivity, and coherence of actors’ positions. Adaptive transition management involves the social learning of management actors based on problem structuring and strategic experimentation. Transition management combines elements of long-term planning, elements of incremental market approach, and social network interaction management techniques. Distinctive characteristics of such management are heterarchy, three-tiered structure, and distributed administration. Since transition management is aimed at long-term change of functional systems in a gradual way, with the use of variations and their selection, its implementation is possible in a society whose interests are well organized, and there is no authoritarian management. The considered scientific foundations for managing the transition to sustainable development are used in the Netherlands to manage the transition to sustainable energy, sustainable mobility, sustainable agriculture, sustainable water use, and the transition to biodiversity and natural resources. In Russia and Kazakhstan, it is possible to use this approach to select, organize and structure management styles and tools for managing the transition to sustainable development.

The article discusses the environmental features of the active use of renewable energy and its impact on the decarbonization process on the example of the EU countries to achieve sustainable development goals. The materials consider the comparative assessment of environmental impacts of renewable and nuclear energy in the context of assessing the carbon footprint of these types of energy, comparative analysis of harmful substances over the life cycle of an electric power generator, and the possibility of referring nuclear energy to renewable energy sources. The article discusses the stimulating role of the EU Taxonomy regulatory document, which was specially developed in the European Union. The document is part of the state regulatory policy in the conjugate development of renewable and non-renewable energy; the paper provides active support to subjects of innovation and investment activities, demonstrating the best performance in their segment or industry in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, and does not prevent the development and implementation of new low-carbon alternatives, including based on ESG. Particular attention is paid to the disposal of end-of-life equipment, including such promising areas as solvolysis technology. The author offers a number of recommendations for further improvement in this area of activity. The article shows the role of environmental costs in the tariffs for electricity production from different types of primary energy sources. The author examines the contribution of national economies of countries outside the European Union that have stabilized and reduced carbon dioxide emissions on a global scale.

The article is devoted to the changes in modern public administration associated with the turn of public management towards customer focus. It is noted that the implementation of this approach will inevitably raise the question of the degree of citizen engagement in the creation of the final design service. The author considers the active involvement of all stakeholders, including research scientists, in the development of these programs to be one of the ways to ensure the population's loyalty to the actions of the state. The author refers to the experience of experts of the Higher School of Public Administration of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration participating in the development of strategies for various territories and sectors of government as well as individual departments in the period from 2016 until present. Additionally, a new approach for organizing group work of stakeholders, which combines all the successful developments connected during the experimentation phase into a single whole, is proposed. This approach is called “Participatory Strategizing and Design”. The approach is based on creating an empathy effect among stakeholders via actions to organize interactions with them. It is emphasized that the change in expectations proposed by this approach can significantly increase the efficiency of projects: considering strategizing as a process, and not as a result, releases significant energy and contributes to the adoption of extraordinary creative decisions.

The article analyzes the theoretical aspects of urban festivals as well as their implementation in practice, aimed at forming the image of the city. Urban festivals are cultural events that consolidate a community that shares both the values and meanings conveyed by the festival, giving them a sense of belonging to each other and to the location in which the cultural event takes place. Urban festivals influence the culture of citizen participation, contribute to the emergence of new cultural practices, have a positive impact on the area, the appearance of the city, etc. The article shows that the festivals leave a “trace” in the symbolic, informational and cultural space of the city; they act as a tool for designing the urbanistic image, as well as a kind of “magnet” for tourists. Due to festivalization, the city becomes a place of touristic cultural consumption, and at the same time, acting as an object of investment in the service sector. The festivals create conditions for regulated and safe human interaction with the city. During the festivities, the urban space is filled with diverse and multi-genre cultural events, while some other aspects of urban life become unseen because of the festival activity. The author concludes that the city festival forms a specific type of urban citizen. Another feature of the city festival is that it helps to “revive” the place where it is held (the city), to activate the creative potential of young artists and cultural workers, to increase the attractiveness of cultural institutions (concert halls and other venues) among the citizens, in particular, the new audience, to educate the artistic and aesthetic taste of young people.

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.

The reviewed textbook “Russian Management” was prepared by a group of authors, a significant part of which consists of representatives of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. The book helps the reader to learn how to create organizations that operate and successfully develop in conditions of constant changes, as well as to rethink the accumulated experience of managerial activity. The book covers in detail the issues of human resource management. The theoretical material is perfectly combined with practical assignments that allow you to consolidate the acquired knowledge and skills. Now, such textbooks are in demand, as they reveal current trends in the development of management, modern concepts, models, and technologies for managing socio-economic systems. The author pays special attention to the title of the textbook, an indication of the state affiliation and peculiarities of Russian government: with the invariability and independence of administrative laws from state and nationality, the importance of understanding and taking into account the specifics of a particular country to ensure the effective development of its socio-economic system is emphasized. The author highlights the advantages of the peer-reviewed publication over other similar publications, which are the close attention to human resource management, as well as the combination of theoretical and practical material.

The article analyzes the conditions that ensure a favorable demographic situation, personal and family development in the regions of Russia. In 2020-2021, against the background of COVID-19 statistics, a decline in reproduction rates, a sharp increase in mortality rate, as well as a reduction in life expectancy and the total population is clearly visible. The author pays special attention to the title of the textbook, an indication of the state affiliation and peculiarities of Russian government: with the invariability and independence of administrative laws from state and nationality, the importance of understanding and taking into account the specifics of a particular country to ensure the effective development of its socio-economic system is emphasized. The author highlights the advantages of the peer-reviewed publication over other similar publications, which are the close attention to human resource management, as well as the combination of theoretical and practical material. The implementation of regional population policies should reach a new level since they should contribute to improving the level and quality of life of people and strengthening the institution of the family.

This article examines the most pressing problematic issues of stagnation in the hospitality industry in Russia, associated with the new challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, both at the international and national levels. The author analyzes new trends and structural changes in the industry and assesses the prospects for overcoming the difficult crisis. The article presents specific proposals aimed at the restoration and constructive development of the tourism industry both for the authorities and administration to amend the adopted Strategy for the development of tourism in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2035, and for business structures, as well as travel companies. According to the author, the hospitality industry can still face serious shocks in the near future and the industry will not come out of the crisis without experiencing repeated shocks and border closings. Nevertheless, tourism is known for its ability to withstand economic downturns and can play a key role in reviving both the global and Russian economies as they emerge from the crisis. To consolidate the trend and to strengthen the development of domestic tourism, the industry needs a coordinated position and strategies for the behavior of the main market players, such as business companies operating in the hospitality industry, as well as authorities and authorities at the federal and regional levels. This requires the development and implementation of a modern strategy, taking into account the need to overcome the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the adaptation of the strategy to new realities and sustainable development of the state at all levels.

The article examines the features of the development of Kyrgyz statehood after gaining independence in 1991. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, not only the economic system but also the system of public administration and civil service underwent a complete reform, since it was also required to respond to the changed realities. The formation of the young Kyrgyz state was accompanied by a catastrophic decline in production, inflation, an increase in poverty and crime. However, the actions of the authorities minimized negative trends and provided a clear and transparent legislative basis for changes in the country. The political decisions allowed starting the fight against corruption, carrying out the necessary reforms, and providing Kyrgyzstan with the opportunity to become an example of a small open economy that has taken strategic measures to establish new market institutions. In 2017, for the first time in the modern history of the Central Asian states, a peaceful transfer of presidential power was carried out in the Kyrgyz Republic. The current constitution limits presidential powers to one six-year term.