Vol. 23 No. 6 (2021)

The article reveals the mechanism of the authors’ methodology when strategizing turns from a part of strategic activity into its meaning and format, thereby abolishing the idea of a strategy as a document or a prospective plan. Strategizing is the cumulative process from the formation of the strategic intent to the achievement of the time limit of goal setting defined in it and the crystallization of the resulting image with the inclusion of the subjective position of stakeholders. To implement this process it is necessary to coordinate the responsibilities of the parties involved and their actions, synchronizing them in time. The main techniques are the philosophy of group work management and the contract of intent. In conclusion, the authors discuss the possibilities of developing the managerial corps in project work through the new educational paradigm of “participatory design”.

The authors summarized the experience and statistics previously obtained by the executive authorities of the Leningrad Region in the areas of reengineering and digitalization of public service delivery processes. A five-factor ranking formula has been developed, which served as the basis for a new model for prioritizing the reengineering of public services. For the first time, a “bureaucracy coefficient” was formulated, based on six criteria directly related to the regulation of processes in the executive authorities. The authors draw attention to the feasibility of using business indicators when implementing the concept of a “client-centered state” in practice.

The article discusses the global institutional processes in the field of energy in countries that determined the priorities of its state regulation, the specifics of the structural shift in favor of renewable and non-renewable sources, as well as non-energy aspects of their application on the example of microgeneration. The absolute majority of modern states are incorporating elements of renewable energy development into their national strategies, and more than half of them, including the Russian Federation, has set the goal of creating a carbon-neutral economy. The concept of a carbon-neutral economy is inextricably linked to the idea of the mass use of renewable energy sources. The main drivers for promoting renewable sources are the largest importers of hydrocarbon resources, such as the European Union, the United States, and China. However, the term carbon neutrality does not mean the absence of traditional energy sources such as oil, gas, and coal. The annual investment in this area is over a quarter of a trillion dollars, which indicates the demand for this sector of the energy and economy, supported by the renewable energy’s reputation as an instrument of positive impact on the three central tenets of sustainable development (economy, social sphere, and environment).

There has been a revision of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction to ensure the immediate return of illegally removed or abandoned children to their state of habitual residence to reduce the detrimental effects of unilateral parental action. In recent years, the methods of child abduction and the legal landscape associated with judicial decision-making have changed dramatically. The authors conclude that on the part of the courts, various circumstances may indicate a “grave risk” of causing “physical or psychological harm” or creating “intolerable conditions” for the child. After analyzing the information received, the authors conclude that jurisprudence in this direction is becoming more and more universal. This is also facilitated by the development of the Guide to Good Practice under the HCCH Convention of October 25, 1980.

The article discusses current issues concerning the process of preparing internal audit reports, it covers methodological principles of reflecting the results of internal audits in the reports and gives recommendations on their structure and content depending on the purpose of a particular activity. The author notes that a significant part of methodological recommendations for conducting internal audit is based on practice, which is explained by its applied orientation. The lack of international standards for internal audit documentation and clearly defined recommendations does not excuse auditors from the compilation of a structured report, which would clearly show the relationship between violations, conclusions, and recommendations, as well as provide monitoring and feedback on the audit project. There are many different templates for internal audit reports, differing in format and structure. The author recommends adhering to the classic structure of reports which uses the following elements: introduction, observation, causes, consequences (violations), recommendations, conclusions, and appendices. The proposed methods of internal control will form the basis for a qualitative assessment of the internal audit activities.

The goal of the study is to evaluate global trends in the positioning of modern universities, their media activity in the Internet space. For the study, the top ten Russian universities included in the 2021 QS World University Rankings were selected.The main indicators of effective positioning of a modern university and its media activity in the Internet space are the university's presence in global and national rankings, availability of network programs and international accreditation of educational programs, an increase in the number of international students, MOOCs on Coursera and edX platforms, etc. As a result of the study, it was concluded that there is a direct and/or indirect relationship between the media activity of a modern university and the strengthening of the university's position in global and national rankings.

Communication aspects of political life in the society raise the interest of scientists both in Russia and in foreign countries. Throughout history, the relationship between government and society has been regulated by certain norms and rules which have been institutionalized into communication regimes. Although little studied, this phenomenon is an essential element of the socio-political system. The communication regime runs through all areas of communication and regulates the interaction between the various institutions of civil society. The main actors of communication regimes are the government, mass media, civil society institutions, and business. At the moment, there are several areas of research in this field, including the development of methods for analyzing regional communication regimes in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The Republic of Tatarstan was chosen as one of the pilot regions specifically; there is already a managed communication regime that provides stability in the region and the functioning of the existing principles of communication between the government and the society. The peculiarities of the communication regime in the Republic of Tatarstan include centralized control over the information field and communication tools, creation of mechanisms for monitoring the dynamics of public opinion and public needs, involvement of civil society institutions in systemic relations with the government through financial and other types of support, inclusion in public chambers and councils, socio-cultural context.

The article presents the main approaches to organizing sociological monitoring of the state civil service in Russia. The paper uses a methodical approach to assess several essential characteristics of the civil service; this includes “basic” variables and explanatory variables. The introduction of sociological monitoring involves the implementation of infrastructure and some specific processes. The infrastructure includes the organizational elements of monitoring, and the processes are disclosed through the order of actions necessary for the implementation of monitoring. Regular sociological monitoring allows us to collect data for analysis of the state of public service in the dynamics by comparing results over time. The results obtained can be used to identify development trends, as well as to compile questions for semi-structured interviews.

The article considers the specifics of professional socialization for civil servants in the new conditions of public administration. The authors note that the introduction of the new conditions of professional activity is accompanied by several problems: the duration of this process, the limited influence of vocational education on this process, as well as the uncertainty of the content of the necessary digital competencies, including the prospects for future development. Today, for a modern public servant, the term “transfessionalism” refers to the formation of diverse competencies from different professional areas. The materials of the study show the existing contradiction between the competencies that are required for successful professional activity in a digital economy and the established qualification requirements for civil servants, as well as the opinion of civil servants concerning the necessary qualities and capabilities. This dichotomy can be considered a serious obstacle to the successful professionalization of civil servants.

The article examines the improvements of the modern system of technology transfer for innovations in Russia over the past two decades with the use of French experience in this area. The authors identify the place of skilled intermediary institutions, which play a principal role in “forcing cooperation” between universities, research structures, and the business community to implement innovations at the national and regional levels. The article analyzes the reform of development institutions in Russia whose activities have been found unsatisfactory, as well as new forms of promotion of world-class research and educational centers (RECs) in the regions of Russia, youth laboratories, and other elements of infrastructure to mediate the transfer of knowledge and technology and to promote innovations in Russia.

The article considers the development of interactions between European research and industrial structures aimed at creating and promoting innovation in the market, using as an example the French system for advancing the transfer of technology and knowledge between academic structures and business. The authors note that transfer of technology and knowledge is a crucial source of regional and global economic development, as well as a tool for shaping the sustainable development of science in many countries of the world. Technology transfer becomes a complex, iterative action, which leads to the need for creating organizations that have a panoramic vision and can play the role of an intermediary. The article describes the different kinds of intermediary structures created in France; they coexist at different levels and play their role in the search for the most effective mechanism of technology transfer in the modern social and political context. The authors discuss the principles of organization in the French system for transferring technology and knowledge, its distinctive features related to the choice of the number of registered patents, as well as the role of the state in stimulating the establishment of connections between scientists and the industry and the commercialization of academic research.

The article describes the formation of the Ukrainian statehood. The Ukrainian state emerged and took its shape and characteristics hard and for a long time, over several centuries. In a sense, this process has not yet been completed here. The economic situation continues to be one of the problem areas in the country, which can be explained by political factors, the spontaneously formed structure of the national economy, and shortcomings in its management. These components neutralized the relatively favorable starting conditions for Ukraine, which gained independence, the tendency for raw materials orientation and deindustrialization is consolidating in the economy, the share of the agricultural sector in GDP and exports largely replaces products with high added value. With the acquisition of state sovereignty, Ukraine had to fill it with real legal content: to create a new system of public administration and civil service and to establish their interaction with society, which was in the process of deep internal transformation. The third republic dates back to 1991 with the proclamation of Ukraine’s independence; the country implements the system of public administration and civil service following international principles and in the interests of the country’s citizens. Although the organization of state administration does not differ from the generally accepted ones, and the civil service ensures the implementation of the goals and objectives of the state, the author notes the incompleteness of the state-building process in Ukraine, pointing out that the principles and forms of government are outdated and inconsistently implemented. As a result of the study, the author concludes that it is necessary to search for a sustainable model of statehood development, which is not only responsible for the modernization of the country but also takes into account its peculiarities.