Big data includes information about the characteristics of individual consumers, which allows sellers to individualize price (and not only) offers in such a way as to consider a willingness to pay of individual buyers or groups of buyers. The essential issues discussed in this paper are: the presence / absence of a specific research field through the lens of the coordination and distribution effects of individualized pricing; the existence of the basis for a special regime of antitrust regulation, as well as the related set of issues in the field of economic analysis of law.

Creating a general model of the economy, “providing a holistic knowledge of the economic system” (AD Nekipelov) is an urgent problem. The paper considers the possibility of using the subject and method of Marx’s “The Capital” in order to build a common model. The subject is an entity of relations within capitalist mode of production of life rather than wealth. The scientific method of ascending not from the abstract but from the simplest concrete to the complex concrete led to the discovery of an “economic cell”. Cell theory has influenced both “The Capital” and the understanding of history as a “linear sequence of stages”.
The subject of the general model is relations that ensure the reproduction of life in a market economy. The method is consistent with genomics. Two factors of the product are the minimum set of “genes” of an “economic DNA molecule”. The cell is totipotent, i.e. possesses a complete stock of genetic material but in different cells the same genes are in an active or repressed state. Alignment with genomics allows us to build a model of modern market economy, to reconsider the linear sequence and put forward the hypothesis of “totipotency of various methods of production”, the activation of those methods that contribute to the reproduction of the life of society as a whole.

This article studies the contagion effects on the emerging financial markets of the Asian region. The contagion effect is manifested in the change of interconnection degree of financial markets after the shock in one of the countries of the region. In the paper, we consider the information on potential or actual change in sovereign credit rating as a shock leading to a contagion effect. Our sample includes evidence from 7 Asian countries covering the period from 2000 to 2018. We use the DCC-GARCH model which allows us to take into account the peculiarities of financial data behavior. We intend to show the effect of inconsistencies in ratings assigned by various agencies on strengthening or weakening the processes of contagion on Asia’s stock markets. We also study the impact of historical inconsistencies between credit rating outlooks and actual rating changes on the level of «trust» to credit outlooks in the future. In assessing the impact of discrepancies we assume that the market remembers recent events better than more distant in time. We were able to confirm the impact of inconsistencies in the ratings given by different rating agencies for China, Hong Kong, and India. In addition, we found that the presence of inconsistencies between the outlooks and actual rating updates in the past tend to weaken the trust regarding positive outlooks rather than negative ones.

The article attempts to identify and systematize trends and risks in the development of the alternative lending market in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Alternative lending as a segment of financial technology market (Fintech) in Asia has significantly increased its share in the global market over the past 5 years. During the period from 2017 to 2018, the share of Asia-Pacific countries increased in all 4 key Fintech segments. The research methodology is based on the methods of statistical data analysis, comparative analysis and correlation analysis. As a result of the analysis, the author identifies three main trends: an increase in the level of internationalization of alternative lending, an increase in the role of large technology companies (BigTech) in providing financial services to the population, and outsourcing of storage and client data processing to third parties. Along with these trends, new emerging risks may have an impact on financial stability in Asian countries: the risk of spillover onto other participants in the financial sector, procyclicality and the risk of moral hazard for systemically important organizations, etc. The author comes to the conclusion that in order to minimize the effects of fraud risk as well as other key risks, it is worth introducing a special regime regulating alternative lending in the country.

The paper examines influence of high-speed (broadband) Internet on fertility choice analyzed Russian panel data based on RLMS-HSE from 2014 to 2018. Using an instrumental variables strategy that exploits variations of broadband Internet access for households we find that determined broadband internet use leads to a positive effect on fertility for women of older reproductive age (from 25 to 49) and birth of second and further child is more affected. We attribute this effect to the ability of teleworking and building a better work-life balance. From our results this mechanism is relevant only for women with secondary and higher vocational education, that are more likely to work in professions with a higher probability of telework.

Competent demographic policy implies an understanding by the state of the economic, social, and demographic processes taking place in society. In earlier Russian and foreign studies, the authors found a number of fertility factors, however, the direction of influence of such determinants could be opposite. Aware of the special influence of sociocultural attitudes and values of the population on the number of children in a family, the author made an attempt to identify the determinants of fertility based on an empirical study of the World Values Survey. Using statistical and econometric methods, models that reflect the determinants of fertility in modern Russia were constructed. This work revealed a positive effect on the birth rate of religiosity, traditional views and the importance of the family for the respondent. Inversely related to the number of children in a family such factors as the level of education of the population and the value of leisure.

The article describes the methodological approach to the development of strategies of socio-economic development created by the authors on the basis of the analysis of the best practices of sustainable development strategies in the world. The methodology involves the use of ecological and economic (the solid core of the ecological economics, projects with integrated efficiency) and humanistic (indicators of “true well-being”, human experience at the center of change) principles, as well as the use of direct democracy tools (residents are co-authors of strategies, in-depth interviews, online polls with alternative scenarios). The use of this methodology while producing strategies for socio-economic development, including conducting surveys of the population in Kerch, Simferopol and Tolyatti, showed that residents choose the solutions that are laid down in the sustainable development strategies of the leading cities of the world. Surveys regarding the image of the desired future, sustainable city, sustainable mobility and sustainable urban environment showed that residents respond not only progressively and professionally, but also in a consolidated manner choosing the sustainable development path as the only desired vector for long-term development. The main party uninterested in the implementation of the sustainability agenda is a conservative bureaucracy focused on familiar and simple measures and decisions.

This paper considers various factors affecting housing prices in Moscow with special attention to societal conditions — particularly the quality of education provided by schools within the neighborhood. Today in Russia, children are enrolled in elementary school on the principle of territorial priority, which means that children living within the area of a given school are entitled to be enrolled there. Do parents take into consideration the quality of school education when purchasing a property? Are they prepared to pay extra for an access to better education? Does this extra amount depend on housing prices? These are the main questions of this study. To answer them, the paper analyses the best affordable school rating’s impact on accommodation prices. Not only parents, but also the real estate market would be interested in the results. Moreover, this research contributes to the understanding of migration patterns within the city. It helps determine the factors affecting someone’s choice of property. The findings will provide a more accurate assessment of decision-making in urban planning and education.

Currently, Russia faces the problem of improving the state economy and its transition to an innovative development path. The achievement of strategic goals and objectives of socio- economic development depends on the innovative and technological state of construction as a fundamental branch of material production. Innovative development of construction is associated with three key areas: technologies, materials, and processes. The study addresses the main factors of stimulating and limiting the sustainable growth of this type of activity, explore the main trends of innovative development of construction based on the analysis of domestic and foreign experience. The author analyzes the indicators of Russia’s construction industry for 2014–2018 and identifies the main problems that negatively affect the consistency of the innovation process It is concluded that the need for intensive innovative and technological development of the Russian construction complex is due to the need to solve many important socio-economic problems, including: insufficient provision of affordable, comfortable and safe housing for the population; a high level of wear and tear of municipal infrastructure; low quality of housing and utilities; the negative impact of outdated technologies on the environment; low productivity growth in the construction industry. Finally, the author offers a model of innovative development of construction in Russia’s regions based on qualitative feedback between different forms and levels of management for effective solutions and synergetic effect in the economy of the subjects of the Russian Federation.

The article presents the results of a study of the demand for agricultural insurance in the Republic of Kazakhstan. For about 16 years, Kazakhstan had a system of compulsory insurance in crop production, but the level of insured areas fluctuated from year to year, reaching their minimum value of 38% in 2019. Drawing on statistics from 2010 to 2018 of the two largest cereal growing regions (Kostanay and Akmola regions) and using the weighted least squares method, the author constructs an econometric model of the dependence of insured areas share on a number of factors. The determinants for the analysis were such indicators as the gross profit of agricultural producer, yield results, material costs, rainfall in winter and pre-sowing season.

The role of transnational corporations (TNCs) in ensuring the dynamic development of the processing industry is considered in the article. TNCs have a positive effect on the economy of the host countries, creating a competitive production that meets modern world standards, contributes to the development of industry and allows to move to a qualitatively new stage of development. The developing countries examples showed that the allocation of TNCs capital in processing industries can increase the degree of saturation of the domestic market with food commodities and industrial goods, create new employment placements, and produce competitive products. The conclusions show that the improvement of the overall investment climate and the implementation of a targeted policy in the field of attracting TNCs to the processing industry allow for optimal use of existing capacities and available resources.

The subject of the article is the search for an effective strategic solution in the framework of sustainable development of gold mining enterprises belonging to small and medium-sized mining businesses. The goal of the study is to analyze the problem and the theoretical rationale for the use of horizontal integration for the category of gold mining enterprises, as well as the development of methodological provisions to assess the effectiveness of this strategy in modern conditions. In the process of writing the article the methods of analysis and synthesis within the system approach, mathematical and graphical modeling of economic processes were used. As a result of the study, the processes of development of the gold mining industry, taking into account the state of the mineral resource base of alluvial gold, are revealed. The role of horizontal integration and the expediency of its application within the enterprises belonging to the small and medium mining business are indicated. A methodology has been developed for evaluating the effectiveness of a horizontally integrated gold mining enterprise, taking into account potential synergistic effects, the possibility of diversifying production. The described approaches, at the project stage, will allow to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the planned consolidation.