Preview

Moscow University Economics Bulletin

Advanced search
No 5 (2023)
View or download the full issue PDF (Russian)

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

3-24 448
Abstract

The article deals with identifying the obstacles to the commercialization of academic research results generated by the differences in institutional environment for the production of scientific knowledge and the production of technological products by innovative start-ups. To do this, it gives the characteristics of the above-mentioned institutional environments, as well as patterns of behavior in them that do not have the character of formal or informal institutions. Particular attention is paid to psychological traits of entrepreneurs and their cognitive abilities, which may not be available to teachers and researchers at universities and research organizations. Comparison of the content of these environments gives grounds for distinguishing two types of institutional barriers: the first one is of a general economic nature and can generate significant costs for the work of innovative start-ups; the second one is intra-organizational in nature and can generate high risks of transition from science to commercial industry, preventing researchers and teachers from making decisions about creating innovative technology start-ups. The paper concludes with recommendations to reduce the level of barriers of the second type. In particular, to compensate for the risks associated with possible consequences of failure to create a startup and the difficulties of returning to the field of research activity, university management could legally guarantee a teacher or researcher a return to work in scientific or educational departments of faculties for at least five years after creating a startup.

ECONOMIC THEORY

25-42 473
Abstract

According to international organizations data, global FDI flows dropped considerably in 2022.The article discusses certain global long-term trends and pressing problems of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Global Value Chains (GVC) in Russia and abroad. This paper provides key indicators published by international organizations, such as IMF, OECD and others in 2023. The author offers a relatively non-customary approach to the study of FDI and GVC — through the analysis of international migration of factors of production (capital and labor). The author examines the interaction between these two types of international resource transfers and comes to a paradoxical conclusion that the radical change of Russia’s economic relations with Western countries in 2022–2023 was logical and predictable. A relatively non-customary approach is due to the fact that in May 2023 the Russian President and Government emphasizes the importance to develop an action plan to implement the 2023–2025 State Migration Policy Conception. According to OECD data, Russia as a recipient of FDI recorded negative inflow in 2022, but the paper provides a long-term view on the subject. Finally, the author substantiates the need to revise certain principles of Russia’s foreign economic policy as well as theoretical courses on International Economics in educational institutions

43-65 457
Abstract

The article presents a thesis that a phased reduction of the share of raw materials in the total volume of Russian exports and re-direction of a much greater part of it to domestic processing and subsequent export of final high-tech products are required. The need for such structural transformation is explained not only by the intensification of anti-Russian sanctions against fuel and energy complex, including the introduction of an embargo and price ceiling for its products, but also by the urgent need for a radical change in the very type of growth of the domestic economy — from raw materials export to the one based on innovations. Such shift is associated with devising and implementing a nationwide structural government policy, designed to resist further deindustrialization of the national economy. Based on the analysis of the key imbalances of the Russian economy developed during its market transformation, with a special emphasis on the ratio of consumption, investment, government purchases and trade balance, the author offers his own vision of an algorithm for a reasonable increase in the investment quota not through reducing personal consumption, but by temporarily reducing the contribution of net exports. The analysis concludes with the description of a fundamental scheme of urgently required changes in the functional structure of Russia’s GDP with the vision of ways to prevent an excessive imbalance between the revenue and expenditure parts of the Russian state budget

66-89 484
Abstract

The article assesses the changing trends in the behaviour of consumers of medical services and building a new behavioural integrated model of medical services in the context of digital transformation of healthcare. The methodological basis of the study is the analysis of relevant domestic and foreign scientific literature on the issues under consideration, as well as the results of published expert interviews with healthcare specialists. The authors describe the concept of digital healthcare as a fundamental ecosystem in terms of the formation of new channels of interaction with the patient while providing medical services. They then characterise the role of new investors in the field of digital medicine — the largest technological leaders in terms of market capitalisation. The paper examines the basic principles of consumer behaviour in the medical services market underlying the demand in the traditional doctorcentered model of medical care, formulates the key approaches to changing the behaviour of the consumer s under the influence of healthcare digital transformation. The authors argue that through digitalisation healthcare goes far beyond the medical industry and acquires an intersectoral integrated character. They build a behavioural patient-centered model of a consumer of medical services in the new paradigm of digital healthcare. The new role of the patient as a partner in managing the healthcare system is substantiated. The results of the work contribute to the economic theory of consumer behaviour in the provision of medical services, as well as to the theory of health economics. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility to implement the proposed target model for the provision of medical care in primary and secondary health care organisations as part of digitalisation programs.

90-115 430
Abstract

Economic competition by definition implies a choice between competing alternatives. But can economic agents always protect their rights to make this choice? In order to protect property rights, they should have a guarantor who imposes sanctions on the violator. However, the guarantor must be able to use violence, since the imposition of sanctions is often not voluntary. This paper shows that the uneven distribution of violence in society, which is not monopolized by one decision-making center and/or applied outside the rule of law, hinders economic competition. In such a situation, i.e. in a limited access social order, part of property rights remains unprotected, which prevents the entrepreneur from performing his/her function. The reason for this effect is the desire of the elite to maintain the status quo in distribution of rents: they try to avoid changes caused by the market process that may lead to a violation of existing political balance. In this study, the stated theses are confirmed on microdata of the BEEPS industrial enterprises survey by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development — we test the hypotheses using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and discrete choice models. Empirical analysis allows us to argue that in the limited access order, the obstacle to participation in economic competition is a weak property rights protection — it forces firms to compete for limited resources not by satisfying the needs of consumers, but by following the interests of the property rights guarantor. The results of the study can be useful in developing competition policy measures and explaining the phenomenon of «regulatory bias» in antitrust policy of developing countries.

116-133 427
Abstract

This article presents the analysis of Russian «silencers» participation in mandatory pension accumulation. The paper examines the peculiarities of pension strategies of the Russians in forming a funded pension with automatic enrolment through an interdisciplinary approach and methods of statistical data analysis. Based on the achievements of economic science of neoclassical, institutional and behavioral directions, the author argues that the use of such methodological prerequisites as rationality and irrationality of individuals leads to an oversimplification of the relationship between behavioral strategies and their results. The purpose of this article is to analyze the features of “silent” pension strategies through the prism of irrationality and rationality and to assess the consequences of passive participation strategy in the Russian pension process in the 2000s. The article examines the works of foreign and Russian scientists on pension programs with automatic enrolment, while the factual base is presented by materials of the Federal state statistics service and Russian Pension Fund. The article provides an overview of prior works on аutomatic enrolment to retirement plans in the United States and other foreign countries: it reveals critical remarks on the practice of automatic enrolment and reveals the problems of using automatic enrolment in the pension process. The author argues that the economic behavior of the Russian «silent» is primarily due to the specifics of institutional environment as well as the level of trust in the state and financial institutions. It has been established that irrationality and financial illiteracy are not always the primary causes of “silent accession” strategy. The conclusions and proposals of the work can be used for further research in pension strategies and the development of pension policy in Russia

MANAGEMENT ISSUES

134-161 461
Abstract

Implementing a quantitative occupational risk assessment is legislated as an employer’s responsibility nowadays. Yet, there is no unified approach to risk assessment.
Employers make decision on a certain methodological approach depending on current industrial processes and existing occupational health and management system on their own. The study aims to develop a unified methodological approach to quantitative occupational risk assessment. The research methodology is based on the provisions of regulatory documents in occupational health and safety, scientific publications on occupational risk assessment. The research method involves analyzing normative and methodological literature on occupational risk management and the statistical data on occupational safety expenditures of companies. The article presents a comparison of the main available approaches used in companies to implement a quantitative occupational risk assessment. The results show there is no possibility to justify the costs of risk response activities in a vast majority of methods. The authors propose a methodological approach to occupational risk assessment based on determining the costs of ensuring life and health of employees. This approach allows to develop and substantiate activities on occupational risk reduction and the improvement of industrial safety level in a company as well as to assess the effect expected of the implementation of corrective actions. The actual vector of scientific research on the subject is to create and implement information systems for occupational risk management and decision-making support based on the developed approach in companies

162-183 531
Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of scientific articles on scaling Agile in an organization. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the main research directions in the field of scaling Agile in management, as well as to determine the area of future research. The analysis conducted in the paper is based on publications in the leading academic journals from 2011 to 2022. Modern science defines Agile as a set of management approaches and as a philosophy and mindset. The study identifies the four main areas of research on managerial aspects of scaling Agile: (1) scaling Agile in the context of digital transformation, (2) features of scaling Agile process, (3) success factors of scaling Agile, (4) Agile culture and characteristics of project teams. In general, the experience of scaling Agile is positively evaluated. However, organizations frequently face implementation problems, mainly because of culture. For this reason, cultural aspect of Agile scaling is mentioned in each of the four highlighted research areas. The results of the study show that Agile values and Agile mindset adopted in organizations are vital for changing culture and, consequently, for scaling Agile. Additionally, the analysis confirms that there is no universal approach to Agile scaling, and sometimes organizations are limited to adopting Agile in several project teams. The findings lay the foundation for future research on scaling Agile in management

FINANCIAL STUDIES

184-208 493
Abstract

This study examines the role of the CEO in implementing ESG policy, which results in the growth of ESG rating and improving the efficiency of gold mining companies. The research analyses the indicators of CEO power, such as: the amount of CEO remuneration; the share of company stocks owned by him; the term of office. The general index of CEO authority is derived by combining individual characteristics. The methodology used is an econometric analysis of panel data on 36 of the world's largest public gold mining companies for the period from 2015 to 2020. The efficiency of gold mining companies is measured using a market indicator — Tobins'Q, which allows you to make a decision about investing in an enterprise aimed at sustainable development. Gold mining companies successfully implement ESG projects and become a full-fledged object for investment. The results of the study show that ESG rating and its three components (environmental, social and managerial) have a positive impact on the market efficiency of gold mining companies. Of the considered characteristics of CEOs, two of them — the amount of CEO remuneration and the percentage of shares ownership, have a positive impact on the market efficiency of companies. The term of office does not have a significant impact on the effectiveness of companies. The overall indicator of authority contributed to the increase in efficiency due to two characteristics. If we consider the CEO as an intermediary between investing in ESG projects and increasing the company's efficiency, it turned out that only an influential CEO, characterized by a high amount of remuneration, can contribute to increasing the ESG rating and improving the company's market efficiency. The findings illustrate the peculiarities of the influence of the CEO's characteristics on the performance of gold mining companies, taking into account the principles of ESG. The results of the study will improve corporate governance of gold mining companies to ensure the growth of performance indicators, taking into account the specificity of the industry and its focus on sustainable development.

209-233 459
Abstract

The subject of the study is the revenue of corporate property tax, calculated on the basis of the cadastral value. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors affecting the amount of corporate property tax revenues in terms of those objects, the tax base for which is the cadastral value. The relevance of the study is due to the ongoing transition to the calculation of property tax on the basis of the cadastral value. In terms of tax on property of individuals and land tax, such a transition has already been made, and forecasting the consequences of such a transition for the corporate property tax is an extremely relevant task. The scientific novelty of the study is the proposed four-factor multiplicative model. Among the proposed factors are the effective property tax rate in the region, the total number of capital construction objects in the region, the share of objects in the regional list in the total volume of capital construction objects in the region and the average cadastral value of one object in the regional list. The main method of research is the logarithmic method of deterministic factor analysis. As a result, for 85 regions of the Russian Federation, the impact of each of the selected factors was quantitatively evaluated. An important result of the study should also be called a consolidated analysis of regional lists, which provide the objects, the tax base for which is the cadastral value, for the first time undertaken in national studies. The main conclusions of the study include the fact that for most regions the leading factor is the share of objects in the regional lists. This suggests that the expansion of the lists and the increase in the share will have a positive effect on the dynamics of corporate property tax revenues, and for most regions this direction should become the most perspective for increasing the revenues from this tax.

234-261 420
Abstract

The goal of the research is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on such innovative activity indicators as R&D spending and the number of international patents of American IT companies. The sample includes 130 US companies from 2010 to 2021. The data were analyzed using models with fixed individual effects and robust errors, Tobit regressions and Heckman models. The results of the study showed that companies from the technology equipment and telecommunications sectors increased R&D/Sales ratio during the pandemic. In addition, R&D spending, regardless of other indicators, increased during the pandemic for highly innovative firms. Also, firms that have international patents before the pandemic granted more patents for registration during the pandemic. A one-year lag was found between innovations’ input in the form of R&D investment and innovations’ output in the form of international patents. Thus, based on the results of the study, we concluded that COVID-19 has a positive impact only on highly innovative companies in the United States.

BRANCH AND REGIONAL ECONOMY

262-279 552
Abstract

Parallel import refers to one of the controversial and ambiguous issues actively discussed in scientific literature over the past decades. On the one hand, parallel import is associated with the violation of intellectual property rights of trademark owners, and on the other hand, it is an indirect tool to combat price discrimination on the world market. Parallel import as a forced measure under sanctions is of particular research interest. The legalization on parallel imports in Russia, which allows to freely import certain goods into the country without the copyright holders’ permission, is aimed at countering large-scale anti-Russian sanctions, maintaining stable trade turnover and protecting the domestic industrial sector. The purpose of the work is to study the reasons for parallel import existence, its positive and negative aspects, as well as the specifics of importing goods into the country under sanctions. The methodology of the study is based on the analysis of international and Russian legislative framework, generalization of scientific and practical approaches to parallel import issues, as well as statistical data. The results of the study allows us to conclude that using the term «parallel import» to characterize the processes of importing goods under sanctions is not entirely legitimate due to the absence of the main, authorized import channel in most cases. The work provides a risk map related to the use of a parallel import scheme in the activities of Russia’s enterprises. The findings can be applied by commercial and industrial enterprises in devising a risk minimization strategy in conditions of sanctions restrictions



ISSN 0130-0105 (Print)