40 research outputs found
Yegor Gaidar: Pragmatic Economist or (and) Romantic Revolutionary
Get PDFThe article reflects upon the legacy of Yegor Gaidar (19 March 1956 – 16 December 2009), Russian economist – academic and political leader, the key figure of the initial stage of postcommunist transformation in Russia in early 1990s.
Experience in Implementing Social Benefits Monetization Reform in Russia. Literature Review.
Get PDFThe present paper is an integral part of the "Preparation of the strategy for social benefits monetization reform in Ukraine" project, co-financed by the 2008 Polish aid programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and carried out by CASE in 2008. The paper was prepared as background material aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the main bottlenecks in reforming a vast in-kind benefits system typical for many countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The paper focuses on the following issues: aims and motives of monetization reforms in Russia; expected outcomes of the reform; description of the implementation process; changes of the roles of various actors and agencies; compensation of housing and communal services (HCS) expenses in the course of HCS and monetization reforms; and the major gains and failures of the reform. The paper concludes with lessons that can be derived from the Russian monetization experience for the planned Ukrainian monetization reform. The paper is based on extensive research on the monetization reform in Russia and literature published by leading Russian independent research centers including the Independent Institute for Social Policy (IISP), the Institute for Urban Economics, the Centre for Economic and Financial studies (CEFIR), and the Institute for the Economy in Transition (IET).in-kind benefits, monetization, housing and communal services benefits,targeted social assistance, social sector reform, Russia, transition
The IMF-Supported Programs of Poland and Russia, 1990-1994: Principles, Errors and Results
Get PDFThe paper discusses four IMF-supported adjustment programs of Poland, 1990-1995, and two of Russia, 1992-1994, in terms of the underlying theory, policy objectives, assumptions, policies, errors and results. The paper suggests that the roles of the IMF and the World Bank have been helpful but, compared to the influence of domestic factors and local refomers, relatively modest. Transition-related features of the programs are the focus of the analysis. The specific topics include the choice of nominal anchors, the speed of disinflation, the choice of performance criteria, and the role of foreign economic assistance. The primary objective of this paper is to discuss the IMF-supported adjustment programs of Poland and Russia in terms of the underlying theory, policy objectives, explicit and implicit assumptions, proposed policies, major errors in assumptions and policies, and actual results. Throughout this discussion, the intention is to identify the influence of systemic features and transition circumstances. The analysis suggests that the roles of the IMF and the World Bank have been helpful but, compared to the influence of domestic factors and local reforms, relatively modest. Part I of the paper provides a discussion of the broad policy objectives, common and separate, of the authorities of Poland, Russia and the two Bretton Woods Institutions, the IMF and the World Bank. Part II outlines the theory underlying the standard IMF adjustment programs. Part III collects and discusses what according to this author have been the major errors in assumptions and policies. The aim is to identify the origins and the implications of those errors. Part IV provides an analysis of the actual adjustment programs. The major feature of this analysis is the discussion of aims and results of the various programs. Finally, Part V addresses the issue of the role of foreign financial assistance in transition economies.Poland, Russia, IMF, World Bank
AN EFFECT OF UNIVERSITY LEADER’S CONFIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A UNIVERSITY
No full textThe conditions of the traditional resources limitation compel the universities to improve their efficiency by means of transition from extensive to intensive development, i.e. by using the internal resources.The purpose of the article is the analysis of the situations when the effectiveness of a university is mostly determined by the socio-psychological determinants, such as personality of a University head, his (her) characteristics, experience, professional competence, and others. Using the method of logical-psychological analysis the authors have found the most favorable conditions for the University’s effectiveness, when the rector – an official head is also recognized as a leader of a team and characterized by self-confidence as an essential quality of a leader. It is the most important «soft» competence which is relevant for a modern manager. The correlations between certain aspects of the University leader self-confidence and some university resources are revealed. It is concluded that the leadership capacity of the University head is a basic inner resource for University’s effective and stable movement forward. The paper formulates the proposals improve the mechanism of nomination of candidates for position passing interview and examination at the Attestation Commission under the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation
Autonomy of Modern Russian Universities: Rectors’ Attitude
No full textThe problem of University autonomy goes back centuries. However, it has not lost its relevance today, and is far from final resolution. This problem has been solved in different ways in different historical periods and in different countries. There is no unambiguity in the approaches to its development even today. It is particularly significant for modern Russia, which is faced with the task of achieving the competitiveness of domestic higher education in the global educational space and ensuring its high-quality functioning, which would become a solid foundation for further progress and prosperity of the country. The authors highlight a new aspect in the study of this problem, namely, the perception of the state of autonomy of Russian universities by their rectors. At the same time, it is emphasized that the subjective and psychological aspect of the issue is no less important than the study of legal or economic aspects, since the opinion of rectors reflects the consolidated position of thousands of higher school employees whose social well-being is a significant factor in the effectiveness of universities. Based on the survey of rectors of regional universities, the article reveals some general trends and specific positions of those heads of higher education institutions that indicate a narrowing of University autonomy at the present time, and those who consider its current state to be satisfactory and stable
Thermal annealing of clusters and point defects in n-Si (Cz) irradiated by fast-pile neutrons
No full textThermal stability of clusters and point defects in n-Si grown by Czochralski technique (Cz) was studied after irradiation by thefluence ~ (2 ÷ 4) ⋅ 1013 no ⋅сm-2 of fast-pile neutrons. The effective concentration of carriers after series of isochronal and isothermal annealings of irradiated n-type silicon with n0 = (0.4 ÷ 1.2) ⋅ 1014 сm-3 before irradiation was described in the framework of the defect cluster corrected model. Stages of isochronal annealing process of defect clusters were determined with activation energies (Ea) and frequency factors (ν): Еа1 = 0.81 eV, ν1 = 5.4 ⋅ 106 s-1; Еа2 = 0.4 eV, ν2 = 1 s-1; Еа3 = 1.3 eV, ν3 = 6 ⋅ 104 s-1. Isothermal annealing at 353 K of defect clusters and interstitial atoms ISi (Ec – 0,315 еV) in the conducting matrix of silicon was described with Еа = 0.74 еV and ν = (1 ÷ 3.5) ⋅ 106 с
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Russia’s Chemical and Petrochemical Industries at the Eve of WTO-Accession
Get PDFAlthough Russia’s WTO-accession is foreseeable, there are still deficits in the literature on its concrete effects on the sectoral and regional levels. In this paper we analyse effects on Russia’s chemical and petrochemical sectors (CPS), which are, unlike for example its oil and mineral gas industry, rarely in the focus of public attention. On the basis of an extensive examination of these sectors’ current condition, we expect serious problems for them to emerge in the nearer future, the perhaps most serious and most puzzling problem being under-investment. Our analysis is based on data provided by GOSKOM-STAT/ROSSTAT, Russia’s official statistics institute. The authors like to thank Henning P. Jørgensen for valuable comments on an ear-lier version of the paper.Russia, chemical and petrochemical industries, WTO
Conflicting patterns of thought in the Russian debate on transition: 2003-2007
Get PDFThis article is a continuation of two essays by the same author on Soviet/Russian economic debates between 1987 and 2002 published in Europe-Asia Studies in 2006 and 2007, so now the series of articles covers 20 years of Soviet/Russian discussions on economic reforms. Should Russia strive to become a 'Western' country marked by democracy and a market economy serving the individual interests of its citizens, or was it more important to become a great power again? Are Western patterns of political and economic life suitable for Russia or is the attempt to import foreign institutional structures doomed for failure, making it necessary for Russia to find her own way? This type of question, going far beyond the realm of economics, was and still is at the heart of the debate among Russian economists, which shall be discussed here, on the basis of a qualitative content analysis of the most important economic journals and selected monographs. --
Russia and the IMF: pseudo lending for pseudo reforms
No full textThis paper argues that the IMF financial and good technical assistance to Russia in the 1990s has been less than generous. Not only the size of the assistance might have not been adequate but also the timing and actual disbursements of these funds were in sharp discord with pledges. More importantly, the IMF made a number of serious policy mistakes in both design and the implementation of the reforms, which significantly contributed to a delay in stabilisation of the economy and were thus costly in terms of the loss of welfare to the society
Methodology and results of comparative atmospheric tests of experimental conservation composition
No full textThe article presents the results of full-scale comparative tests of various protective compositions, for which the Movil car preservative, Litol-24 grease, PVC grease, K-17 preservation oil, experimental preservation compound (EKS-1) were used. The objects of conservation are steel plates of grades U8, 65G, 45, 40X, and St3. After the tests, etching, weighing, measuring the surface roughness of the samples were performed, and metal losses were determined. Tests of EKS-1 show protective efficacy comparable to that of greases, and in some cases, it significantly exceeds it. It is proved that the area of corrosion and metal loss during the test of the composition on these materials was not more than 4.7 % and 5.3 g/m2 per year, respectively. The research results show that the use of the protective composition EKS-1, due to its manufacturability, significantly reduces the complexity of work during the conservation of agricultural machinery, as well as ensures the protection of metal products during both short-term and long-term storage
