Vol 26, No 4 (2018)

Innovation is the main source of long-term economic growth, the basis of competitiveness in world markets and the source of solutions to social challenges, and human capital (HC) is the driver of economic efficiency and achievement of the country’s competitive advantages. Unfortunately, Russia is far behind the capacity not only of the developed world, but also to fast-growing economies, in most indicators that characterize the level of development of scientific and technical potential. This problem is further exacerbated by the negative dynamics of the HC. The technological inferiority can lead the country to dependence on highly developed countries, and, consequently, to worsening of its security situation and loss of sovereignty, to weakening and “diluting” the country’s HC. To address these problems, Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, signed the “May decree” defining the national development goals of the country until 2024. There was carried out data analysis of the reports of the UN, the World Bank, WEF in Davos, Russian Federal State Statistics Service and other sources to explore the level of the development of the Russian HC and its role in the national development. There were completed the calculations of the Human Development Index (HDI) according to the UN methodology for 2025 and 2030 on their basis. Econometric models for analyzing and forecasting the development of the Russian HC in the near future under different scenarios were constructed with the Eviews 9.5. The forecasting calculations of the HDI showed that if the “May Decree” is implemented at least to a greater extent, many of the Presidential instructions to the Federal Assembly will be fulfilled, and the digitalization of the Russian economy will contribute to “the country’s entry into the top 10 countries with economic growth rates higher than the world”.

This article discusses the development of new technologies that can increase productivity, reduce production costs and improve product quality. Much attention is paid to the problems of choice, and the use of equipment, because the lack of advanced technology hinders the production of agricultural products, not allowing it to fully break into the world arena. In the article the author reveals the need to find new innovative approaches to the organization of work processes and resource consumption, a new progressive approach to the process of automation of agriculture, which in turn will bring the industry out of stagnation and get the most out of the fertility of our soils.

The study of fuel and energy complex of Mexico occupies a very important place in the world’s leading research centers. Among Russian and foreign studies there are a number of works that consider the problems and peculiarities of fuel and energy complex of the countries of Latin America including Mexico. This article is devoted to the analysis of Mexico’s energy reform and use their experiences to transform the energy sector of the countries of South America. Presents the history of the Mexican energy reform. Discusses basic principles of energy reform and energy security of the country. It also examines the factors that Mexico should include in its energy policy and management system to ensure the safe delivery of energy across the country. Offers a brief overview of the current state of TEK of Mexico. Mexico has a large and varied potential for producing energy from renewable sources. With the recent opening of the energy sector, the country has the necessary conditions to attract major investments to develop projects on renewable energy. The liberalization of the sector allows Mexico to meet the growing energy demand and to diversify its productive matrix, creating at the same time as energy security and reduce greenhouse gases, positively affecting the environment. Reform of the energy sector of Mexico and the analysis of the sector in this country can be of great importance for the transformation of the energy sector in many countries of the region, especially in places such as Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.

We substantiated the uniqueness of recreational agglomerations as a separate functional type and considered features of the process of urbanization in recreational areas with a secondary type of appearance of recreational functions. It is spoken in detail about existing scientific literature on the problems and indicated the existing “white spots” which requiring deeper scientific study. The main methodological principles are indicated, on the basis of which a subsequent deep analysis of the process of agglomeration in recreational areas was carried out. The peculiarities of the urbanization process in recreational areas with the secondary type of recreational functions appearance are considered. Basis on this we presented the author’s scheme which reflects the evolution of the urbanization process in the recreational area. The much attention is given to interrelations between the rapid development of recreational functions and agglomeration in the region. The author’s scheme of the features of the formation process of the planning structure of recreational settlements is presented, on the basis of which the analysis of the main transformations of the planning structure of coastal recreational cities in the socio-economic conditions characteristic of the historical past of the Russian Federation was carried out. We studied the main problems and internal conflicts of recreational agglomerations as complex polyfunctional systems. The nature and sources of hotbeds of tension in urban recreational centers are considered, on the basis of which their classification is derived. After we presented a detailed analysis of the identified types of conflicts and gives examples of hotbeds typical for large urban recreational centers. Based on the selected types, we give some recommendations aimed at overcoming the main problematic situations of recreational agglomerations in conclusion we indicated the possibilities of alternative ways of development of the urbanization process in recreational areas, which allow to prevent a high level of social tension in the system of settlement of recreational areas.

The study of the development of settlement systems has traditionally been included in sphere of public geography and regional economics. Based on statistical material, the author characterizes the urban system of settlement in coastal zones of European part of Russia. The author analyzes the structural differences between the Northern and Southern coastal macrozones, the features of cities location and their functional specialization. Is emphasized the role of “sea factor” in the history of origin and development, the dynamics of population of coastal cities. The author shows the dominant influence of demographic, socio-economic and administrative factors on evolution of spatial structure on the urban settlement system in the coastal zones of European Russia in recent decades. Conclusions are drawn about polarization of the urban settlement system in direction of population concentration in urban agglomerations and strengthening of their role in social and economic development.

The article analyzes the role of immigration and labor immigration in the demographic and socio-economic development of Russia in the post-Soviet period. Two main migration flows (immigration for permanent residence and labor immigration) to the country are analyzed on the basis of both absolute numbers and socio-demographic structure. The four most common myths regarding the negative impact of labor migration on the socio-economic situation in Russia are considered in detail: immigration hampers technological re-equipment and the renewal of the Russian economy; immigrants squeeze national labor from the Russian labor market; immigrants contribute to the dumping of wages on the Russian labor market; immigrants are to blame for raising the retirement age in Russia. The author’s counterarguments on each of these myths are cited. A distinctive feature of labor migration to Russia is the clearly expressed labor motivation of migrants. For the most part, migrant workers are people from the countries of the former USSR (primarily citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan) who are willing to work actively, many speak Russian, are oriented towards Russia, want and are ready to register honestly, get permits documents and pay taxes. Many migrants have quite successfully adapted to the Russian labor market, some receive a temporary residence permit and a permanent residence permit, and many become citizens of Russia. This is partly evidence of their successful integration into Russian society. Given the demographic situation in which modern Russia is located, labor migration could not only replenish the cohort of labor resources on a temporary basis, but also increase the population of the country on a permanent basis. At the same time, the sociocultural consequences of labor migration for local societies and Russian society as a whole require additional study. In this regard, Russia needs to develop the infrastructure for the adaptation and integration of migrants into Russian society - to ensure access to learning Russian, medical services, education of children and migrants.

The article is devoted to the study of theoretical approaches to the content and functions, as well as the results of the introduction of modern digital financial innovations (cryptocurrencies, blockchain technologies) into modern financial and economic circulation in various countries of the world. It analyzes the positions of government structures, central banks of different countries in relation to challenges and risks, on the one hand, and progressive changes that accompany the introduction of digital technologies in financial and economic relations, and also discusses some of the prospects for the global monetary system. A special place in building the architecture of the new global financial system is given to higher education, modern universities that can implement training for the new economy and social sphere. The analysis allows to draw conclusions about the active role of the state, the structures of civil society in the adaptation of the population to the challenges of the information revolution.