No S5 (2012)

The article deals with the crisis phenomena that are taking place in the European Monetary Union. The author examines the mechanisms that can be used to overcome the crisis in the Eurozone. Particular attention is paid to the role of European Central Bank in the conditions of financial and economic instability and its role in combating the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone. The major macroeconomic indicators of the Russian economy's development are also analyzed in the article. The author determines the dependence of Russian economy from the current negative events in the Eurozone.

Today the level of debt of many countries close to critical, which was caused and aggravated by economic crisis of 2008—2009. and became the trigger for the so-called “Second wave” of the crisis. A key feature of this new crisis is that the main borrower countries are developed countries such as the U.S., the EU, Japan and others. Thus, we can make the assumption that defaulting of government bonds of the largest economies in the world can provoke an even deeper recession in the world economy, which could lead to a protracted recession and a repeat of the Great Depression of the 30's. It can radically change the balance of forces, both on the economic map of the world and in the political area.

Natural disasters are one of the main sources of risks and economic losses in modern time. The annual economic damage for European Union from climate change is from 0.1% to 1% in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). The projected climate change in EU can significant increase the economic losses of EU. The innovation methods of managing the crisis with the help of modern technical solutions can significant reduce the economic losses from Natural disasters. The application of method of weather modification and creation of artificial precipitations during the extreme droughts can reduce in times the economic damage from Natural disasters.

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Belgian geopolitics J. Thiriart likened the former USSR with a chocolate bar. After segments (former Soviet republics) broken off, it is not enough to put it all together to recover the entire tile. Now it can only be achieved by smelting and forging new tile. Obviously, the integration should be the mechanism that connects all segments. Article is devoted to the evolution of the integration processes in the post-Soviet space, their development trends and recommendations for deepening integration.

The article analyzes the activity of industrial parks, their competitive advantages, problems of their creation and functioning, and the perspectives of industrial parks’ development in Russian Federation.

In article the main objectives of the state investment policy in the Russian economy taking into account modernization of institutional development and an assessment of performance of the main state programs are described. These mechanisms are described taking into account development of the share and banking sector and tendencies in change of investment climate in regions. It is noted that the investment policy of the state in the conditions of modernization should be aimed at change of structure and scales of the investments directed on development of new branches of production, equipment and technologies taking into account updating of fixed assets, increase of their technological level to the international analogs and an assessment of criteria of efficiency of these investments. In regions it is offered to stimulate development of investment activity with decrease in administrative barriers in receiving financial resources for the enterprises of small and medium business and reduction of tax loading by business where the part of profit goes on equipment by innovative technologies and the equipment of high technological level.

The program and target method of planning considered in article, is urged to provide compliance of volumes of profitable sources, their distribution and achievement of goals of a state policy. It represents system of the planned plans which are subject to implementation, and also the actions which performance is urged to provide achievement of a goal. However now process of program and target planning both on federal, and at regional and local levels is organized insufficiently effectively. In article the main directions of reforming of the program and target planning, based on foreign experience are stated.

The article clarifies the scope and main features of the current world crisis. It opens interrelations of this crisis with an aggravation of energy-environmental problems in the world. The author estimates approaches to the decision of energy-environmental problems in developed and developing countries. He examines three possible scenarios for sustainable economic development in the world.

Author’s methodology on research of interconnections between investments, personnel costs and innovations is offered in the article from the perspective of institutional approach. The results of the research conducted with the help of nonparametric methods on the types of economic activity taking Russian regions as examples are presented in the article. The author comes to the conclusion that there is a direct connection between the features. Qualitative characteristic of the closeness of this connection varies from moderate to high.