Vol 12, No 4 (2025): RUSSIAN TRANSFORMATION: POLITICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS

The study discusses the issues related to the institutional mechanisms of integration of the Kherson region into the political, administrative and socio-economic space of the Russian Federation. The authors analyze the complex process of embedding a new subject of the Russian Federation into the system of public administration, the legal, financial and managerial environment of the country. The authors compare the integration processes of the Kherson region with the experience of integrating the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in 2014-2016, revealing both common features and significant differences due to the military-political situation, personnel shortages and infrastructure problems. The research uses both general and specialized academic methods, such as synthesis, deduction, comparative analysis, sociological survey, as well as analysis of the legal framework and scientific literature. Based on the analysis of regulatory acts and a sociological survey conducted by 131 experts in the field of public administration (civil servants, teachers, heads of authorities of the Kherson region) the main barriers to integration have been identified, including staff shortages, problems with information systems and legal regulation. The experts emphasize the need for a systematic personnel policy, professional development, transition to Russian standards for the provision of public services, and enhanced cooperation with the federal government. Special importance is attached to measures and tools that contribute to the legitimization of the new government - the restoration of infrastructure, transparency of governance and public involvement in integration processes. The study emphasizes that successful integration requires not only the technical adaptation of the newly annexed region to federal standards, but also a comprehensive systemic transformation aimed at such results as managerial efficiency, social legitimacy and strategic planning. The conclusions and recommendations obtained are of interest to specialists in the field of economics, political science, state and municipal administration and may be in demand when developing state policy in the field of management of new territories.

This study presents a comparative analysis of the legal frameworks governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public administration within the Russian Federation and the European Union. The study examines the experience of the European Union in regulating the use of AI. Through an examination of key legislative acts from both jurisdictions, the study reveals that despite the concurrent and independent development of their regulatory approaches, significant differences exist. These divergences stem from fundamental priorities: the EU’s emphasis on protecting negative civil liberties contrasts with Russia’s focus on state security. The analysis also identifies a common regulatory gap - the absence of a dedicated legal act specifically for AI in public administration. A special feature of the conducted research is the detailed analysis of the provisions of the main documents that regulate the use of AI in both legal systems. The author concludes by advocating for the mutual consideration of international best practices in the ongoing formation of global digital law.

The study provides an analysis of the Russian system of state governance of national policy, using the example of the Roma population, who are indigenous to Russia. The author argues that the prevailing negative stereotype of this people does not correspond to the real situation. The problem of social integration of the Roma population in the Russian Federation has been covered in research literature. However, the potential for transferring Soviet experience to the modern system of managing the social integration of national minorities has not been analyzed by the scholarly community. The aim of the research is to analyze and evaluate the positive experience of state governance of national policy in the early USSR and its application to managing the social integration of compact Roma settlements. The mechanisms of the “korenizatsiya” (indigenization) program for ethnic groups and some outcomes of this policy in the areas of education and social integration of Roma citizens are analyzed. The primary sources for the study include archival materials from the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, statistical data, academic articles, and current documents. The author introduces some previously unpublished archival documents into scholarly discourse. Using methods of comparison, analysis, and synthesis of sources and statistics, as well as interview methods conducted between 1979 and 2015, the historical experience is revealed and its application within the modern system of state governance is considered. The author analyzes common stereotypes regarding citizens of Roma ethnicity. The reasons for the loss of the positive outcomes of the Soviet experience are also revealed, contemporary mechanisms and problems of social integration in Roma settlements are examined, and effective mechanisms from Soviet practice are selected and proposed for use in the modern system of state governance of social integration for national minorities. The research results can be applied in federal and regional programs for working with compact Roma settlements.

Governments worldwide are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic systems to improve service delivery, manage resources, and respond to citizens’ needs. These tools promise efficiency, precision, and cost savings, making them highly attractive for policymakers. However, for particularly emerging digital powers like India and Russia - the rapid spread of algorithmic governance raises a critical dilemma: can these countries harness innovation without eroding their own administrative and policy autonomy? This study explores algorithmic governance as the integration of AI into decision-making in public administration. While such systems have the potential to modernize governance, they also pose risks to administrative sovereignty, especially when states depend heavily on foreign technologies. In developing contexts, structural weaknesses such as fragile institutions, limited domestic innovation, and reliance on global technology firms intensify this vulnerability. Drawing on theories of technological determinism, bureaucratic autonomy, and digital colonialism, the study examines India and Russia as case studies. The findings reveal opportunities for efficiency and transparency but also highlight risks of exclusion, bias, and dependency. The study argues that the tension between modernization and autonomy demands a framework for algorithmic sovereignty, which emphasizes ethical AI use, domestic technological development, and institutional safeguards to ensure that technology serves governance rather than governs it.

Economics as a discipline has been envisaged as an engine of development. This is because it imbibes on the learners the spirit of patriotism which engenders national development. It also imbibes in a man an apparatus of change in mind and a technique of thinking which reposition him to a clearer understanding of Economic problems and proffers solution to such problem in line with Economic situation in the society. This study therefore takes a critical review of the benefits such as, economic empowerment, private sector production, and diversification of production base, economic virtues, self-reliance, and self-dependence associated with economics as a discipline. The prevailing atmosphere conducive for enhance economic development such as good political environment, creative of dynamic entrepreneur, economic and social infrastructure, was highlighted. The study is anchored on development theory and functionalist theory as the theoretical framework. An x-ray of some of the hindrances of development such as poverty, fraud, infrastructural decay, high business taxes, and frequent power failure were discussed. Finally, recommendations that are capable of reducing poverty to tackle the issue of fraudulent activities such as forgery, 419, embezzlement, money laundering was proffered. It was also recommended that the issue of frequent power failure in the country should be re-positioned while the infrastructural development such as road construction and rehabilitation be treated as a matter of urgency. Business taxes are also to be streamlined to follow the proceedings of other taxes in the country. This will encourage the entrepreneurs to invest and expand already existing investment that can boost productivity and enhance national development.