The humanities and social science

Russian economy is overcoming the crisis; its further restoration and growth depend on different factors: abrupt and not always predictable changes in the world economic situation, dynamics and fluctuations of oil prices, inflow and outflow of capital from financial markets, and other external economic and political factors. However, there is increasing awareness that the restoration and growth largely depend on internal fundamental factors: modernisation of economy and the prospects of increase in national labour productivity.

There are a number of stereotypes regarding the investment attractiveness of Russian enterprises. Local companies often do not see any development prospects in Russia and complain at the unsatisfactory local institutional environment. However, the activity of multinational corporations (MNCs) in Russia serves as a clear evidence of its potential attractiveness as one of the BRICS markets (the so called "21st century markets"). This article discusses the activities of MNCs aimed to increase market representation in Russia, as well as the reasons for such behavior.

This article focuses on the theoretical and methodological aspects of analyzing social potential of economy. Is shown that it includes: a) certain social networks and social structure determining the appropriate social roles (statuses); b) certain public relations between the performers of these roles; c) certain social institutes as norms of behavior according to the social structure and position in the hierarchy, which determine the lifestyle of a person; d) social environment and the relevant social component of the person’s quality of life.

This article analyses the role of strategic potential of organisations in ensuring its competitiveness in a dynamic environment. The author considers the process of open innovation management. Special attention is paid to the joint activities of a number of organisations in innovative research and development and its further application.

One of the problems of tax policy of the Russian Federation is the relation between the tax system and tax-related budget settlement. There are several traditional sources of tax reimbursement: revenue, expenses, financial result (pre-tax profit, taxable profit, retained earnings). Under these conditions, it is hardly possible to estimate unambiguously the tax burden on the taxpayer's activities. Moreover, direct by their economic nature taxes are subject to indirect taxation.

This article focuses on the basic aspects of organizational support for the function-object approach to regional development in the system of strategic management. The author proposes a mechanism combining the principles of regulation and self-regulation on the basis of application of function-object modeling of regional growth and motivation to achieve regional goals.

The author identifies the periods of foreign economic activity (FEA) development in the Kaliningrad region in 1992-2010 taking into account the effect of economic crisis. The article offers most typical characteristics of each stage, as well as the reasons behind the current trends in foreign trade development. The author makes proposals regarding the adjustment of measures aimed at FEA development in the region.

This article reveals the key problems in the activity of small enterprises in Russia in view of the stage of enterprise’s life cycle of and its industry features. The author identifies the areas of formation and implementation of financial policies in small business.

This article considers the basic provisions of the methodology for providing telecommunication infrastructure for business activities at different management levels. The author proves that it is possible to develop this methodology on the basis of queuing theory. The author proposes an algorithm of forecasting changes in infrastructure provision for business activity.

This article considers the aspects of foreign investment in the region on the basis of a study into the dynamics of foreign direct investment (FDI) and their role in regional economy. The author proposes a model of regional development concept based on FDI attraction.

This paper focuses on the problems of improving the structure of amber processing industry and analyzes the amber industry by segments. The author introduces the notion of level of value added per employee and the level of value added through processing regional natural resources and considers the possibility of recovering rental income from raw amber processing.

This article justifies the need and system-and-function-based methodology for institutional support for strategic management of regional development. The author offers an empirical analysis and proposes recommendations for updating and establishment of institutions of strategic management of socio-economic development at the federal and regional levels.

Article considers theoretical aspects of sustainability of natural monopolies, which are the most important industries that create the general environment of functioning of regional social and economic system, thereby making essential impact on formation the region commodity and financial markets, and also on realization of a regional social and economic policy. The analysis of the reasons of formation of the natural monopolies, having paramount value for the decision of a question on their sustainability, has allowed to allocate their hierarchy and to offer classification of industries — natural monopolies depending on the characteristics defining their sustainability.

This article described the advantages state commissioning social services as a mechanism to implement regional social and economic policy and emphasizes the need to apply criterion-based approach to choosing tender winners.

This article examines the results of municipal reform, analyses the budgetary policy of the Kaliningrad region, and identifies the problems of formation of local budget revenues. The author described the methods to improve budgetary policy, which could level the differences in economic and social development of municipalities and solve the problem of stability and independence of local budgets.

This paper offers a scientific analysis of Russian practices of assessing the quality information control systems (economic aspect) over the last thirty years. The author described the methodological approach to the assessment of the quality of information services for the agro-industrial complex.

This article is the first to suggest performing diagnostics and analysis of the influence of crisis phenomena on socioeconomic development of regionswith the help of an approach based on quantitative assessment of the current competitiveness of the region. The author offers calculations of integral development indices for three regions of three different federal districts of the Russian Federation for 2007-2010, as well as an analysis of the degree, to which regional economies were affected by the crisis.

Today, cluster policy is the most efficient tool to improve the competitiveness of territory economies. International practice offers a wide range of  cluster policies. This article discusses different approaches to classification of cluster policies and emphasizes the advantages of cluster policy for achieving regional strategic goals.

In recent years, cooperation between the towns and regions of Belarus and Russia has increased significantly creating a solid foundation for integration. The author describes the main areas of cooperation between the Kaliningrad and Grodno regions, as well as the model of sequential and stepwise cooperation.

This article considers the concept of improving the methodology of management of exclave region’s economy on the basis of investment programming. The author suggests a methodological approach to improving investment programming management in order to ensure a sustainable socio-economic situation in the region.

This article offers an analysis of the basic issues of introduction of special legal treatment of investment activity in the Kaliningrad region, describes the main features of investment treatment, and identifies several problems relating to the improvement of legislation and legal practices in this sphere.

This article considers common and distinctive features of legal status of various institutions (autonomous, budget, government and private ones). Special attention is paid to the legal procedure of financial provision of their activities and property regime. The author identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the new legislative approach to the status of institutions.

This article considers the topical issue of introduction of criminal liability  of legal entities for tax crimes in Russia. The authors analyse criminal liability of legal entities for tax evasion according to the US legislation.

The law of the Kaliningrad region On the Procedure of Recognising a Citizen as a Person with Low Income for the Purpose of Providing Municipal Accommodation in the Framework of a Social Rent Contract serves as a basis for the consideration of issues of introducing a mechanism of assessing the level of a citizen’s income and the value of their property for the purpose of recognising them as persons with low income and providing them with municipal accommodation in the framework of a social rent contract.

This article offers an overview of the basic characteristics of the Baltic Sea and stresses the need for closer cooperation between states in the Baltic Sea environment protection. The author identifies the universal and regional levels  of cooperation between states in marine environment protection. Special attention is paid to the activity of the European Union in the field of the Baltic Sea environment protection.

The article deals with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania as a result of inter-elite struggles in post-Soviet period of different power groups.