Abstract

The paper traces the historical roots of the concept “economic man”, and reveals the main methodological characteristics of the rational choice model, which traditionally constituted the “hard core” of the economic approach to human behavior. The phrase Homo oeconomicus was coined in Great Britain at the end of the 19th century by critics of political economy in order to fix at the terminological level the apparent unrealisticness of the ideas the latter had developed about human being and human behavior. However, economists quickly appropriated this concept, making it neutral and starting to use it for their own analytical purposes. At the same time, they understood from the very beginning that it was nothing more than an abstract conceptual scheme, incapable of claiming descriptive realism. Accordingly, its criticism by sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists most often turned out to be untenable due to their erroneous confusion of the concepts of “analytical construct” and “anthropological type”. Next, the paper highlights the transformation of modern economics from a mono-paradigmatic into a multi-paradigmatic discipline, and the emergence within it of numerous competing models of man. In this context, several incarnations of Homo oeconomicus are discussed: the traditional (“narrow”) version; the extended (Beckerian) version; behavioral economics; neuroeconomics; and genoeconomics. The paper also provides a comparative analysis of different perceptions of man intrinsic to economics and sister social sciences. The author concludes that, in its modified and truncated form, the conventional Homo oeconomicus remains a reference point even for the latest studies in economics and psychology, where it is subject to various deconstructions.

Keywords: Homo oeconomicus, methodology of economics, rational choice, behavioral economics.

JEL: A12, B41, D01, D90, D91.

Rostislav I. Kapeliushnikov, Corresponding Member of the RAS. Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, RAS (23, Profsoyuznaya ul., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation); Centre for Labour Market Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics (4/2, Slavyanskaya pl., Moscow, 103074, Russian Federation).

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Abstract

The paper estimates the path of trend growth rates for Russian GDP based on an autoregressive model with exogenous variables and with a time-varying parameter of trend growth, which, by assumption, is described by a random walk process. In conditions of a high dependence of the Russian economy on commodity exports, terms of trade are used as a control exogenous variable for GDP dynamics. For the purpose of econometric estimation, the ARX model is presented as an unobserved components model and estimated using the maximum likelihood method with the Kalman filter applied. It is shown that in the first half of the 2000s the trend growth rate was at 4%, which can be interpreted as recovery growth after a transformational recession. The higher growth rates actually achieved during this period are explained by the intensive growth of world oil prices. Later, the potential for recovery growth was exhausted, and after the crisis of 2008 the rates of trend growth were remaining at the level of 2% per year for a long period of time. However, following the 2014 crisis, trend growth rates began to decline steadily, and had reached about 1% per year by the beginning of 2019, which can be interpreted as the impact of sanctions and geopolitical uncertainty on the economic development of the Russian Federation. The results of an econometric analysis of the model on household consumption and investment data also suggest that the trend growth rate is approximately 1% per year at present.

Keywords: time-varying parameters model, long-run growth of GDP, Russian economy, oil prices, terms of trade, investment, consumption.

JEL: C01, C13, C32, C51, E23.

Andrey V. Polbin, Cand. Sci. (Econ.). Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (82, Vernadskogo pr., 117517, Moscow, Russian Federation); Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy (3–5, Gazetny per., 125009, Moscow, Russian Federation).

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Abstract

This paper measures the opportunity inequality in the Russian Federation using a non-parametric approach. The paper uses data from the 20th round of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics, which is a series of annual nation-wide representative surveys. Gender; type of township where the respondent was born; and educational status of the respondent’s parents were used as circumstance factors. The respondent’s income and earnings were chosen as the individual achievements. Calculations were made using two versions of the non-parametric approach: ex-ante, based on the “Min of Means” criterion, and ex-post, based on the “Mean of Mins” criterion. Several inequality indices, including Theil L index, Theil T index, and Atkinson’s A(1) and A(2) indices, were used in order to test the measurement reliability. According to the results obtained by our research team, in Russia, the contribution of opportunity inequality to earnings inequality is 18–24%, depending on the measurement procedure. The contribution of opportunity inequality to income inequality is somewhat less, 12–21%. The estimates obtained using the ex-post approach are higher than those using the ex-ante approach. Given that a limited number of circumstance factors were used in the research, it should be considered that the analysis performed allowed us to estimate the lower bound of the contribution of inequality of opportunities to the inequality of income and earnings in the Russian Federation.

Keywords: inequality of opportunity, inequality of individual achievements, effort factors, circumstance factors.

JEL: D63, D31, E24.

Zulfiya F. Ibragimova, Cand. Sci. (Econ.). Institute of Economics, Finance and Business, Bashkir State University (32, Zaki Validi ul., Ufa, 450076, Russian Federation).

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Marina V. Frants, Cand. Sci. (Tech.). Institute of Economics and Management, Ufa State Aviation Technical University (12, Karla Marksa ul., Ufa, 450000, Russian Federation).

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Abstract

The ongoing reform of control and enforcement is aimed at improving the protection of public values such as life and health, property, environment, and historical and cultural monuments while simultaneously reducing the administrative burden on businesses. The first evaluations of the reform demonstrate that achievements have been modest so far. Administrative costs for businesses have slightly decreased. While the share of citizens rating their safety from major risks as sufficient has somewhat increased, most citizens still rate the extent of their safety as rather low or very low. The article aims to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of control and enforcement performance in selected areas characterized by intensive activities of government control bodies, namely the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Federal Service for Labour and Employment, and the Federal Consumer Protection Service. Both statistical sources, including court statistics, and sociological data are used for this purpose. The paper demonstrates a significant variation between the statistical data and the outcomes of sociological surveys in terms of scale and frequency of cases of harm to public values in the respective fields. The statistical data used by control and enforcement bodies are not oriented at evaluating the outcomes of their activities and do not allow the estimation of the real extent of public value protection and its dynamics. To evaluate the situation as it is and develop recommendations for improving control and enforcement activities, data from various sources, including sociological ones, should be used. Such an approach would allow one to evaluate the impact of control and enforcement activities at the level of relevant risks and to reduce the probability of data manipulation.

Keywords: public protection, control and enforcement activities, public values protected by law, performance assessment.

JEL: H11.

Elena V. Maslennikova, Cand. Sci. (Soc.). Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (82, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119571, Russian Federation); Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (6, Miklukho-Maklaya ul., Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation).

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Elena I. Dobrolyubova, Cand. Sci. (Econ.). Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (82, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119571, Russian Federation).

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Vladimir N. Yuzhakov, Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Professor. Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (82, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119571, Russian Federation).

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Abstract

The Federal Customs Service of Russia declares the improvement in the quality of customs administration and reduction of the administrative burden on business through automation of registration and release of customs declarations filed by low-risk foreign trade operators (80% by 2020), enhancing foreign trade operator categorization by risk level. However, the main improvements in customs administration, enshrined in the government plans, retain the basic technologies and business processes unchanged, and thus preserve the main problems. As a result, Russia lags behind developed and some developing countries in international customs ratings. The article considers the most urgent problems in the customs sphere and presents proposals for their solution. We examine the problems of international transit related to the harmonization of customs documents and financial guarantees with countries involved in transit operations. The use of primary documents by economic operators, including the use of foreign electronic data, has been considered for electronic document circulation. With regard to non-tariff measures, the possibility of transferring control over compliance with technical regulation measures to domestic circulation is addressed. Another important issue is the possibility of introducing general financial guarantees in amounts adequate to non-payment risks. Big data involvement (producers, persons involved in the supply chain, goods turnover in the territory etc.) for risk management system development in the customs sphere is discussed. Conditions for the creation of consignment warehouses in Russia, for Internet shops in particular, are regarded as one of the important directions of foreign trade infrastructure development.

Keywords: foreign economic activity, customs administration, risk management system, single window.

JEL: F01, F02, F13.

Galina V. Balandina. Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (84/9, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119571, Russian Federation).

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Yuriy Yu. Ponomarev, Cand. Sci. (Econ.). Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (84/9, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119571, Russian Federation); Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy (str. 1, 3–5, Gazetny per., Moscow, 125993, Russian Federation).

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Sergey G. Sinelnikov-Murylev, Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Professor. Russian Foreign Trade Academy (4а, Pudovkina ul., Moscow, 119285, Russian Federation).

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Abstract

Nowadays many countries are trying to solve the problem of regional inequality, and Russia is one of them. Russian policy against underdevelopment of some federal subjects includes special industrial policy for the North Caucasus, the least industrialized part of Russia. This article aims to evaluate the prospects of this policy by comparing it with the measures taken by the Italian government to stimulate economic growth in Mezzogiorno. The findings reveal that Italian authorities at first established anticompetitive industrial policy of “Cassa del Mezzogiorno”, but then changed it to a mixed policy of supporting industrial districts. I show that “Cassa del Mezzogiorno” policy of grants and subsidies for new heavy industry enterprises did not reach its goal of reducing regional inequality, as it distorted the incentives for the local businessmen. At the same time, supporting new industrial districts by creating an infrastructure needed by all the firms inside the district was more effective, even though the effect was significant only for the territories which received this aid. Comparing the current industrial policy in the North Caucasus with Italian examples, one can observe that the activity of the North Caucasus Development Corporation is close to the efforts of “Cassa del Mezzogiorno” and it risks being as inefficient. At the same time, mixed industrial policy such as the Italian one, in my opinion, may be more successful, as some preconditions of industrial district formation may be observed in several localities of the North Caucasus.

Keywords: industrial policy, regional inequality, Italian economy, Cassa del Mezzogiorno, industrial districts, economic development of the North Causasus.

JEL: L52, O25, R58.

Daniil A. Sitkevich. Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy (3–5, Gazetnyy per., Moscow, 125009, Russian Federation); Economic Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University (1–46, Leninskie Gory, GSP-1, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation).

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