From the chief editor

Professor

Honored Scientist of the RF Director of ITSED RAS

Dear readers,

Departing from the developed tradition to start each new journal edition with the article devoted to the theme of the issue, I would like to mention that the year of 2010 is special for the basic journal’s founder, namely for the Institute of Territories’ Social and Economic Development of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ITSED RAS), as in 2010 it has passed 20 years since the Institute was established.

ITSED RAS was founded in December, 1990 as the sub-unit of the Institute of Economic Problems of the Kola Scientific Centre. The decree on the ITSED foundation was signed by the Doctor of Economic Science G.P. Luzin, who was its Head of that time. This important decision was caused by the increasing role of the Vologda Area in the economy of the Northwest of the country, and by the necessity of scientific substantiation of the further regional development’s prospects. The status of the establishment has been varying since then, but the continual line of its advancing material technical and staff development, the growth of the quantity and the quality of scientific researches in the field of the regional economic science always remained permanent.

At various stages of the ITSED history the Members of the Russian Academy of Science such as L.I. Abalkin, A.G. Granberg, V.V. Ivanter, V.L. Makaro , P.A. Minakir, A.I. Tatarkin, and Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Science such as N.M. Rimashevskaya, V.I. Suslo , played a great role in its making. They repeatedly participated in various scientific events held in Vologda, supported researches’ actualizations with their advice and recommendations. Important contribution on organizational and financial development of the scientific activity of the first and still the only academic establishment in the Vologda Area was made by the Heads of the Russian Academy of Science; among them are President Ju.S. Osipo , Vice-Presidents A.D. Nekipelov and V.V. Kozlo , Head of Economy Section of Social Studies Branch of the RAS Academician N.Ja. Petrako , chargeable staffers of the Russian Academy of Science’s Presidium L.A. Anosova and V.K. Egoro .

April,2003

Meeting between Vologda region Governor V.E. Pozgalyov and academician D.S. Lvov

April,2003

Russian conference “Strategy and tactics of social and economics reforms realization: regional aspect” (left to right: D.S. Lvov, N.V. Kostygov, V.A. Ilyin)

Undoubtedly we should also note Academician D.S. Lvov’s invaluable efforts on scientific economic school’s formation in Vologda. He actively cooperated with the region’s Governor V.E. Pozgalev on this matter. The achievements of Dmitry Lvov are important not only because during hard times of market reforms he was the official head of the economic science in Russia and was the initiator of the all-Russian Scientific Practical Conferences on Strategy and Tactics of Economic Reforms’ Realization in Regions held in Vologda (five conferences were held at his personal participation). The main thing is that at these conferences and other scientific assemblies Dmitry Lvov brightly and convincingly proved the necessity of the Russian economy’s modernization; spoke about its realization’s opportunities on the basis of fair distribution of incomes got from the huge country’s natural resources for the benefit of all population. The Academician foreknew many of those enhancement concepts which are put forward nowadays.

Dmitry Lvov repeatedly criticized the economic policy of the power structures. The authority starting with “the scholastic researches of abstract non-existing in reality models of market balance” (S. Glazyev), in one of his speeches was metaphorically determined in the following way: “Two troubles are known to exist in Russia; they are the fools and the ways. Recently the third trouble joined them, and it is the fools showing the ways”.

Dmitry Lvov would have been 80 this February if he had been alive; and though he has not lived up to this date, he left a great deal of inestimable ideas having not only narrow-special, but the great social value. These ideas are the guiding ones in the contemporary activity of the ITSED RAS.

Recently many heads of the RAS economic institutes located in the Northwest of the Russian Federation, such as Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Science V.N. Lazhentse , Doctors of Science O.P. Litovka, M.A. Gusako , V.S. Selin, F.D. Larichkin, A.I. Shishkin, supported escalating of the scientific potential of ITSED. The contribution of the Vologda economists, such as of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Agrarian Science A.P. Dorogovtse , Professors E.S. Gubanova, N.A. Paholkov, M.V. Selin and others is considerable in the increase of the ITSED researches’ importance.

The journal’s editorial board is grateful to all the authors who contribute to the growth of the ITSED authority in the Russian economic science with their substantial articles. For two years, which have passed since the edition’s occurrence, the materials about the ways and the mechanisms of the efficiency’s increase in territorial socio-economic systems, about the methods of the transition to the innovational development of the regional economy, and about the ways of overcoming of the crisis’ consequences have been published. Due to the authors’ active position by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Certification Commission of the Department of Education and Science of the Russian Federation from February, 19, 2010 the journal was included in the List of Scientific Periodicals where the basic scientific results of dissertations for obtaining a Scientific Candidate or Doctor Degree should be published. The editorial board hopes, that the cooperation will continue, and asks the authors to be even more active in increasing the publications’ qualitative level in the journal in 2010.

January, 2006

December,2008

President of RAS academician Yu. S. Osipov and Vologda region Governor V.E. Pozgalyov are signing a cooperation agreement between Vologda region government and RAS in the field of science, education and innovations.

The first decade of the XXI century is the time for our country’s transition from one economic formation to another. Nowadays the life is complex, ambiguous. So the examples, being evidence that the authority is ready to actively help to science so as to focus the economy on the innovational development, capable to modernize all society as a whole become significant within the grandiose economic changes.

One of such examples is opening in ITSED RAS the new digital body of the Scientific Educational Center of Economy and Information Technologies which was created seven years ago for revealing and development of the talented youth’s abilities in the region. On February, 8, on Science Day, the ceremonial meeting was held; Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Science A.D. Nekipelo , Chief of the Humanities and Social Studies Department of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Science V.K. Egoro , First Vice-Governor of the Vologda Area N.V. Kostygov and Vologda Mayor E.B. Shulepov took part in it. The presence of such important membership at the opening was not occasional; the construction of the new building of the Scientific Educational Center equipped according to the latest trends in engineering became possible due to the active support of the Russian Academy of Science and of the Vologda Area Government. Notwithstanding the fact that the digital body’s implementation was planned for the year of 2010, the joint efforts of the three parties made it possible to place the new building in operation in 2009.

January, 2004

Opening of the Scientific and educational centre building

Vice-president of RAS V.V. Kozlov and Director of ITSED V.A. Ilyin are cutting the ribbon

The relatively short history of the Scientific-Educational Center (SEC) opened in 2003. 7 years ago, RAS President Yu.S. Osipov and the Vologda region governor V.E. Pozgalev appealed to the President of Russia V.V. Putin with a joint letter in which it was suggested the need to organize complex targeted advanced training in economics, management and information technology in the chain “school -university - postgraduate education”. The proposal to increase the region’s scientific potential growing “stars” in the Vologda land was supported by, and soon the Scientific-Educational Center of economics and information technology at ITSED RAS (at that time the Vologda Scientific Coordination Center of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute) was opened.

During the existence of SEC over 200 children – students of 5 – 11 forms – got free training in economics, mathematics, information technology and humanities. The latter are particularly important because the future intellectual elite of the country must be not only educated but also civilized in the true Russian sense of the word, which involves internal culture, the existence of a moral core that has been lost by our contemporaries in the past twenty years, according to many opinions.

About 400 students not only from Vologda, but also from other cities of the region study in the Center today. Almost half of the SEC graduates choose economic specialties at high schools after graduation. First SEC graduates have already become ITSED RAS postgraduate students and are active today in the field of science, which was chosen by them at school. And the Institute provides their students with all the opportunities that after 7–10 years, they were able to defend doctoral dissertations.

February,2010

Opening of the new Scientific and educational centre building

Vice-president of RAS A.D. Nekipelov, Vologda region vice-governor N.V. Kostygov, Director of ITSED V.A. Ilyin and the city of Vologda Head E.B. Shulepov are cutting the ribbon.

In conjunction to the opening of the new building of SEC RAS Vice -President A.D. Nekipelov met with the Governor of the Vologda region V.E. Pozgalev during his visit to Vologda. During the conversation the sides discussed the current state and urgent problems of domestic science. According to the academician, A.D. Nekipelov, “today in the world there is a very profound rethinking of the way in which society will evolve and who will succeed on this path. Even in difficult economic conditions, many advanced countries have dramatically increased funding for research activities. Today in Russia there is a big debate about what the domestic science should be like, what is the role of fundamental and applied research, what efforts should be focused on applied science. Fundamental science has sense, when eventually after some time the received knowledge is applied to the creation of new technologies. Unfortunately, in the 90th years of last century in Russia, with a high international level of basic science, we have lost the bulk of applied science.

In addition, Russia’s business has not particularly been interested in research – neither domestic nor foreign, and was guided by the purchase of existing technologies for many years. In such circumstances, there is a serious problem for the state – what to do next? The Russian Academy of Sciences has repeatedly expressed its clear position on this issue – if the country has ambitious intentions and desire to become elite defining the future of mankind, we must develop the fundamental science. Without this, it is impossible to navigate in the world of science, because it is impossible to predict in which direction it will evolve. <...> Today there is also a lot of discussion about the forms of fundamental research organization. In Russia it is academic over 286 years and over these years it proved its effectiveness. Traditionally, fundamental

March, 2010

Schoolchildren-Economics competition winners

March, 2010

During the lessons in Scientific and educational centre

science developed at universities, and the Russian Academy of Sciences is inter- ested in their support and development. With regard to the problems prevailing in the applied sciences, the scientists here need assistance from the state at all levels of government more than ever.1”

RAS Vice President has also stressed that the Russian Academy of Sciences appreciates good, business and constructive relations that have developed with the Vologda region, where there is preferential treatment to science. From the standpoint of RAS, the academic structure established in the Vologda region 20 years ago is “one of the best options for cooperation at the regional level” 2.

Concluding the article, I would like to remind our dear readers of the journal themes for 2010:

• 2    (10) – “Problems of the energy base development and NWFD regions’ energy security” (June);

• 3    (11) – “Social development of the European North” (September);

• 4    (12) – “Problems of foreign economic activity development in the NWFD regions” (December).

This year the editorial staff is planning to add one more section, where the best work of graduate students will be published. The terms of materials placement in this category can be found in the information section of this issue.

Dear readers, we are waiting for your interesting materials about the regions’ life, on the measures taken by the authorities to overcome the crisis effects in the economy.