Economic reforms, modernization and the “special path” ideology in Russia

The article explores the “special path” ideology as a significant factor in Russia's economic modernization and development in the constructive context. The concept of the special path is considered within the perspective of the evolution of economics, emphasizing its differences from radical denial of universal laws. The special path is presented as a strategy for adapting institutions and policies to unique national and historical conditions, closely related to sovereignty and national interests. Research methods are based on the use of bidirectional LSTM neural networks for classifying texts of scientific articles by their ideological color and analyzing representation of bigrams in publications categorized as "special path" with the Lekta software product. The authors substantiate four main characteristics of the special path: economic sovereignty, historicism, adaptability and pragmatism. The special path is not considered to be a denial of universal laws, but rather as a way to adapt the institutional structure to national particularities. The study emphasizes the importance of considering historical context and practical experience when shaping economic policy, while criticizing attempts to mechanically adopt foreign models without consideration of national specifics. The “special path” ideology does not reject the achievements of science or the experience of reforms in other countries, but instead emphasizes the need to adapt them to the specific circumstances of Russia, including historical, institutional, and geopolitical factors. The synergy of sovereignty, historicism, flexibility, and pragmatism is seen as the foundation for developing a strategy for modernization that can ensure sustainable development in an uncertain world. China’s success in implementing this approach demonstrates its feasibility.