Restructuring of economic science

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is carrying out large-scale reforms in the system of examination of dissertational works and attestation of scientific and pedagogical personnel: it tightens the requirements for the formation of dissertational councils, optimizes their network in the context of scientific specialties and regions, strictly regulates the procedures for preparation, preliminary examination and defense of dissertations, significantly increases the publicity of dissertations, improves the procedures for examining dissertations in the Higher Attestation Commission. However, these reforms are of a formal nature and almost do not concern the substantive side of the matter. The scientific and practical importance of the dissertation research remains low, and the dissertation movement as a whole does not fit into the development of the innovation economy. Seeking to find the way to solve the problems noted and provide the desired vector of economic research for the future, this article justifies the need for substantive reforms in the system of classification of economic scientific specialties. Ultimately, it is proposed to expand the list of economic scientific specialties from six to eight and substantially revise the content of their passports.