Foreign Trade of Russia: Barometer Foretells Storm

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
V. Obolenskiy

The development of Russian foreign trade during the previous five years is analyzed. It is stated that, in terms of value, exports of services and imports of goods and services steadily grew during the first four years of the period under review. Exports of goods also rose during three years, but in 2014 both exports and imports again fell in comparison with the previous year as was the case five years ago. The composition of the Russian exports and imports of goods did not change radically during the previous years. The main items of export are, as always, mineral products, metals and fertilizers. Import is prevailed by foodstuffs, chemicals and heavy engineering equipment. The current situation is featured by the reduction of world oil prices, slump of the domestic economy and war of sanctions with the Western countries. All this substantially impairs the conditions of Russia’s foreign trade activities and inhibits its development in the upcoming years. In the author’s view, the implementation of measures worked out by the government – correction of tariff liabilities before the WTO, redirecting of trade streams from the European to the Asian markets, import substitution and export support – will unlikely improve the situation. Revision of the liabilities before the WTO in the conditions of the decrease of the internal demand and serious devaluation of Ruble is considered as inappropriate and counterproductive. “Asiatic turn” is only capable to compensate to a certain respect the loss of supplies of some food products from Europe, but cannot fully offset the loss of potentialities of the acquisition of modern technologies and equipment from the developed countries. It is doubtful that it will be possible to dramatically cut the import dependence. It is necessary to replace many kinds of foreign goods, but it is impossible to implement a frontal substitution of import in all directions. Excessive stress on the import substitution might lead to the emergence of shortages and poorer availability of some goods at the internal market and, at the worst, to self-isolation and economic autarky. The attempts to build up an effective system of export support might be successful only in the conditions of the establishment of the large-scale production of goods and services which would be comparable with the foreign analogues in respect to the criteria of price and quality. Taking this into consideration the technological renovation of production processes, first of all in the manufacturing industry, and on this basis rising up of the competitiveness of plants and factories are the most important prerequisites for encouraging export activities and formation of the new export specialization of the country.

1974 ◽  
Vol 9 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 167-177
Author(s):  
Willy Østreng

This article examines the possible political and economic effects of large-scale mineral extraction from the seabed. The findings presented indicate that development in new territories may conceivably serve to exacerbate existing conflict dimensions, notably the North/South dimension in global politics. Because of the developed countries' monopoly on know-how and economic capability, exploration and exploitation of the inorganic resources of the ocean floor has de facto been the exclusive domain of these countries. On the basis of this the author shows that if large-scale production of seabed resources should become a reality in the near future, the underdeveloped countries will be forced to watch it from the sidelines. As a consequence, the exploitation of offshore raw materials will probably contribute to the further widening of the gap between developed and underdeveloped countries. Further commenting on the fact that the latter today are the main producers of the most promising seabed resources, the author expresses the view that exploitation will have a detrimental effect on the economics of the Third World countries, since it might lead to overproduction and price reductions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 04001
Author(s):  
Svitlana Radzivivska ◽  
Ivan Us

The overview of the country’s trade with all the continents during the period of 2000-2019 is given. The description of the commodity structure of exports/imports of goods, with particular attention to the industrial products, is followed by the detailed analysis of Ukraine’s foreign trade in 2020. The decrease in Ukraine’s foreign trade in 2020 by 6.4% is fully consistent with the projected WTO reduction of world trade in 2020 by 9.2%. Although COVID-19 had negative impact on Ukraine’s trade with the EU and the EAEU, it contributed to closer trade ties with Asia, improving Ukraine’s trade balance. The government and the national business elite should aim at solving the problems of increasing the volume and improving the commodity structure of Ukraine’s foreign trade with emphasis on the development of transport system for exporting agricultural and food products to the developed countries of the West and to the prospective economies of the East and the South. It is essential, on the one hand, to focus on the inflows of FDI and their appropriate use, and, on the other hand, on Ukraine’s participation in the formation of GVCs, global production networks. In the conditions of the Fourth industrial revolution, the economy finds itself transformed due to the fundamental changes. The optimization of foreign trade relations of Ukraine will not only improve the economy, but also enable the country to become a better functioning element of the global economic system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Cáceres ◽  
Esteban Tapella ◽  
Diego A. Cabrol ◽  
Lucrecia Estigarribia

Argentina is experiencing an expansion of soya and maize cultivation that is pushing the agricultural frontier over areas formerly occupied by native Chaco forest. Subsistance farmers use this dry forest to raise goats and cattle and to obtain a broad range of goods and services. Thus, two very different and non-compatible land uses are in dispute. On the one hand subsistance farmers fostering an extensive and diversified forest use, on the other hand, large-scale producers who need to clear out the forest to sow annual crops in order to appropriate soil fertility. First, the paper looks at how these social actors perceive Chaco forest, what their interests are, and what kind of values they attach to it. Second, we analyze the social-environmental conflicts that arise among actors in order to appropriate forest’s benefits. Special attention is paid to the role played by the government in relation to: (a) how does it respond to the demands of the different sectors; and (b) how it deals with the management recommendations produced by scientists carrying out social and ecological research. To put these ideas at test we focus on a case study located in Western Córdoba (Argentina), where industrial agriculture is expanding at a fast pace, and where social actors’ interests are generating a series of disputes and conflicts. Drawing upon field work, the paper shows how power alliances between economic and political powers, use the institutional framework of the State in their own benefit, disregarding wider environmental and social costs. 


1977 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-114
Author(s):  
Abdur Razzaq Shahid

This volume on India is one of a series of research projects on exchange control, liberalization, and economic development, undertaken for many less developed countries. The study deals with three major topics: exchange control, liberalization, and growth. First, under 'The Anatomy of Exchange Control', the methods of allocation and intervention in the foreign trade and payments practised by the government during the restrictive period 1956-66 and their economic impact are discussed. Then, a detailed analysis of the 'Liberalization Episode' which covers the policies in the period 1966-68, including the June 1966 devaluation, and the episode's effect on price level, economic activity, and exports is given. Finally, the overall growth effects of the foreign trade regime (broadly defined as exchange rate policy plus the frame-work of relevant domestic policies such as industrial licensing), and their possible contribution to India's rather unsatisfactory economic performance are examined.


2020 ◽  
pp. 75-117
Author(s):  
A.N. Shvetsov

The article compares the processes of dissemination of modern information and communication technologies in government bodies in Russia and abroad. It is stated that Russia began the transition to «electronic government» later than the developed countries, in which this process was launched within the framework of large-scale and comprehensive programs for reforming public administration in the 1980s and 1990s. However, to date, there is an alignment in the pace and content of digitalization tasks. At a new stage in this process, the concept of «electronic government» under the influence of such newest phenomena of the emerging information society as methods of analysis of «big data», «artificial intelligence», «Internet of things», «blockchain» is being transformed into the category of «digital government». Achievements and prospects of public administration digitalization are considered on the example of countries with the highest ratings — Denmark, Australia, Republic of Korea, Great Britain, USA and Russia.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 1481-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Celebi ◽  
S. Özdemir

Large-scale mining activities have a huge impact on the environment. Determination of the size of the effect and monitoring it is vital. In this study, risk assessment studies in mining areas and the effect of mining on groundwater and ecosystems were investigated. Best management practices and risk assessment steps were determined, especially in areas with huge amounts of mining wastewater. The pollution of groundwater and its reaching humans is a risk of major importance. Our study showed, using many cases with different parameters and countries, that the management of mining wastewater is vital. Environmental impact assessments and monitoring studies must be carried out before operation and at the closure of the mine. Policies must be in place and ready to apply. Factors of climate, geology, ecology and human health must be considered over a long period. Currently, only the developed countries are applying policies and paying attention to the risk. International assessments and health risk assessments should be carried out according to international standards.


Author(s):  
S. Hasnain Pasha ◽  
Deepti Mehrotra ◽  
Jerry Chun-Wei Lin ◽  
Gautam Srivastava

In 2017, the Government of India launched the goods and services tax (GST), referred to as “one tax, one nation, one market”. This tax all Indian businesses are subject to this tax. GST was framed with the objective of bringing tax handling for all businesses onto a single platform and developing a transparent and effective system in which all businesses will pay taxes. This paper identifies and addresses GST implementation challenges and proposes a solution, GSTChain, using blockchain network technology. Currently, GST is collected at the sellers end and bifurcated between the Indian state and central governments. GSTChain is a blockchain system based on trust and autonomy with the objective of making taxpayers’ lives easy and tax collection efficient and transparent for the government.


Author(s):  
Dhanapati Sharma ◽  
Khem Prasad Gautam

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in generating employment opportunities, enhancing public income and promoting societal change, particularly in a budding economy like Bhutan. Given its importance to the country, this paper investigates the challenges faced by aspiring entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ventures, and their future prospects in Bhutan. The paper adopts qualitative research methodology to study the perspective of business educators through a semi-structured interview with fifteen participants from Gedu College of Business Studies located at Gedu, Bhutan. The study reveals that, due to a range of challenges the aspiring entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial ventures face today, the Bhutanese entrepreneurs have a long way to go before they can effectively drive changes in the economy. However, the findings suggest that there is a good prospect for the entrepreneurial ventures in the country, and the ventures will have an undue advantage if it can leverage on the technological support from other countries. To ease the way for entrepreneurs in the country, the study finds it important to encourage the consumption of indigenous products by discouraging the import of the goods and services that can be produced within the country, regulate the price of the home made product, explore market and marketing facilities beyond the country to encourage large scale production, initiate discussion about entrepreneurship and the associated benefits at school levels and also take adequate infrastructural facilities (water, electricity and transportation network) across all parts of the country.


Author(s):  
MAZARAKI Anatoliy ◽  
МЕLNYK Tetiana

Background. The high level of the country’s dependence on imports of goods and services leads to significant vulnerability of its economy to market fluctuations, adverse price trends in the world market and threatens the competitiveness of domestic production and exports. The analysis of recent research and publications reveals that the problems of import contribution to the process of commodity saturation of Ukraine’s domestic market, structural changes identification, strategic priorities and institutional transformations in the state implementation of import substitution policy need in-depth study. The aim of this paper is to study implementation possibilities of the strategy of neo-industrial import substitution in the economy of Ukraine. Materials and methods. Modern scientific concepts, theoretical work on development and analysis of internal market functioning, statistical data are theoretical and methodological basis of this paper. Methods of statistical analysis, synthesis, grouping and graphical representation of the results were used to achieve the research purpose and implementation of the tasks. Results. The concept of neo-industrial import substitution is considered. The present state of Ukraine’s domestic market development and foreign trade is analyzed, the determinants of import dependence of Ukraine’s economy are defined. Thus, problematic issues of institutional support for the implementation of neo-industrial import substitution strategy in Ukraine are outlined, the proposals for its realization are made. Conclusion. Thus, we believe thatit is necessary to overcome barriers (organizational, institutional, technological) that hinder the implementation of neo-industrial economy model for realization of neo-industrial import substitution strategy in Ukraine. It provides performance of a set of conditions: the formation of a favorable institutional regime for the development of import-substituting productions, purposeful outing to the institutional trajectory of neo-industrial development, the formation of necessary institutional environment with general economic program development of neo-industrial import substitution. Keywords: foreign trade, import, domestic market, import substitution, import dependence, neo-industrial import substitution, structure of import use.


Author(s):  
Khatai Aliyev ◽  
Ilkin Gasimov

The importance of the agricultural sector in the economy of Azerbaijan is high. This sector has always been at the center of economic reforms by the government. This chapter overviews economic and trade policies of the government focused on the development of agricultural production since 1991. Authors carry out analysis of policy changes during separate development stages. The research output presents agricultural policy before the oil boom as mainly devoted to achieving structural transformation from centrally planned economy to the market environment. Within the oil boom period, the government provided substantial fiscal and technical support to the agricultural sector as well as applied tax incentives to farmers but did not pay attention to the transformation from family farming to medium and large-scale production. However, fiscal and macroeconomic challenges of post-oil boom period forced the government to focus on increasing efficiency of the subsidies and incentives and implementation of further agricultural reforms.


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