State Procedures for Improving the Investment Climate in the Russian Federation: Prospects for Improvement

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted many trends that had developed before it and again updated the issue of modernizing the Russian economy, restarting the mechanisms of economic growth and sustainable socio-economic development. The key to resolving these issues is to increase the investment activity of the business. The investment climate is one of the key characteristics that testify to the freedom of entrepreneurial activity, the ease of opening and conducting business, the quality of regulatory procedures in the economy, the effectiveness of business entities, and the provision of equal opportunities for the development of the private sector. A favorable investment climate reveals the potential for the development of private companies. The article considers the system of state procedures in the field of improving the national investment climate, gives a brief description of the main tools and projects to improve the investment climate, analyses the changes in the main target indicators of investment attractiveness of the Russian Federation.

Forest Ecosystem Services in Latvia: Assessing of Experience and Tendencies

The research observed the experience of Latvia in valuing ecosystem services. The development of the economy of Latvia is significantly affected by the forest area reaching 52 % of the country’s total area. Assessing the services of the ecosystem of Latvia and valuing them in monetary terms could significantly change the structure of the economy of Latvia. Therefore, the value of ecosystem services consumed domestically and the possibility to export the services should be taken into account when drawing up policy documents for the forest and related industries of Latvia. The research aims to make a theoretical observation and experience collection of ecosystem service valuation methods and indicators that determine the value of ecosystem services and suggest the main methods for valuing the services of the ecosystem of Latvia. It should be acknowledged that no extensive research on the potential monetary contribution of ecosystem services to the national economy has been conducted in Latvia. Several research studies that focused only on certain areas have been carried out in Latvia. It should be emphasized that valuation practice employs a wide range of methods. Therefore, it is necessary to examine and select the most appropriate methods for identifying the value of ecosystem services under Latvian conditions, supplementing the range of the methods and adapting them to local conditions so that they help to more accurately value ecosystem services in the national and international context. Determining the value of ecosystem services would help to redirect the flow of national investment from traditional industries to efficient forest land management. Otherwise, private forest properties are increasingly sold to foreign businesses, which might lead to a lower value of the national capital of Latvia in the future.

Alternative methodologies for economic evaluation of strategic investment projects

The authors compare UNIDO methodology and traditional methodology of evaluating effectiveness of investment which was widely spread in the Soviet time. The latter has been undeservedly forgotten, but at the same time it is a pragmatic alternative for the UNIDO methodology. The article depicts the basic drawbacks of the UNIDO methodology. The main one is its inconsistency of interests of an economic entity to the growing production and cost savings. If an economic entity implements this methodology, it is likely to face great risks of various nature. The traditional approach makes calculations significantly simpler, increases their accuracy and reduces risks. The author points out the basic provisions of the classical methodology, such as evaluation of the efficiency of capital investments, basic indicators of economic effectiveness of investment, production tasks which require evaluation of economic effectiveness of investment. Use of the traditional approach makes it possible to significantly reduce the costs for preparing the feasibility study of an investment project. The author considers the criteria of effectiveness of the traditional methodology which are adapted to the modern practice. The main advantages of the classical methodology are its focus on economic result which corresponds to the trend on the economic growth and social results in realization of national projects. Classical methodology of evaluating the effectiveness of investment projects can become a competitive alternative of a widespread UNIDO methodology. The alternative can be of interest for the federal executive bodies (for example, for the Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian Federation) in evaluating effectiveness of the national investment projects.

Racial and Sexual Minority Scholar Positionality: Advancing Health Status and Life Opportunity Among Sexual Minority Men of Color

Black and Latino sexual minority men (BLSMM) scholars are well positioned to draw on their unique perspectives and expertise to address the health status and life opportunities (HSLO) of BLSMM. Increasingly, research related to the positionality of scholars of color suggests that the scholar’s stance in relation to the community being researched has important implications for the research. Despite growing recognition of the importance of scholar positionality, limited attention has been paid to the relationship between scholar-of-color positionality and improving HSLO trajectories of BLSMM. Furthermore, extant literature fails to specify the mechanisms by which scholar-of-color positionality can improve HSLO among BLSMM. This article seeks to fill this gap in research by arguing that an inadequate consideration of scholar positionality in health and life opportunity research has important implications for the HSLO of BLSMM. A multilevel, mediational model addressing factors at the micro-level (i.e., intrapersonal resources)—BLSMM scholars’ personal commitments to BLSMM communities, cultural knowledge and expertise, and shared life experiences; meso-level (i.e., scholar and affected community interactions)—historical membership, mutual interdependency and trust, and community and organizational gatekeeping; and macro-level (i.e., national policies and priorities regarding BLSMM)—national priorities regarding the health and social welfare of BLSMM, allocation of BLSMM research and program funding, societal sentiment, and national investment in the workforce development of BLSMM scholars and clinicians are detailed. In conclusion, we identify recommendations and strategies for advancing scientific, programmatic, and policy efforts, aimed at improving HSLO among communities of BLSMM.

337 Barriers to Laparoscopic Surgical Training for Abdominal Conditions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICS): A Systematic Review

Introduction Resource-deprived low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) can benefit from the reduced perioperative morbidity of laparoscopic surgery. However, utilisation is low, partly due to paucity of appropriately trained staff. This study aims to explore the barriers to the training of healthcare professionals in laparoscopic techniques in LMICs. Method Medline, Embase, Global Health and Web of Science databases were searched, using the key terms ‘LMIC’, ‘Laparoscopy’ and ‘Training’. Eligible papers were in English, focused on abdominal laparoscopy and addressed barriers to training qualified health professionals. Papers focusing on advanced surgeries, paediatrics, and training in high-income countries were excluded. PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. Results Funding was the first of seven key barriers identified, but feasible low-cost methods have been developed in some settings. Equipment limitations and lack of local trainers were highlighted, and expatriates may provide limited quality training opportunities. Stakeholder dynamics can create barriers, as can lack of knowledge on effective training curricula. Surgical departmental structure can limit the practical opportunities of trainees. Conclusions Themes are apparent across LMICs, but local factors reduce their generalisability, highlighting the need for larger-scale studies focusing on specific barriers. National investment in training programmes with research-backed curriculums and increased availability of local trainers and equipment is needed.

Distribution without representation? Beyond the rights of nature in the southern Ecuadorian highlands

Despite the fact that Ecuador has arguably the most biocentric constitution in the world, deepening national investment in extractive development projects has left communities on the frontlines of these projects desperate for greater participation in decision-making processes currently monopolized by centralized ministries. The result has been a flourishing over the past two years of sub-national judicial and non-judicial challenges to strategic mining projects. Integral to these challenges is the constitutional language of rights for nature (Articles 71–4). Drawing on ethnographic research around the Río Blanco gold and silver mine in the southern highland province of Azuay, this article explores the diverse and surprising ways in which these environmental rights are being taken up as part of fundamental challenges to the decision-making monopolies of the Ministries of the Environment and of Mining. While numerous scholars of human and indigenous rights have recently lamented the fact that ‘rights-talk’ often appears unable to arrest or destabilize extractive imperatives, the case of Río Blanco suggests that, when embraced as part of wider social struggles for representation, rights-based approaches might be more potent than is currently being recognized. They may even encourage an important reorientation of some of the binaries that continue to preoccupy critical scholars of development.

The Legal Background of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Their Role in National Economies

Sovereign wealth funds (SWF) are a type of fund which are established and operated by the state. They came into the limelight after the financial crises of 2007–08, when they saved the most emblematic listed companies in the USA and Europe. The aim of the article is to explore certain key issues related to sovereign wealth funds. The paper discusses the origins of the term and certain related economic concepts, including factors which resulted in the creation of sovereign wealth funds. The legal background is also elaborated on both international and national levels, giving an insight to the regulatory framework. The article closes with propounding a sovereign wealth fund in Hungary based on the National Investment Agency model proposed by Hockett and Omarova. This section gives an overview of state property management and its legal background. The increasing activity in the management of international reserves by the National Bank of Hungary and the expansion of the regulatory background for trust-like institutions are all pointing towards the possibility of a Hungarian sovereign wealth fund.

Investment efficiency of business in Ukraine: realities and assessment methodology

The article systematized factors of investment attractiveness and investment climate in Ukraine. The expediency of supplementinganexistinglist of components of investment climate is substantiated by two additional factors. Themechanismo factionoftheproposedfactorsthatreflectthenegative effectin the developmen to freformsand innovations, aswellas the economic efficiency of construction projects on the financial result, expected from investigations, isrevealed. The trends in the developmen to finvestment activityinUkrainein 2015 - 2020, the existence of reserves for increasing the economic efficiency of investments and the need for their calculation witht hehelpof a special methodological approac hare analyzed. The methodical approach to the evaluation of investment efficiency of constructionis developed, which is based on the magnitude of the multiplier of capital investment in construction inthelong-termperiodandrefinedtheboundariesoftheretrospectivehorizon, which are necessary to determine such a multiplier. The rapid importance of aninvestment multiplier of construction isestablis hedand a methodological approach to qualitative interpretation of this indicator issubstantiated. The basis of a methodological approach is the results of a cluster analysis of aninvestment multiplier in the contex to fvarioustypesofconstructionandregions, the methodof K-medium, aswellaspostulatesofthetheoryoffuzzysets. Within the framework of the developed methodological approach, the "investment attractiveness of construction" characteristicsis presentedin the form of a fuzz yterm-shear, which combines three terms: "Lowefficiency", "averageefficiency", "highlevelofefficiency". Inaccordance with descriptiv estatistics of thereceived clusters, the parameters and type of functions of affiliation, the boundaries of clusters that directly affecttheuse of correctivea mendments to the value of the economic effectof capitalinvestment to the level of the contractor-executor of construction work are substantiated. The sizeofther is kfactorisestablishedtakingintoaccountthetypeofconstructionandmedium-layervalues ​​ofmultipliersofcapitalinvestmentinconstruction. Theuse of the proposed Metdic approach to the analysis of investment efficiency inconstruction makesitpossible to increase the accuracy of calculations on th epre-investmentst age of construction, aswellastoimprovemonitoring of capital investment development, carried out in the process of implementing national investment programs and international investment projects.