The network of international trade in services

While the share of services in international trade has been increasing very slowly over the years, oscillating around 20 per cent since the 1990s, their role has constantly gained importance. Trade in services certainly faces many more obstacles than trade in goods, but its impact on globalization and countries’ competitiveness is crucial, and it is therefore worth investigating its characteristics. The present work aims to analyse the networks of international trade in services and to unveil specific properties by exploiting a number of existing methodologies and algorithms. After describing the global properties of the networks of the various service classes, we investigate differences and similarities among them, and we highlight the most influential countries in the trade of specific services. We find that traded services display sharply different characteristics and they can be grouped in two different sets according to their network structures. Countries’ positions in these networks are diversified, with connections unevenly distributed, especially for some service categories. We discover that the structure of links, i.e. the topology of the networks, identifies the role of countries much more clearly than the sole amount of services traded. Overall, the results highlight important features, as well as changes over time, in the landscape of the international services.

Services surveys suggest further weakness ahead

Headline INTERNATIONAL: Services PMIs suggest weakness ahead

Management of Congress and Exhibition Activities at the University

Congress and exhibition activities are an effective means of promoting scientific and innovative development in institutions of higher education. The present research objective was to identify the main problems of managing congress and exhibition activities at universities. The paper focuses on various problems relevant for technical universities of Saint-Petersburg. It describes the experience of Peter the Great Polytechnic University, Saint-Petersburg Mining University, and the National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics, and Optics. The author compiled a list of recommendations and principles of management to be used by technical universities when organizing congresses and exhibitions. The proposed model covers different approaches to congress activities, forms of scientific activity, management structure of international services, and regulatory documents. Universities have neither regulatory framework nor separate service responsible for this type of activity. Students, employees, and most academics lack necessary skills in foreign languages and cross-cultural communication. Moreover, they do not get motivational and stimulating support, hence the lack of initiative. Students and academics receive little information about scientific events. Most employees simply do not know how to organize congresses and conferences. This network of problems needs a comprehensive approach.

The Contested Shaping of International Tax Rules: The Growth of Services and the Revival of Fractional Apportionment

The digitalisation of the economy has spotlighted fundamental flaws in international tax rules, which have been exacerbated since the 1970s with the wider shift to the services economy and the growth of international services. These systemic flaws have been more evident from the perspective of countries that are mainly importers of services that have tried to retain rights to tax profits at the source from which they derive. While they succeeded in retaining a wider scope for source taxation, key provisions have been subject to continuing conflicts and contestation over their formulation and interpretation, leaving a legacy of ambiguity and confusion. Digitalisation has now sparked a dramatic reversal of perspective by more developed countries and an acceptance of principles they have long resisted: that taxation of transnational corporations can be based on apportionment of an appropriate fraction of their global income and can be by countries from where they derive income, regardless of physical presence. This paper outlines the contested process that has shaped the formulation of key provisions on taxation of international services, discusses the recent moves to reshape these rules and evaluates some policy options for capital-importing countries to strengthen their taxing rights in the current context.

Services and industry are gaining momentum worldwide

Headline INTERNATIONAL: Services and industry gain momentum

Services value added in exports: a comparative analysis between Brazil and the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2014

In the last few years, it is observed a rise in the service sector in countries and an increase in international services transactions has accompanied this expansion. Thus, the main objective of this work is to measure the services value added in exports from Brazil and the United Kingdom, from 2000 to 2014, and do a comparative analysis to identify the role of services systemically. The results indicate a clear difference among the countries analysed with regard to exports in the service sector, while for Brazil the sector can be considered as an intermediate input for exports from the non-service sectors; to the United Kingdom, as final exported product. Also, it is concluded that the service sector has been gaining space and importance for the Brazilian economy, indicating a latent potential of the sector in promoting the country's economic growth and, therefore, cannot be treated as a secondary player by public policies of development.

Economic Processes in the Conditions of Digitalization of Modern Society

The article deals with the problem of digitalization in the economic processes of modern societies. The fundamental aspects of economic processes are the development international trade and international services. Communications define "proprietary" technologies as factors of Informatization and digitalization of society. An important element of building "smart" computing systems is artificial intelligence. Creating the concept of artificial intelligence has its own shortcomings, which are reflected in the allocation ethical norms and principles of the financial environment modern society. The effectiveness of the digital environment is determined by the principle of "successful functioning" of the subject, taking into account the temporary accumulation goods and services in globalization and digitalization. Research activities contribute to the development digitalization of economic processes in the structure digitalization society.