IMPORT SUBSTITUTION IN THE INDUSTRY OF WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION

Import substitution in the industry of water supply and sanitation (WSS) in the context of the current economic crisis is a rather attractive operation. The problem of import substitution in the water supply and sanitation industry is complex being characterized by features such as production conditions, the availability of scientific and technical developments, the intensity of relations with foreign colleagues. Many WSS sector participants focus on implementing measures to reduce their dependence on foreign suppliers and shifting to products of domestic manufacturers within the framework of import substitution. The overall goal of this paper is to assess the feasibility of import substitution in the sector of water supply and sanitation in Russia. In addition, the article offers a choice of equipment in the field of water treatment, which can be produced in Russia in order to create products that are competitive on the world market. This article provides a review and analysis of the nomenclature of the main and auxiliary equipment for the water supply sector. The article offers an overview of patents for useful models in the field of water treatment which are feasible to produce in the domestic industrial market, however, they are currently imported from abroad. The review investigates the extent of import substitution demanded by the industry of water supply and sanitation in Russia. It also describes types of water treatment equipment to be produced in Russia. The structure of the paper is as follows: - the history of the development of water supply and sanitation industry; - the analysis of the current status of water supply and sanitation industry of Russia and review of basic technological equipment for natural water treatment plants and for wastewater treatment; - the review of utility model patents in the field of water treatment; - the conclusion.

Impact of the current medical system on the financial stability of world countries and the Republic of Moldova

The economic crises that have occurred worldwide so far have been caused by emerging problems arising from the supply-demand correlation for certain products on the world market. However, the current economic crisis has been caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest difficulty has been the impossibility of predicting the crisis that has arisen as a result of the need to introduce urgent restrictive measures to combat the pandemic. The devastating consequences of the crisis caused by COVID-19 were the halt of the world economy and the decline in Global Production, which was recorded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the spring of 2020. The Republic of Moldova faced the overlap of two major crises: first caused by the COVID19 pandemic and second by the severe drought, mentioned as the most severe recession in the last 20 years. As crisis consequence, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Republic of Moldova estimated for 2020 decreased by about 6.5%.

Agribusiness Entities’ Statutory Payments to Local Budgets as a Foundation for the Financial base of Rural Territorial Communities in Ukraine

The goal of the research is to formulate proposals for theoretical and legal as well as practical improvement of the methods for ensuring the revenue side of rural budgets in Ukraine. The research results are considered successful because it has been proven that agribusiness entities are one of the principal contributors to local budgets. Under the conditions of the current economic crisis there is a need to increase the local tax base and establish a more fair interregional distribution of tax.

Lessons of crisis recoveries of the last century (Proceedings of the roundtable discussion at the XXII April international academic conference on economic and social development)

The crisis that the global economy faced in 2020 has no historical counterparts. However, this does not mean that the experience of overcoming previous economic cataclysms in the current situation is useless. History shows that a crisis can become a long stop on the path of economic development of a country or, on the contrary, give an impetus to its acceleration. Within the framework of the XXII April international academic conference of HSE University and Sberbank (Moscow, April 13—30, 2021), a roundtable was held on lessons in the field of economic, social, domestic, technological policy that can be learned from the crises of the past and are useful in the context of recovering from the current recession. The roundtable became a part of the project “The experience of overcoming the crises of the last century and its lessons for the present”, implemented by the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of HSE University in 2020—2021. Its participants were asked the following questions: which crises over the past century most resemble the current economic crisis; what lessons in the field of economic, social, domestic policy, institutional development can be learned from the crises of the past to overcome the current economic situation; can the crisis give the country an opportunity to move to a higher level of development?

Anti-recessionary aspects of the modern monetary theory

The paper considers the modern monetary economic theory (MMT) from the point of view of the approaches to overcome the current economic crisis by recourse to fiscal and monetary tools. It is shown that its proposals are aimed at overcoming the crisis of the U.S. economy through an additional inflow of investment resources from other states with a simultaneous increase in social stability within the country with the support of a quantitative easing race. It also concludes that the level of taxation in developed states reaches the limit beyond which the economic activity is discouraged. The negative consequences for economic subjects of reducing the possibility of maneuvering between national jurisdictions for tax optimization, and the importance of this process for the preservation of U.S. leadership are demonstrated.

CHILD WELFARE: A REVIEW BASED ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE

The article explains why enhancing educational equity and minimising school failure are cost-effective, especially in light of the current economic crisis. Children are harmed by inequitable education policies and practices, which also impede economic and social progress. The importance of school in the lives of children is discussed. It is argued that school has the potential to be an ally for children, a provider of basic protection, a capacity builder, a safe base from which to explore oneself and the world, an integrator into community and culture, a gateway to opportunities, and a resource for parents and communities. It emphasises the importance of investing early in all children, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds, and supporting them through upper secondary school, particularly in times of fiscal difficulties. Reduced school dropout benefits both society and individuals. It can also help with economic development and social development. Indeed, the most successful education systems in the world are those that combine quality with equity. In education, equity means that personal or societal conditions, such as gender, ethnic origin, or family background, are not impediments to realising educational potential, and that all students attain a basic minimum level of abilities. KEY WORDS; social work, school, children, child and family social work

SPAIN AS AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT

The aim of this paper is to examine the Spanish economy, identify key areas for investment and assess the risks and opportunities associated with this. The article examines all aspects related to determining the degree of investment attractiveness of Spain, as well as the current state of the Spanish investment environment and the latest trends in the Spanish investment sector. Other objectives of this study include examining the Spanish economy, identifying key areas for investment and current trends in potential investment. An analysis of the threats and opportunities associated with investing in Spain was also conducted. Various resources have been used to provide reliable, up-to-date, in-depth, detailed and comprehensive analysis. First, the world’s leading databases, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, UNCTAD, and so on. Second, data from Spanish government and financial institutions were taken into account. In order to study the problem from different angles, the media, scientific papers and journals were also involved in gathering the necessary information. The analysis allowed us to identify the most significant advantages of the Spanish economy as an object of investment, in particular: – highly developed service sectors, such as financial and insurance services, telecommunications, D&R, etc., which are constantly fueled by FDI inflows; – strategic location and opportunity to enter the EU market; – successful internal structural reforms have been implemented, which have led to increased labor flexibility; – favorable conditions for immigration (including labor immigration); – leading positions in terms of solvency and trust; – economic openness of the country and its participation in a large number of international trade agreements; – measures taken to weaken business and investment regulation; – non-interference of the state in business, fair competition and not perverted trade; – excellent infrastructure that stimulates economic growth; – one of the most innovative and efficient tax agencies – AEAT; – absence of other significant socio-economic, legal and criminal risks that hinder investment. Although Spain faces high unemployment, the current economic crisis caused by the Crown virus, and huge public debt, most of them can be turned into the benefits of foreign investment projects. Similarly, to overcome the economic crisis, the country needs an influx of money from outside, so now the conditions for foreign investors are even more favorable

Innovative Management of Regional Enterprises based on the Integration of Analogue and Digital Models

The sustainable development of regional enterprises is negatively affected by uncertainty arising from external factors of the current economic crisis. Due to resultant inconsistencies in their interaction, these entities may experience reduced inno- vativeness. Therefore, it becomes necessary to derive synergies from the diversified regional resources of industrial enterprises, science and education. The research aims to develop an approach to the high-tech transformation of regional enterprises based on innovative factors of the 5th and 6th technological waves by integrating analogue and digital interactive process models. The proposed method for investigating enterprise interactivity uses quality indicators for regulating the consistency and direction of their functional subsystems. An evaluation of the developed model revealed new possibilities for improving the quality of man- agement in the emerging high-tech intersectoral regional complex (HTIRC) according to a transformation process sustainability criterion. For this purpose, relevant subsystems are defined along with additional change management quality indicators and functions. In order to apply the method, practical recommendations concerning the regulatory structure of the complex are pro- vided. The developed models are useful when making decisions regarding critically unstable organisations. Conditions regulating the transition from the 3rd and 4th to the 5th and 6th technological waves were considered using the corresponding statistical indicators. In order to accelerate this transition process, the amplitude indicators of certain functions and subsystems can be adjusted accordingly. The applied models and methods are effective for analysing and regulating the sustainability of innovative transformations in HTIRC enterprises. Continuing research will focus on developing this method by assessing the coordination of functional effects in terms of the synergy between technologies and organisational methods combining analogue and digital approaches (e.g., vector factor analysis, step- and generalised functions).

Political groups will exploit Lebanon’s water failures

Significance Water pollution has long been a problem in the area, linked to poor sewage, farming practices and rubbish disposal. Despite abundant water resources from the mountains, state dysfunction and corruption have prevented construction of adequate infrastructure. Shortages of clean water are exacerbated by the current economic crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. Impacts The mounting crisis could focus popular concerns more closely on the provision of basic necessities, especially in cities. The civil war model of factions providing food and aid raises risks of communal violence. Infrastructure failures are likely to boost public resentment of hosting the world’s largest per capita refugee presence.

Between Social Protests and a Global Pandemic: Working Transitions under the Economic Effects of COVID-19

Emerging research on the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic draws attention to the labor effects of the crisis in the Global South. Developing countries show high levels of labor informality, where most workers cannot work from home and depend on daily income. In addition, the scarce and late state aid makes it difficult for workers to cope with the economic hardships caused by the pandemic. This research explores the employment trajectories of workers throughout the ongoing pandemic in Chile: a neoliberal country with a strong male breadwinner culture and high levels of income inequality. Using longitudinal non-probabilistic data for Chilean employment, this study finds that men lost their jobs to a lesser extent and returned to the labor market faster than women. Likewise, male workers with family (with a partner and young children) remained employed in a higher proportion than female workers with family, and most of these women shifted from employment into care work. The existing literature already pointed out how economic crises can have adverse effects on progress towards gender equality, and the current economic crisis seems to be no exception. Labor informality and low-skilled jobs were highly related to unemployment during the first months of COVID in Chile. These are important variables in a developing economy such as Chile, where around one-third of the population works under these conditions. This article concludes by reflecting on the importance of addressing the present crisis and future economic recovery with a gender perspective.