Implementation of the National Project «Labor Productivity and Employment Support» in the Perm Region: Facts, Problems, Prospects

In the context of the reorientation of the Russian economy towards an innovative development path, the issue of increasing labor productivity has become an important part of state policy.Currently, the country is implementing a large-scale national project «Labor productivity and employment support». The implementation of the project approach to managing labor productivity for the Russian economy is of strategic priority, since its application helps to increase the efficiency of resource use, realize the goals of modernizing production, and stimulate innovation and export activities of domestic enterprises.The aim of the study is to consider the regional aspect of the implementation of the priority national project «Labor productivity and employment support» on the example of the Perm region. The methodological basis of the study are comparative, statistical and expert methods.The paper analyzes the implementation of the national project «Labor productivity and employment support» in the Perm region; presents the actual results of the project; formulates problems in the implementation of project activities; identifies the prospects of the Perm region in the context of setting higher targets for the regional project «Labor productivity and employment support» in comparison with the figures for Russia as a whole.The materials outlined in this article can deepen knowledge about the specifics of the implementation of the priority national project «Labor productivity and employment support» at the regional level, as well as be used to adjust the course implementation of a regional project aimed at improving productivity in the Perm region.

Implementation of the regional project ICRBA «Explication of the artistic culture potential of the Altai territory and determination of mechanisms of its use in regional and international tourist projects»

В статье кратко рассматриваются итоги работы сотрудников ИКИБА над региональным проектом «Экспликация потенциала художественной культуры Алтайского края и определения механизмов его использования в региональных и международных туристических проектах». Основной целью научного исследования является системная оценка и экспликация художественной культуры Алтая как части национального культурного наследия с точки зрения его актуализации. На основе системного обобщения материалов исследования проведены: описание и анализ наиболее привлекательных с точки зрения туристической деятельности коллекций и отдельных произведений; предложена методика интерпретации объектов художественного творчества в целях раскрытия их в экскурсионной деятельности; предложены методологические подходы к организации туристических маршрутов по специальным темам, связанным с художественным творчеством.

Negotiating South–South cooperation for mental health: the World Health Organization and the African Mental Health Action Group, 1970s–90s

This article explores the African Mental Health Action Group (AMHAG), one of the earliest examples of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) attempts to promote ‘ownership’ over development through the South–South cooperation envisaged in Technical Cooperation in Developing Countries. Formed in 1978, the AMHAG was intended to guide national and regional policy on mental health, while also fostering national and collective self-reliance. For a short period, between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, it was central to the WHO’s strategy for promoting policies of mental health in primary healthcare in Africa. It was a largely ineffective tool, with national governments having different opinions on the value of mental health, and poor coordination between AMHAG countries. Approaching the AMHAG as a regional project and transnational network, however, the article provides explores the importance of regions and regionalism in international health cooperation, as well as the inequities of participation in health development. Drawing on WHO archival material spanning over twenty countries and two national liberation movements, it argues that participating countries were differently positioned not only to navigate relationships between countries, but also to contend with the shifting landscape of international assistance, as well as – for some – contexts of war, violence and political and economic instability. The article not only serves as a case study of power imbalances in a failed development initiative, but also sheds light on the WHO’s engagement with mental health during a period that historians of psychiatry in Africa have tended to overlook.

A cyclical model of production and consumption waste management: Organizational and financial aspects at the regional level

Subject. We focus on activation of activities at the regional economy level to transform the linear model of production and consumption waste management into the most rational and environmentally sustainable cyclical model. Objectives. The aim is to develop a cyclical model for the rational organization of activities in the field of production and consumption waste management to reduce the volume of disposal to zero in the foreseeable future. Methods. The study employs methods of economic and statistical analysis and methods of project management theory. Results. The study presents a methodological approach to the organization and financing of rational and environmentally sustainable activities at the level of the Federal subject in the field of waste management, based on a cyclical model. To build the model, the following principles are used: consistency, complexity of basic elements, cyclical actions of progressive and recurrent nature, industry characteristics, constructive interaction of the State, business, banks and the population to reduce the impact on the environment. Conclusions. The implementation of the "Management of Production and Consumption Waste Based on the Principles of a Cyclical Model" regional project will enable to solve the problem of environmental pollution of territories, including the solid municipal waste. The project success is determined by the extent, to which the waste management sector of the regional economy is knowledge-intensive, technologically advanced, and financially secure to reduce the environmental impact in terms of adherence to the carbon neutrality policy.

The Role of Small States in Integration Projects in the Eurasian Space: The Case of Armenia

The geopolitical interpretation of political processes taking place in the South Caucasus region ignores the possibility of an independent external policy of the smaller states that do not possess considerable military or economic power. Nevertheless, small states build their relations with Russia, the EU and other actors in accordance with the national political discourse that does not often correspond to the realist paradigm of international relations. The case of Armenia exemplifies membership in integration projects often described in academic literature as competing ones. As a consequence, the importance of closer research of internal political processes and factors that influence the decision to join one or another regional project increases. Cooperation with the EU, which has been strongly connected to partners’ commitment to democratic norms, human rights reforms and rule of law, was considered as an important part of their external policy by all the three South Caucasus countries. For the moment, the Eurasian Economic Union does not designate the normative component of cooperation with member countries. In this sense, the Eurasian project has still to define itself.

Using green infrastructure to stimulate discourse with and for planning practice: experiences with fuzzy concepts from a pan-European, a national and a local perspective

Concepts such as green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem services gained popularity in recent discourses on urban planning. Despite their recognition as innovative concepts, all of them share a degree of ambiguity. Fuzziness can be a weakness but also an opportunity to shape novel concepts together with the stakeholders that are supposed to implement them in the planning practice. The paper traces concept development processes of green infrastructure through transdisciplinary knowledge exchange in three different projects, a European and a national research project and a local city-regional project as part of an EU regional cooperation project. In all projects, the green infrastructure concept evolved in different stages. Stakeholder involvement during these stages span from consultation to co-creation. The cases reveal two different approaches: concepts that are developed “for planning practice” might be based on a plethora of insight via consultation, while those “with planning practice” foster co-creation and might result in high acceptance among the involved stakeholders. Depending on the purpose of the novel concept, each approach can be beneficial and result in practice-related and operational products, such as guidance documents or planning strategies. However, the cases also show that in any new context an exchange about fuzzy concepts is not only needed but also a chance to stimulate cooperation and joint understanding about urban challenges and how to address them.

The 10th Century BCE in Judah: Archaeology and the Biblical Tradition

In the framework of the regional project in the Judean Shephelah, which started in 2007, four sites were investigated: Khirbet Qeiyafa, Khirbet el-Ra‘i, Socoh, and Lachish. The data for the 10th century is presented here together with the relevant biblical traditions. The data is analyzed according to an urban geography model and the gradual development and territorial expansion of the Kingdom of Judah is suggested.

Policy Recommendations to Integrate Environmentally Sound Technologies in National Innovation Systems

As part of the Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology Transfer, which the Global Environmental Facility funded a regional project, implemented by the IDB. One of the components of this project was executed by Mexicos National Climate Change and Ecology Institute. It carried out two very relevant studies, one on recommendations to integrate climate change technologies into the national innovation systems, and the other on planning tools for climate change. The topics addressed on this document are i) The role of Environmentally Sound Technologies & National Innovation Systems (NIS) in the fight against Climate Change. ii) Greening NIS in LAC: Challenges and Opportunities. iii) Recommendations for the integration of ESTs into NIS.