Analysis of the BRICS countries’ pathways towards a low-carbon environment

Global climate change has emerged as humanity’s greatest challenge, affecting both the natural security of the earth and the long-term growth of human society. Protecting the environment and fostering long-term growth while reducing carbon emissions has become a global concern. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are participating in the fight against climate change through the promotion of low-carbon environment (LCE). In this study, we use content analysis to discuss some of the policies, plans, and programs outlined by the various governments in the BRICS that can help them implement an LCE. The study indicates that currently Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are rated as “insufficient,” “critically insufficient,” “compatible,” “incompatible,” and “highly insufficient” respectively in their commitment to nationally determined contributions (NDC) to the Paris Agreement. The paper recommends that the BRICS countries achieve an LCE through expanding low-carbon investments and financing, focusing on taxation that goes beyond energy, investing in low-carbon cities, adapting to a circular economy and low-carbon technologies, expanding electricity markets, and promoting climate-friendly international trade among the BRICS countries.

Effectiveness of forbearance measures for Russian commercial banks in the current crisis

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, real GDP of Russia is expected to fall by 4-6%. The banking industry provides liquidity to Russian business in times of hardship. On the one hand, the Bank of Russia facilitates lending opportunities for the business and subsidizes the mortgage interest rate for banks and the public in order to prevent business bankruptcies. And on the other hand, it provides liquidity to banks via REPO (repurchase agreement) auctions. Currently, there is not enough demand for REPO transactions from banks, but it might increase after other measures of support begin to be canceled. The article studies the effectiveness of current forbearance measures for Russian banks and provides an insight into the future development of the banking industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessing the impact of institutions on economic growth in the BRICS countries

This study examines the impact of institutional quality on economic performance in the BRICS countries for the period from 2002 to 2019. The panel data study was estimated using pooled OLS and a fixed effect model. The study employed six institutional quality indicators (Worldwide Governance Indicators) which included voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. The study also controlled for conventional sources of growth, i.e. human capital, physical capital, government expenditure, and inflation. All of these factors were positive and significant in our study. The findings also reveal that government effectiveness, regulatory quality and control of corruption had a positive and significant impact on economic growth in the BRICS countries, whereas other institutional variables turned out to be insignificant.

Urban development and interethnic intolerance: Evidence from Russia

This work is devoted to the study of the impact of urban development on interethnic intolerance. Although studies on the impact of urbanization and the economic well-being of cities on interethnic intolerance have been conducted in other countries, no similar scientific work has been conducted in Russia. The purpose of this paper is to determine factors related to urban development that influence the level of interethnic intolerance in a Russian city and to clarify the nature of this influence. The assumption of the presence of such an influence is based on the fact that the comfort of the urban environment can play the role of an indicator of economic well-being, while the exacerbation of social conflicts during periods of economic instability is scientifically substantiated. This influence is studied using an econometric study on a sample of 66 Russian cities with a population of over 100 thousand people, where 2 or more crimes motivated by interethnic intolerance were committed during the period 2007–2019. The information base for the study was obtained from the website of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, the statistical databases of Rosstat and EMISS, and the official website of the urban environment quality index. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that interethnic intolerance is reduced due to a comfortable urban environment. Also, according to the study, in more populated Russian cities the level of interethnic intolerance is higher, whereas the incomes of city residents reduce it.

Urban development and interethnic intolerance: Evidence from Russia

This work is devoted to the study of the impact of urban development on interethnic intolerance. Although studies on the impact of urbanization and the economic well-being of cities on interethnic intolerance have been conducted in other countries, no similar scientific work has been conducted in Russia. The purpose of this paper is to determine factors related to urban development that influence the level of interethnic intolerance in a Russian city and to clarify the nature of this influence. The assumption of the presence of such an influence is based on the fact that the comfort of the urban environment can play the role of an indicator of economic well-being, while the exacerbation of social conflicts during periods of economic instability is scientifically substantiated. This influence is studied using an econometric study on a sample of 66 Russian cities with a population of over 100 thousand people, where 2 or more crimes motivated by interethnic intolerance were committed during the period 2007–2019. The information base for the study was obtained from the website of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, the statistical databases of Rosstat and EMISS, and the official website of the urban environment quality index. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that interethnic intolerance is reduced due to a comfortable urban environment. Also, according to the study, in more populated Russian cities the level of interethnic intolerance is higher, whereas the incomes of city residents reduce it.

The impact of world oil and food price shocks on the interdependence of Brazil and Russia: SVAR-DCC-GARCH model

This study seeks to identify the extent to which global oil and food price volatilities affected the interdependence of the Brazilian and Russian economies in the period from 1996 to 2021. The ARCH/GARCH framework was used to model the volatility of oil and food prices. The Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) approach was used to ascertain the sensitivity of key economic indicators to oil and food shocks. The Impulse Response Function (IRF) was used to trace short-term effects over a period of 12 months. Subsequently, the multivariate dynamic conditional correlation DCC-GARCH model, created by Engle & Sheppard (2001), was used to model time-varying correlations of paired macroeconomic variables. This study contributes to the empirical literature in two fundamental ways. Firstly, it pairs the two largest oil and food producers in the BRICS bloc. Secondly, unlike some earlier studies, the applied methodology ensures the effectiveness of the results by using stationary time series data. The results show that Brazil and Russia have long-run spillover effects for all macroeconomic variables in response to both oil and food price shocks. Furthermore, money supply and exchange rate variables exhibited declining positive correlation coefficients during the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, but peaked in early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a corollary of the main findings, the researchers recommend that investors should diversify their portfolios beyond these two economies in order to minimize the risk of contagion during severe global crises.

Digital shifts in human resource management in the global economy

This article examines the key issues related to digital shifts in human resource management in the global economy. The purpose of the article is to identify the features and key trends in the introduction of digital technologies on the example of the BRICS countries. The study yielded a number of results. In the course of the research, the theoretical foundations of the digitalization of HR management are analyzed. The current situation and the contemporary level of human development in the BRICS countries is also noted. The features and problematic aspects of digital transformations in the human resource management system are outlined on the example of Russia, China and Brazil. In addition, the main digital technologies that are widely used in the countries under consideration are described.

Sanctions, cooperation, and innovation: Insights into Russian economy and implications for Russian firms

The aim of this paper is to reveal the effects of sanctions at the firm level, with the special attention to cooperation and innovation activity of sanctioned firms. Specifically, the differences between domestic and international companies in their ability to adapt to the sanctions in terms of their cooperation with partners and capability to innovate are discussed. The study argues that firms operating in international markets tend to prioritize product innovation and entering new markets to overcome negative consequences of sanctions. In addition, they are more likely to improve their products and to find new markets to compensate for losses and fill their unused capacities. An important finding having both managerial and political value is that operating in the international market may not necessarily provide an advantage in terms of new partners in the local market but rather facilitate the search for new foreign markets. Inviting the government to provide assistance for Russian domestic and international firms on an equal basis, we admit that with varying degrees of control and interest in national firms, the Russian government can help sanctioned companies in different ways, regardless the scale of their internationalization. The study contributes to the literature on the impact of economic sanctions at the firm-level and in the context of the domestic market of the sanctioned country.

Promotion of a healthy lifestyle in Russia and China The first results of COVID-19 and trends in the post-COVID economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only become a test for all mankind, but also gave reason to rethink the attitude to their health not only for people from the high-risk category, but also for everyone. Before the pandemic, the concept of a healthy lifestyle was gaining a powerful economic momentum (popularization of communities associated with fitness products, advertising, healthy products, etc.). But has the trend changed after the restrictions were eased? The purpose of this paper is to find out whether the healthy lifestyle concept affected the preservation of the health of the nation during the pandemic (is there a link between the level of national health and the degree of resistance to pandemics?). The study focuses on two countries — Russia and China. The difference in the population’s perception of the healthy lifestyle concept, promotion of a healthy lifestyle at the governmental level, and the assessment of its effectiveness are determined based on the analysis of secondary statistical data, a survey of 1,230 respondents from Russia and China in late 2020 — early 2021, as well as using econometric factor analysis. The results obtained can be scaled to the rest of the BRICS countries in order to adapt existing state programs to preserving the health of nations in the future.

Determinants of underpricing initial public offerings (IPOs) of BRICS companies

The purpose of this article is to identify the nature of the influence of crucial factors on the short-term underpricing of initial public offerings of common stocks of companies in the BRICS countries. Based on a sample of 1,141 companies from the BRICS countries that conducted IPOs (using Bloomberg and World Bank databases), we tested the influence of decisive factors on the underpricing of the shares of these companies. The empirical study is based on testing OLS models for different periods: for the period 2001–2018 and separately for the periods 2001–2008 and 2010–2018. The study shows that, firstly, with an increase in the volume of the placement of shares, their underestimation in an IPO decreases. In addition, having an auditor from the Big Four also reduces the underestimation of shares. Secondly, we revealed that the underpricing of shares in the course of the IPO increased with GDP growth. Besides, if companies place their shares on a foreign exchange, the underestimation of their shares increases. At the same time, such IPO parameters as the number of underwriters, the reputation of underwriters, and the deviation of the offer price from the middle of the price range during the placement period do not affect the underestimation of shares for companies from the BRICS countries. Taking into account the results of an empirical study, the article formulates recommendations for improving the efficiency of initial public offerings for companies from the BRICS countries.