Julia A. Kovalchuk

Bio: Julia A. Kovalchuk is an academic researcher from Moscow Aviation Institute. The author has contributed to research in topics: Digital transformation & Environmental economics. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 5 publications receiving 20 citations.

On Assessing the Efficiency of Intracluster Interaction for Industrial Enterprises

Abstract: The processes of ensuring intracluster interaction are discussed, its forms are presented, and a comparative analysis of various approaches to assessing the effectiveness of integration are carried out. An original model for assessing the effectiveness of intracluster interaction, including a specially developed criterion of the “cluster leverage degree,” is proposed. The applied results of using the model for a high-tech Russian cluster that confirm the effectiveness of intracluster interactions are presented. The possibilities of making management decisions according to the criterion of the “cluster leverage degree” are shown.

Роль современных университетов в формировании цифровой повышательной волны длинных циклов Кондратьева

Abstract: The article presents the results of the study of the universities’ transformation problems as a source-integrator-translator of new knowledge and technologies in conditions of digital transformation of the economy. It is shown that the modern stage of scientific and technological progress does not contradict Kondratiev’s concept of long cycles, but has its own characteristics. The hypothesis about the significance of the influence of universities on the formation of an upward wave of long cycles is confirmed on a long historical period. The current key aspects of changes in the interaction of higher education and the economy as a whole are analyzed taking into account dual problems: advanced training and delayed generalization by universities of actual transformations of the economy. The vision of the mission of the classical university (digital literacy in society) and the technical university (the formation of basic professional competences of modern engineer and researcher) is presented. Recommendations on the need for platform solutions in the organization of interactions in the field of education, on changing models of university activities taking into account the development of EduTech are given.

Public Goals and Government Expenditures: Are the Solutions of the “Modern Monetary Theory” Realistic?

Abstract: The relevance is determined by the presence of discussions among economists and political scientists about the state regulation role, especially during crises when governments are expected to provide an economic miracle solution or new measures that are not thought about during periods of growth. The subject of the study is government expenditures, which should be fairly distributed by governments in crisis times with a clear vision and understanding of public goals, for the achievement of which it is necessary to undertake economic changes. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to generalize the results of the discussion about the possibility of changing the economic “mainstream” to the “modern monetary theory” (MMT) and its prospects in public finance management. The research methods include systematic, critical, comparative and cross-country analysis and verification of the realism of the MMT’s proposals. The results of the study made it possible to analyze the economic solutions of the new theory based on the political subtext of the theory itself: is it possible to entrust governments with an unlimited budget filled with the issue of national currency; has there been a need to update public goals; what are the prospects for full employment with government funding of jobs; is it possible for society to subject taxes to increase or is there enough transparency and collection; is inflation dangerous in the current situation and in the future; is the MMT really an economic recipe for politicians focused on achieving public goals, including ecology and inequality. It is concluded that all-round criticism and all-round approval are equally unacceptable in relation to the new theory from the standpoint of practical state regulation. Some elements of the MMT have already been implemented in various countries, both successfully and with negative consequences. Therefore, when considering the MMT in unity with public goals, the criterion of choice should not be the quality of economic decisions, not their elegance and validity, but enforceability in accordance with urgent and strategic tasks that need to be solved by politicians.

Strategic Innovation as a Factor of Adaptation of National Economies to the Development of Global Value Chains

Abstract: In age of sustainable development, strategic innovations have become the most important factor in the adaptation of national economies to dynamic global changes, encompassing trade and economic relations between the leading and developing countries of the World. At the same time, the task of this study was to reveal the complex and contradictory role of strategic innovations in the development of national economies against the background of the transformation of global value chains (GVCs). Main methods for solving the problem were empirical methods of comparative and structural analysis, as well as econometrics. The study analyzed 44 countries classified by the World Bank in the group of countries with per capita incomes below and above the average, as well as with high income. Results of the calculations made it possible to establish a highly differentiated relationship between the share of products manufactured by foreign companies operating in the host countries, on the one hand, and indicators of the dynamics of foreign direct investment (the number of researchers engaged in R&D, the number of technical specialists involved in research and development (R&D), the cost of research and development in the territory of the host countries), on the other hand. This made it possible to determine the role of strategic innovation in the adaptation of national economies. The established dependencies expand the understanding of the role of strategic innovations in the formation and further development of global value chains and their significance in evolution: from process and product innovations of individual companies to the formation of global innovation ecosystems.

About the Issue of Decision Making Irrationality in the Activity of the National Industrial Modernization Design Office

Abstract: Objectives: The relevance of the article has been determined by the need to study the role of government in industrial modernization in terms of establishment of national design offices. Methods/Statistical analysis: The study of the industrial modernization causes, forms and financing was made on the basis of comparative analysis. Irrational component of project selection was studied on the basis of the main provisions of behavioral finance theory, that in systemic terms provided the possibility to obtain an integrated assessment combining the investment views and the basic provisions of the theory of rational behavior. Findings: The study of the market situation influence on decision-making regarding the technological development of industrial enterprises led to the conclusion that the biggest irrationality is related to the estimate of the timing of rapid growth or downward wave, when the majority of individuals make the specified time to fit for their own strategies, ignoring objective indicators of scientific and technological progress. Analysis of reasons for the adoption of decisions on modernization, and features of its implementation, enabled to classify such decisions, which is necessary for the selection of modernization forms. A comparative analysis of utility maximization and choice alternatives when making decisions on industrial enterprise modernization made it possible to justify the need for descriptive rather than normative approach to modernization processes. The study of the behavior of the individual making decision on financing the modernization of industrial enterprises has shown that the traditional selection based on cost savings is not effective for modernization projects. Application/Improvements: The systemization of types and forms of industrial enterprise modernization has allowed proposing approaches and forms, countervailing the irrationality of the project selection, and practical recommendations for the national design office portfolio formation regarding the industry modernization.

Worldwide Innovation and Technology Environments: Research and Future Trends Involving Open Innovation

Abstract: Innovation environments are places where open innovation and technology are boosted. The purpose of this paper is to present the evolution of innovation and technology environments through the most covered topics in the scientific literature. In this sense, technology transfer has been the subject of research since 1975; however, in the period from 2006–2021, the focus shifted to innovation. It was possible to observe an exponential growth of the term, “innovation”, but it is no longer the central theme and is linked to different terms related to different ways of innovating, characterizing open innovation variables. In this article, 4650 academic studies involving innovation environments were reviewed. The analysis identified the nomenclatures that characterized innovation environments and the particularities of these environments. The contributions, such as which countries developed more research in this area, and the analysis of which environments were more common in these countries were also presented. Additionally, some methodological and theoretical gaps in the current research were identified, providing pathways to support future research and practices seeking a better understanding and development of innovation environments. This article can also serve as a basis for a consultation for members of the quadruple helix, who wish to install or create environments for innovation and attract companies or investments to develop any open innovation activity.

Implementation of international norms in Russia: the case of higher education

Abstract: This article analyses the reasons why Russia adopts foreign norms in the sphere of higher educa-tion, looking at how isomorphism, Transnational Advocacy Networks and the global market for education have brought about the country’s integration in the global network of universities necessary. It investigates how Russia strives to adopt international and western educational norms by adhering to the Bologna process and launching pro-jects such as 5-100 to reinforce the competitiveness of its universities on the global stage, but remains concerned about security and national identity issues. These fears have resulted in the government prioritizing the adherence to formal criteria while preserving the historical content of its higher education, thus leading to a dichotomy between substance and structure. This mismatch between the organization of higher education and its content leads to an in-effective implementation of the international norms but also to significant disruptions in the existing system. At-tempts to levy the advantages of both systems have had opposite results. Indeed, the risks of sudden change are mul-tifold: the sudden “catch-up” mode leads to resistance and to a decline in the overall quality of education in those universities lacking the institutions to support the fast tempo of change. The authors outline the benefits of an in-cremental adaptation to the international higher education system and the need to adjust the international norms to local conditions, by building off the assets of the country’s Soviet heritage. The benefits of involving Transnational Experience and Experience Networks in the implementation of international norms are also reviewed.

Институциональные ловушки цифровизации российского высшего образования

Abstract: In 2016-2018 the state in Russia adopted a package of program documents, which implies the transfer of education to the large-scale introduction of digital technologies This phenomenon has been called “digitalization of education” In scientific literature, electronization and digitalization are increasingly called one of the institutional traps for the development of Russian universities, since the corresponding institutional environment has not yet been formed due to the forced nature of innovations As a result, the processes of introducing new technologies into education are still not regulated Within the framework of the purpose of the study, the manifestations of the trap of electronization and digitalization of Russian higher education were analyzed on the basis of sociological data, and the theoretical modeling of the process of adaptation of educational agents to the institution of digitalization was carried out In the course of the study, the approaches were summarized that have been developed in discussions on educational digitalization The article presents the author’s vision of the studied phenomenon as an institutional trap; as well as understanding of the institutional features and characteristics of electronization and digitalization in education The research method is the analysis of estimates obtained in the course of an expert survey which was conducted by the Vologda Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences among the representatives of the teaching staff of state universities in the Vologda region In the course of this analysis, the indicators of educational digitalization as an effective innovation were clarified such as an increased accessibility of educational resources; simplification of communication and the process of transferring knowledge from teacher to student; increased opportunities for training specialists for the new (digital) economy; improving the quality of education in universities, etc Based on the results of the empirical study, it has been determined that the conditions for the development of digitalization in Russian universities are currently ambiguous, which is closely related to the level of competitiveness of the educational organization The scientific novelty of the research consists in the presentation of an original matrix describing the process of university employees adaptation to the conditions of digital transformation of education The matrix is proposed on the basis of a sociological analysis of the impact of the trap of electronization and digitalization on the activities of educational agents The matrix can be taken into account in the practice of higher education management

Моделирование добавленной стоимости в цифровом стратегическом менеджменте

Abstract: The importance of digital strategic management development is confrmed by the growth of the information and communication sector of economy worldwide. The results of the survey of the companies digital transformation of companies nowadays show that new business models are formed on the digital platforms and are based on the processes of buying and selling not only goods and/or services but also the information about the customers themselves. The article proves that a digital platform as a technological exchange tool in modern economy provides for the intermediation processes, supporting coordination at the market and creating value added on the basis of digital cooperation. The authors develop a methodological approach to the increase of strategic management tasks effectiveness taking into account the confrmation of the needs of value added chain. This is achieved by creation of digital twins of business and technological processes which are realized on the basis of block chain technology or on the acyclic graph. Within the defned task for modeling it is technically possible to create the models which perform the operation-by-operation analysis of interaction in the value added chains. However the more effective way to model business activity is to use the process approach when a business process and a value added chain are completely identical with their digital twins. Digital twins permit to make a design and a model of value added functioning before launching a real business process which could greatly change the digital strategic management which is now still under formation. Such modeling of value added conform to market principles, and a digital platform by itself is not a replacement of the market but rather the most effective intermediary. The analysis of existing approaches reveals the following unsolved problems: frst, the absence of direct interconnection between the expenses on digitalization and the results received with the use of digital platforms, and second, information is not singled out as a separate expense category in cost accounting, management and control regardless of the considerable percentage increase of an enterprise expenses on cloud computing service and technology. The authors model the newly created value in digital environment by a) defning a service (not fnished goods) as an integrating element which is typical of digital economy; b) singling out the variants of market cooperation with the use of platforms on the basis of traditional contracts, agreements “by default”, registered users of the platforms, smart contracts; c) choosing basic parameters — investments in the capital which is aggregated by the process and the costs of operating activity participants (by technological limits) supplemented by semi fixed costs; d) using the concept of limits to represent operating activity which is sensitive to special features and proportions among separate stages of a technological process and introducing two information limits (“Data collection, storage and processing” and “Digital representation and market design”) which resulted in creation of the information and communication costs accounting object. The results of the modeling show that a coordination effect is in non-linear dependence on the share of the capital invested by the organizers of the process. This can be used in the search for optimal variants of cooperation platform design and for the investment proftability target management when forming value added chains.