Russia-EU energy efficiency cooperation in the Baltic region: the untapped potential

A stereotypical understanding of EU-Russia energy relations is often reduced to trade in oil and natural gas, which downplays the importance of energy efficiency cooperation. Such cooperation is promoted within the Energy Charter and its Treaty, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, Energy Dialogue, Common Economic Space, Partnership for Modernisation. However, it lacks practical development, which relates to the instability of the legal environment in Russia, insufficient mechanisms of financial support for energy conservation projects and poor political support. Nevertheless, energy efficiency cooperation is capable of changing Russia-EU energy cooperation qualitatively: it offers a cheaper way to meet the needs of the EU, redefines interdependence between the parties, and introduces new elements of equality between them. Energy efficiency cooperation also transforms the patterns of the EU-Russia legal harmonization, creates new conditions for the convergence of regulations and the development of the middle class in Russia. Due to its specific features, cooperation in the Baltic Sea region becomes a locomotive of the Russia-EU energy efficiency cooperation, and, as a result, is capable of changing the quality of relations between the partners

Targeting the principle implementation in the system of social support

Purpose: The article aims to identify the actual problems of implementing the principle of targeting in the social protection system in Russia and to develop a set of measures to transform the mechanism of its provision based on a differentiated approach, which implies not only differences in the size of social transfers, but also on various forms of such support. Design/Methodology/Approach: As the basic approaches of the study there were chosen the theory of social investment and the conception of result-based budgeting. The study suggested the development of a more effective financial support system, the substantiation of a differentiated approach to the organization of a social system based on a single method by determining the degree of financial vulnerability of citizens and the development of methodological recommendations on the use of financial instruments to strengthen the targeting of social protection of needy citizens. Findings: The article substantiates that the necessary condition for the transformation of the social protection system to strengthen the social and financial security of needy citizens is the development of a differentiated approach in the provision of social support measures. Practical Implications: The results of the study can be implemented into the management of social protection in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness by using the targeting of social transfers based on clear criteria of need, the differentiated approach implementation in determining the measures of social support through the use of "map of social support of citizens", expanding the application of social contract technology. Originality/Value: The set of measures proposed in the study will make it possible not only to adjust and direct social support to really needy recipients and to differentiate the volume of the support provided, but also to create conditions for the recipients of targeted protection to self-sufficiency, which, in turn, will contribute to the poverty reduction.peer-reviewe

Current state, problems and priority areas of social policy in contemporary Russia

A new model of social policy in Russia is being created under conditions of functioning federal system, characterized by extremely varying development levels of the Russian Federation subjects and by a range of their social problems, which become particularly urgent in connection with the low level of real income of the population, excessive social differentiation, existing socially disadvantaged population groups. In that regard, it is necessary to establish a holistic mechanism of social policy, where the primary role is attached to financial regulators. The purpose of the present study is to define ongoing problems of social policy implementing and financing in contemporary Russia and to outline appropriate solutions to these problems. The article provides the research results as follows: social policy development and functioning patterns and their influence on the population’s living standards and quality of life in the country; analysis of trends in the budget spending on financing priority areas in social policy; identification of institutional and financial barriers to functioning of social sectors; determination of directions for further study of solutions to the development problems of the country’s social policy.peer-reviewe

Contemporary challenges of state’s financial policy in the social sphere

The article is aimed at determining the bottlenecks of contemporary state’s financial policy development in social sphere and their relevant solutions. The study’s goal is considering the financial support of social sphere in conditions of curbing the state funding and widening the private financial sources without lowering the standard of living. It justifies the factors of social costs’ growth by spotting the social expenditures’ reserves, by analyzing the background of non-government funding sources of social services and by defining directions for further social solutions.peer-reviewe

Development of health care financial provision system : experience in the Russian Federation and in other countries

Health care is a branch of governmental activity, with the main aim to organize and provide accessible medical service and public health care. A study of economic literature on reforms of health care financial provision in the Russian Federation includes academic papers, analytical reviews, results of health care financial provision experience in the Russian Federation and in other countries. A conclusion about the inconsistent approaches to institutional foundations of health care facilities, financial provision, peculiarities of formation of sources, composition and mechanism of health care facilities, and justification of ways for further development of health care financial provision in presented. The diversity of emerging issues concerning Russian health care financial provision, debatableness of their practical solutions, necessity of systematization of successful experiences in many countries requires a more detailed analysis and understanding, which defines the relevance of the topic of the given study.peer-reviewe

Application of a Dy3Co0.6Cu0.4Hx addition for controlling the microstructure and magnetic properties of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets

The focus of new technologies on the formation of inhomogeneous distributions of heavy rare-earth metals (REMs) in hard magnetic Nd-Fe-B materials is of scientific importance to increase their functional properties, along with preserving existing sources of heavy REMs. This paper focused on the coercivity enhancement of Nd2Fe14B-based magnets by optimizing the microstructure, which includes the processes of grain boundary structuring via the application of a Dy3Co0.6Cu0.4Hx alloy added to the initial Nd-Fe-B-based powder mixtures in the course of their mechanical activation. We have studied the role of alloying elements in the formation of phase composition, microstructure, the fine structure of grains, and the hysteretic properties of hard magnetic Nd(R)(2)Fe14B-based materials. It was shown that the Dy introduction via the two-component blending process (the hydrogenated Dy3Co0.6Cu0.4 compound is added to a powder mixture) resulted in the formation of the core-shell structure of 2-14-1 phase grains. The efficient improvement of the coercivity of Nd(RE)-Fe-B magnets, with a slight sacrifice of remanence, was demonstrated.Web of Science1224art. no. 423

Typology and Factorial Conditioning of Suicidal Behavior of Adolescents

The problem of suicidal behavior of an individual continues to remain relevant, due to the increase in the number of suicides among people of different ages, on the one hand, and insufficient information about the factors of suicidal behavior of an individual. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors that determine the formation of a certain type of personality who committed suicidal attempts in adolescence. In order to identify the types of adolescent suicides, there was conducted a survey of 20 doctors in psychiatric clinical hospitals in Moscow. The survey results were processed using cluster analysis. To identify the factorial conditioning of suicidal behavior of each personality type, a complex of psychodiagnostic techniques was used, focused on the study of the characteristics of the emotional, value-semantic and behavioral spheres of the personality. The obtained empirical data were processed with the help of factor analysis. Three clusters have been identified that combine similar personality characteristics of suicides. It was specified that among adolescents there are the following personality types: “militant” (22%), “sacrifice” (54%) and “self-deprecating” (24%). Each type of adolescent suicide is due to the characteristics of the emotional, value-semantic and behavioral spheres of their personality. To develop targeted programs for the prevention of suicidal behavior among adolescents, it is necessary to take into account the results of the study, since such programs should be aimed at blocking the factors that form a certain type of suicide

Typology and Factorial Conditioning of Suicidal Behavior of Adolescents

The problem of suicidal behavior of an individual continues to remain relevant, due to the increase in the number of suicides among people of different ages, on the one hand, and insufficient information about the factors of suicidal behavior of an individual. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors that determine the formation of a certain type of personality who committed suicidal attempts in adolescence. In order to identify the types of adolescent suicides, there was conducted a survey of 20 doctors in psychiatric clinical hospitals in Moscow. The survey results were processed using cluster analysis. To identify the factorial conditioning of suicidal behavior of each personality type, a complex of psychodiagnostic techniques was used, focused on the study of the characteristics of the emotional, value-semantic and behavioral spheres of the personality. The obtained empirical data were processed with the help of factor analysis. Three clusters have been identified that combine similar personality characteristics of suicides. It was specified that among adolescents there are the following personality types: “militant” (22%), “sacrifice” (54%) and “self-deprecating” (24%). Each type of adolescent suicide is due to the characteristics of the emotional, value-semantic and behavioral spheres of their personality. To develop targeted programs for the prevention of suicidal behavior among adolescents, it is necessary to take into account the results of the study, since such programs should be aimed at blocking the factors that form a certain type of suicide

Typology and Factorial Conditioning of Suicidal Behavior of Adolescents

The problem of suicidal behavior of an individual continues to remain relevant, due to the increase in the number of suicides among people of different ages, on the one hand, and insufficient information about the factors of suicidal behavior of an individual. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors that determine the formation of a certain type of personality who committed suicidal attempts in adolescence. In order to identify the types of adolescent suicides, there was conducted a survey of 20 doctors in psychiatric clinical hospitals in Moscow. The survey results were processed using cluster analysis. To identify the factorial conditioning of suicidal behavior of each personality type, a complex of psychodiagnostic techniques was used, focused on the study of the characteristics of the emotional, value-semantic and behavioral spheres of the personality. The obtained empirical data were processed with the help of factor analysis. Three clusters have been identified that combine similar personality characteristics of suicides. It was specified that among adolescents there are the following personality types: “militant” (22%), “sacrifice” (54%) and “self-deprecating” (24%). Each type of adolescent suicide is due to the characteristics of the emotional, value-semantic and behavioral spheres of their personality. To develop targeted programs for the prevention of suicidal behavior among adolescents, it is necessary to take into account the results of the study, since such programs should be aimed at blocking the factors that form a certain type of suicide