Verhaltensstrategien der russischen Unternehmen in der Krise: Zur Bedeutung der mittelständischen Wirtschaft

Die russische Wirtschaft hat derzeit mit den Folgen der globalen Wirtschaftskrise zu kämpfen. Aber bereits jetzt sollte man sich nicht nur Gedanken über Wege aus der Krise, sondern auch über die Situation nach der Krise machen. Eine der wichtigsten Voraussetzungen zur Bewältigung der Krise ist eine gut durchdachte staatliche Politik, die Opportunismus und rent seeking, d. h. die Ausnutzung staatlicher Förderung, seitens der Unternehmen nachhaltig einschränkt. Nicht weniger wichtig sind auch die eigenen Bemühungen der Unternehmen zur Krisenbewältigung. Nur diejenigen Unternehmen werden nach der Krise in der russischen Wirtschaft von Bedeutung sein, die es schaffen, ihre Betriebsprozesse zu modernisieren und ihre Effizienz zu steigern. Die Aufgabe des Staates besteht nicht darin »alle Untergehenden zu retten«, sondern darin, die richtigen Rahmenbedingungen und Möglichkeiten zur Entwicklung der Unternehmen zu schaffen. Dies geschieht leider momentan nicht. Um eine neue, gut abgestimmte und zukunftsorientierte Wirtschaftspolitik zu entwickeln, ist es wichtig eine klare Vorstellung davon zu haben, wie sich moderne russische Unternehmen typischerweise verhalten und wie sich Verhaltensmuster im Laufe der Krise verändert haben und wie sie sich in Zukunft ändern werden

Partnering universities and companies in Russia: effects of new government initiative

The paper presents the results of 2-year survey conducted in 2011-2012 among Russian universities and companies who jointly implement R&D projects aimed at development of high-tech manufacturing. The joint projects represent a new government instrument to stimulate the development of linkages between universities and companies by giving matching grants for R&D to companies with obligation to order R&D to a university-partner. The objectives of the survey included analysis of motivation for cooperation both from side of universities and companies; primary effects and side-effects of such initiative; changes that may be introduced to the government regulations concerning matching grants. Total 38 teams were surveyed. Our findings show that major motivations from side of universities were access to new practical research tasks from companies, selection of most competitive teams of researchers capable to work with companies, and strengthening reputation in business environment. Companies were interested in getting government funding in order to solve their technological problems; to strengthen, due cooperation with universities, their research capacity, and to use modern research infrastructure located at universities. The analysis allowed identification of the major effects of the matching grants mechanism. They included: strengthening of university orientation towards solving practical tasks which are of interest to business; institutionalization of relations between universities and business in the sphere of innovation activity; broadening of research cooperation and the formation of research consortiums; harmonization of research and educational tasks in universities, and orientation of the parties towards continuing cooperation in the innovation sphere

Impact of economic crisis on innovation behaviour of industrial firms in Russia

The paper focuses on empirical analysis of major factors that determine innovation activities of Russian manufacturing firms during the crisis. We presume that the crisis has ambiguous effects on firms’ behaviour, on one hand limiting their financial capabilities to invest into new products and/or technologies, and on the other hand – creating additional incentives to innovate and opportunities to enter new markets. We use micro-level data to reveal major determinants of changes in innovation activity of a firm, including structural characteristics (size, industry, etc.), competitive environment (intensity of competition and type of main competitors) , changes in financial position of a firm, it’s pre-crisis performance and innovation activity, the declared strategy of a firm and other factors. The empirical part of our research is based mostly on the results of two surveys of industrial firms conducted in August of 2008 (before the crisis) and in September 2009 (during the crisis). About 600 medium and large firms mostly in manufacturing industries have been surveyed using specially developed survey instruments. We show that while general impact of the crisis on innovation activity was strong and negative different industries have been damaged to different extent. The adjustment to the crisis led to sharp decrease in investment intensive innovations while R&D activity has diminished much less and for some groups of firms has even intensified. The drop in innovations is typical for firms pursuing the strategy of incremental improvements of technology and products or with the strategy of large-scale investments in enhancing the production of traditional goods, rather than for firms focused on the development of new products. We found further that about 30% of manufacturing firms during the crisis still pursued innovation based strategies and this behaviour does not is depend on industry or even financial position

Partnering universities and companies in Russia: effects of new government initiative

The paper presents the results of 2-year survey conducted in 2011-2012 among Russian universities and companies who jointly implement R&D projects aimed at development of high-tech manufacturing. The joint projects represent a new government instrument to stimulate the development of linkages between universities and companies by giving matching grants for R&D to companies with obligation to order R&D to a university-partner. The objectives of the survey included analysis of motivation for cooperation both from side of universities and companies; primary effects and side-effects of such initiative; changes that may be introduced to the government regulations concerning matching grants. Total 38 teams were surveyed. Our findings show that major motivations from side of universities were access to new practical research tasks from companies, selection of most competitive teams of researchers capable to work with companies, and strengthening reputation in business environment. Companies were interested in getting government funding in order to solve their technological problems; to strengthen, due cooperation with universities, their research capacity, and to use modern research infrastructure located at universities. The analysis allowed identification of the major effects of the matching grants mechanism. They included: strengthening of university orientation towards solving practical tasks which are of interest to business; institutionalization of relations between universities and business in the sphere of innovation activity; broadening of research cooperation and the formation of research consortiums; harmonization of research and educational tasks in universities, and orientation of the parties towards continuing cooperation in the innovation sphere

Impact of economic crisis on innovation behaviour of industrial firms in Russia

The paper focuses on empirical analysis of major factors that determine innovation activities of Russian manufacturing firms during the crisis. We presume that the crisis has ambiguous effects on firms’ behaviour, on one hand limiting their financial capabilities to invest into new products and/or technologies, and on the other hand – creating additional incentives to innovate and opportunities to enter new markets. We use micro-level data to reveal major determinants of changes in innovation activity of a firm, including structural characteristics (size, industry, etc.), competitive environment (intensity of competition and type of main competitors) , changes in financial position of a firm, it’s pre-crisis performance and innovation activity, the declared strategy of a firm and other factors. The empirical part of our research is based mostly on the results of two surveys of industrial firms conducted in August of 2008 (before the crisis) and in September 2009 (during the crisis). About 600 medium and large firms mostly in manufacturing industries have been surveyed using specially developed survey instruments. We show that while general impact of the crisis on innovation activity was strong and negative different industries have been damaged to different extent. The adjustment to the crisis led to sharp decrease in investment intensive innovations while R&D activity has diminished much less and for some groups of firms has even intensified. The drop in innovations is typical for firms pursuing the strategy of incremental improvements of technology and products or with the strategy of large-scale investments in enhancing the production of traditional goods, rather than for firms focused on the development of new products. We found further that about 30% of manufacturing firms during the crisis still pursued innovation based strategies and this behaviour does not is depend on industry or even financial position

Das "Konjunkturpaket" der russischen Regierung

Im März 2009 wurde das Programm der russischen Regierung zur Bekämpfung der Wirtschaftskrise ("Konjunkturpaket") veröffentlicht und öffentlich diskutiert. Dieser Schritt weckt Hoffnung, dass die Regierung dazu übergeht ihre Antikrisenpolitik in enger Zusammenarbeit mit Vertretern von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft zu entwickeln. Unsere Analyse des Konjunkturpakets der russischen Regierung zeigt die zentralen Stoßrichtungen und erlaubt eine detaillierte Klassifizierung der einzelnen Maßnahmen und ihrer zu erwartenden Effekte

Transformation of global value chains in Russia and the Baltics amid COVID-19: prospects for regionalization and implications for economic policy

Although Russia and the Baltics have historically been economic partners, the economic relations between them are tense today. Nearly stagnating bilateral trade contributes little to the development of either side. The Baltics-Russian bilateral trade conducted within global value chains (GVCs) and operations of multinational companies is much more resistant to geopolitical and economic shocks than traditional international trade. For instance, the accession of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to the EU and NATO in 2004 and the introduction of reciprocal EU-Russia sanctions in 2014 did not curb GVC activities between Russia and the Baltics. The article discusses factors in the transformation of the Baltics-Russian GVCs amid COVID-19. The research aims to prove regionalisation to be a viable prospect for the transformation of global value chains in Russia and the Baltics. In the medium term, regionalisation is possible as (1) part of global trends towards GVC transformation in the industries in which Russia and the Baltics traditionally specialise; (2) a response to the long-term structural challenges faced by Russia and the Baltics in creating a new generation of internationally competitive firms; (3) a result of companies tackling the effects of the pandemic against the background of historically stable relationships; (4) a product of strong social contacts and soft power. GVC regionalisation will be driven by individual companies, regional (local) governments, and Russian-Baltic cross-border cooperation initiatives. Finally, repercussions for Russian and Baltic politics are discussed alongside GVC regionalisation benefits for all the parties involved

Российские финансовые институты развития: процесс становления и основные проблемы в повышении результативности

The paper tells the history of Russian financial development institutions, analyses their scope and fields of operation, discovers crucial problems and imbalances of Russian financial developenment institutions system and speculates on possible ways to its improvement

Fostering innovation in Russian companies in the post-crisis period: Opportunities and constraints

In recent years the Russian innovation policy has made a significant progress that manifests in developing its ‘tool kit’, increasing resource base, etc. However it has not yet succeeded in improving business innovation activities that remain local thus not giving prerequisites to transform the general macroeconomic context. Basing on a survey of more than 600 Russian industrial enterprises the authors analyze key features of innovation in Russian companies under economic recovery, as well as stimuli and obstacles for innovation activities. In particular, the paper shows that lack of competition is the key factor discouraging innovation and that the most limiting constraints to business innovation activities are instable economic environment and intra-corporate bureaucratization. Significant attention is paid to the analysis of the use of various instruments of state support for innovation and their beneficiaries. One of the findings is that Russian innovation policy is "neutral" to the size of companies, but there is a lack of instruments engaging new companies in innovation activities. The authors also discuss two possible models of government support for innovation: the former relies on international innovation spillover and the latter on domestic innovation and import-substitution