К.э.н. Скрыль Т.В. (PhD in Economics Skryl T.V.)

Российский экономический университет им. Г.В. Плеханова (Plekhanov Russian University of Economics)

The Need for an Industrial Policy in the Modern Conditions

A prosperous industrial sector is a key component of high economic growth, especially in the early stages. If the economy is not able to diversify a domestic production and create jobs in the new industries, the state should seek to find a way to dramatically push the process and act as a driver of the development. However, these efforts have to obey the certain rules. Firstly, they should be temporary, because the problems are not permanent also. Secondly, the measures taken concerning the modernization are necessary to think about and quickly coordinate them if the strategy leads to a significant imbalance of the economic system. If these measures do not give a desired result, the state should have an opportunity to promptly abandon them and continue the industrial policy in a different way. An example of one of these tools is the state measures, which usage can be justified if any production without them cannot be started, also the creation of the specialized free economic zones and the territories of priority development. If the industry is not able to keep going without them, it means that the initial industrial policy was wrong and ineffective institute should be canceled. Third, even though such strategies will gravitate in favor of the industrial sector of the national economy, in general, they should be neutral in relation to the rest of the industry. If it is possible, they should be indifferent to a particular production, leaving a choice to the private investors. Finally, it is important to note that the inclusive development of the modern economies in parallel with the modernization of the industrial sector embrace the other key ingredients of the growth - education, technology, flexible and efficient management, etc.

In the modern Russian practice, the weakness of the institutional environment and lack of a strategic definiteness reduce the planning horizon of the most decision makers, and the state policy becomes short-term, reactive. Actually, in these conditions, the government should be a driver to start a modernization of the industrial sector of the national economy. The modernization directly aims at developing the economic potential of the Russian Federation, ensuring the production of competitive industrial products, development of non-commodity exports. It is important to note that the current trends of the economic growth in Russia should also be inclusive. Analyzing the different options of the industrial policy, implemented earlier in Russia and abroad, the most efficient option is that one, which focused on the removal of the various institutional barriers to doing business.

Nowadays a new project concerning the creation of the territories of the priority development is realized in Russia. The priority task of forming mechanism of the territories of priority development is a creation of a business climate and infrastructure that could compete for the investments and labor resources on a global market. Accordingly, the main problems remain the same, the solutions of which were not found by the previous mechanisms.

A law on the territories of the priority development more clearly defines the criteria for the resident’s selection, details a legal aspect, which regulate the activity of the territories of the priority development and its residents. The main difference between a new law from the previous analog is the emphasis on the public financing of the construction and maintenance of the future infrastructure, i.e., one of the main current problems of the industrial sector.

Another unresolved contradiction in the functioning of the mechanism is the human resources, acting here as a potential of the development. Firstly, we would like to emphasize the lack of the educational programs, links with educational institutions that could be directed to the training or professional reorientation of the labor force. Subsequently, the absence of a decision on this issue will lead to a shortage of Russian experts. A preparation of the professional experts takes a time, and this fact will increase the need to attract a foreign labor. Secondly, in order to improve the competitiveness of the existing work force at these territories, the state should make a local labor cheaper. The tax incentives, provision of free housing, as well as the development of the resettlement programs and a creation of the favorable conditions for Russian citizens from regions with high unemployment can achieve it. The existing experience to motivate the labor force to move, as wage supplements, only leads to a rise in the labor cost, increase the investment costs and the main result is an unrestricted attraction of the foreign workers, especially from Asian countries, with lower wage costs. Third, during the implementation of the projects in the territories of the priority development, it is important to take into account the local specifics. It is meant a standard of living of the local population, the income and living conditions, the demographics and regional characteristics, which can have a positive effect on their correct use. In other words, any project should not be penetrate spontaneously, sharply, without an adequate training in the region and obviously not with an expectation of the instant results.

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