The article examines the phenomenon of BRICS, which has now acquired a global visibility. The article focuses on the main potential of the BRICS countries — human capital, those demographic resources that, being combined with a growing economy and a standard of living, can break the current picture of the world.

Rector of the Moscow University, Academician V.A. Sadovnichy signed an order to conduct on December 14, 2017 the interdisciplinary conference “A.I. Chuprov — the great son of Russia” in order to actualize his educational and scientific heritage, dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the birth of an outstanding Russian economist, graduate of the Moscow State University, in 1874–1899 head of the department of political economy and statistics. The aim of the article is to reveal the role of Chuprov in forming the Russian tree of economic sciences, to show the role of the great scientist with a world name in creating a system of economic knowledge and uniting scientists in the field of social science, all the surrounding sciences that make up ideology of the country.

Opening address of editor-in-chief.

The purpose of the present article is to substantiate the directions of transforming the mechanisms of the fuel and energy complex management in Russia in order to eliminate risks and threats to the national economic interests of our country, manifested in the period of oil prices falling and introduction of anti-Russian economic and political sanctions. The authors propose approaches to substantiate the ways for protecting Russia’s economic interests in relation to the fuel and energy complex (FEC) of Russia, including concentration in the state’s hands of export flows of fuel and energy resources management (supply routes, volumes of extraction, transportation), cpecification of payment terms; intercorporate coordination of measures for development, reconstruction and modernization of fuel and energy infrastructure; formation of a qualitatively new infrastructure for wholesale and retail markets for fuel and energy resources (FER); transition to setting-up abroad the energynodal management mechanism regarding supply and transportation of Russian fuel and energy resources; clarification of measures for coordination and operation of profit centers, corporate financial centers, concentration centers of possession and management of property and financial assets in relation to large Russian energy corporations, including their subsidiaries and associates of the company abroad and others. Technology under consideration is proposed as an integral part of the management technologies of the Russian economy branches in relation to possible economic fluctuations of the world economy under conditions of significant changes related to new political realities in the USA, EU, etc.

Opening address of editor-in-chief.

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Calculation of the final integral index for the Russian Federation, determined through methodology of the “Strategic Matrix” multifactorial model, confirmed the static character of this indicator, the value of which remains low for the last three years. At the same time, we continue to observe mutually-equivocal fluctuations of the calculated indicators both in the factorial and regional sections. At the same time, according to sociological surveys, the remaining problems in the social-economic sphere practically don’t affect the mood of Russians, which is especially important on the eve of the new electoral cycle.

The monograph under review identifies and analizes the causes of the most complicated transformational changes taking place in world politics since the end of the 20th century, as well it is dedicated to theoretical comprehension of globalization challenges, which have seriously modified the principles of the world order laid down in the second half of the last century.

Opening address of editor-in-chief.

One of the major goals of political and economic sanctions, imposed on Russia in post-Crimean period, is an attempt of Western geostrategic players to intercept the trade and financial flows between Russia and the countries importing energy and raw resources of Russian or transit origin. These flows are the basis of economic, political and social well-being of Russia. Under extremely severe change of external economic conditions of the Russian energy companies activities an urgent development of a new strategy for their integration into the world economy is required. Such a strategy should be based on the organizational model of the space-stream arrangements and interaction of Russian energy companies, which could be implemented in the most effective way based on the concept of forming energy hubs abroad as a kind of energy infrastructure nodes combining different business profiles of Russian economic agents activities.