Opening remarks

Dear readers!

We are proud to bring to your attention a new issue of the Electronic Journal of the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

This issue contains articles on a wide range of topics: the content of mesoeconomics as a new level of economic knowledge and signs of post-economics through the prism of finance, the reproduction process in the conditions of digital transformation, the view of the new Austrian theory on the use of artificial intelligence in business, the influence of the budgetary provision of Russian regions on the quality and standard of living of citizens, justification for sustainable development as a new paradigm for the XXI century and the advantages of sustainable development of companies in the fashion industry, and tools for developing the necessary competencies of workers in the modern labor market.

The article “Meso-Economics through an Ecosystem Approach” provides a rationale for identifying a new level in the hierarchy of economic knowledge - mesoeconomics and conducts a retrospective review of scientific works, as a result of content analysis of which the main approaches to determining the components of the meso level are classified. A regional ecosystem model had been developed by the author, which includes groups of key and supporting organizations and takes into account the heterogeneity and multidimensionality of the environment in which they operate. The results obtained will make it possible to complement approaches to the analysis of the meso-level as a complex hierarchical structure and to study the socio-economic processes occurring in it, taking into account their systematicity and nonlinearity.

The article “To the History of Reproduction in the Conditions of Digital Transformation” is devoted to the analysis of reproduction process in the conditions of the ongoing digital transformation, taking into account the specifics of changing proportions of the use of production factors, in particular, labor and capital. The methodological basis of the study was a systematic approach and methods of comparative and statistical analysis. Attention was paid to the most promising areas of innovation, the social aspect and the institutional component that ensures the sustainable functioning of reproductive processes both within the national framework and in the context of the global economy.

The article “Artificial Intelligence in the Service of Entrepreneurship – Position of the New Austrian Theory” provides an overview of the research of the new Austrian theory representatives on the use of artificial intelligence in entrepreneurial activity. The article consists of 2 parts. The first part examined the position of the new Austrian theory representatives regarding the possibility of replacing a human entrepreneur with artificial intelligence; the second part highlighted the new opportunities that, according to the Austrians, the use of artificial intelligence as a new auxiliary tool opens up for entrepreneurs.

The authors of the article “Public Finance and Quality of Life of the Population of the Regions of the North-Western Federal District” focus on the influence of the budgetary provision of the North-Western Federal District (NWFD) regions on the quality and standard of living of citizens living within the boundaries of the territories included in its composition. Based on the study of the budgets of these constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the general and special features were identified in the formation and use of regional budget funds and their priorities in the distribution of cash flows to ensure safe socio-economic development of the territories. The relationship between the structure of regional expenditures and the quality of life of the population of these regions was examined. The authors proposed measures to increase budgetary sustainability and simultaneously increase the well-being of residents of the Northwestern Federal District.

The purpose of the article “Sustainabile Development in the Fashion Industry and Consumer Loyalty” is to identify the benefits of sustainable development of companies in the fashion industry in terms of changes in consumer loyalty. The relevance of sustainable development of companies in the fashion industry was explored. External factors that can further motivate companies towards sustainable development, global and Russian experience of companies in the fashion industry in approaching sustainable development and carbon neutrality had been studied. Additional measures that firms can take in this area were suggested by the authors. The article also provides a study of the change in consumer attitudes and loyalty when companies in the fashion industry apply sustainable development practices. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that consumer loyalty to a brand increases when it applies sustainable development practices. It was concluded that the sustainable development of companies in the fashion industry is an important process and there is significant potential and prospects for the development of this industry in terms of developing new practices and increasing consumer awareness on this issue.

The article “Educational Internship as a Factor of Student’s Employability” assesses the demand for internship within the framework of an educational program to gain additional practice-oriented experience. The authors conducted a study to evaluate internship practice by students of the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University based on a survey according to developed criteria. The results of the study showed the relevance of practical training for a future specialist within the framework of a competency-based approach.

The editors continue the good tradition and publish a review of the discussion that took place on February 21, 2024 at the regular meeting of the theoretical seminar “Debatable Problems of Modern Social Science and Economic Thought” on the topic: “Fictitious Network Financialism as a Phantom of Posteconomy” held at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University in a mixed format.

The final article of this issue is a review of Sergey N. Bobylev "Economics of Sustainable Development", which assesses the relevance of the theoretical and practical aspects of the concept of sustainable development, including the issue of measuring sustainable development, and substantiates the importance of teaching students a relatively new field for economic science - the economics of sustainable development.

We are looking forward to your feedback on the articles published in this issue and welcome possible future cooperation and contributions.

Deputy Chief Editor
Head of the Department of
Philosophy and Methodology of Economics of the
Faculty of Economics of
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Professor Leonid A. Tutov

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