Elena Rytova

Purpose: to develop an approach to identifying and assessing the best corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices aimed at improving the social and environmental performance of enterprises and having a positive impact on the financial results and risks of companies.Methods: the authors conducted a regression analysis to identify key CSR indicators affecting a company's financial results, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to analyze the comparative effectiveness of CSR practices and identify the most successful practices in terms of the balance between key CSR indicators and financial results.Results: an algorithm for identifying the best CSR practices was proposed. In particular, according to the GRI standard, ESG factors of the oil and gas sector were selected provided that they had been included in reports from 2012 to 2023; profit was chosen as an endogenous indicator; the presence of a relationship between the profit indicator and the selected ESG factors was assessed using correlation and regression analysis; based on the modelling results, the factors that are most closely functionally related to the result were selected and used as input variables for the DEA; the DEA method was used to select companies with the most effective CSR practices; a comparative analysis was conducted to identify the best practices of CSR and recommendations were suggested for oil and gas companies CSR practices development.Conclusions and Relevance: as a result of the research, an approach was developed to identify successful CSR practices taking into account their relationship with the financial results of companies using the example of the oil and gas sector. The developed algorithm can also be used for companies in other industries, provided that these companies implement CSR and provide non-financial reporting. The assessment of CSR practices efficiency is supplemented by an in-depth analysis of specific CSR activities of benchmark companies.

This article addresses the issue of energy supply in Russia’s Arctic territories. The aim of the research is to identify the best type of electricity generation for these territories using expert-based methods. Given the strategic importance of the Arctic for Russia's socio-economic development, solving issues related to the cost, availability, and reliability of energy supply in this region is essential. The study focuses on various types of power generation facilities located in the Russian Arctic. Strengthening energy security in these regions aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7 (“Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”), which was adopted as the core objective in the decision-making model based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Based on a review of the relevant literature and regulatory documents, the settlement of Tiksi in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was selected as a case study due to its need for power system modernization in line with energy security and sustainable development requirements. Using AHP, power generation options were evaluated based on key characteristics of the facilities. Among the alternatives considered—conventional nuclear power plants, floating nuclear power plants, and wind/solar power installations—the floating nuclear power plant was identified as the most appropriate solution for Tiksi. This option best meets the settlement’s needs in terms of cost-efficiency, energy accessibility, and supply stability. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the development and application of an expert-based framework for selecting optimal power generation technologies, taking into account the characteristics of both the territories and the generation options. The framework incorporates a two-tier expert evaluation using AHP, aligned with the requirements of energy security and sustainable development in Russia’s Arctic regions. This methodology for determining a priority generation facility can be adapted and expanded depending on the objectives of the study and the unique characteristics of the territory in which a modernization project is to be implemented. Additional selection criteria may be introduced, and new alternatives considered, in response to evolving conditions or specific research goals.

Subject. The article considers the relationship between digitalization and the level of well-being of regions of the Russian Federation. Objectives. The aim is to identify factors of digitalization that have the greatest impact on the well-being of regions of Russia. Methods. The study employs analysis and synthesis of scientific literature on the research topic, classification, and econometric modeling. Results. We developed a regression model with a fixed effect. The endogenous variable is consumer spending, exogenous variables are the proportion of organizations that used the Internet; the number of subscribers of mobile broadband Internet access per 100 people; the proportion of the population who are active Internet users. We established a relationship between the indicators of digitalization and consumer spending per capita. However, there is no direct relationship between the volume of investments in fixed assets aimed at purchasing ICT equipment with consumer spending per capita. Conclusions. The availability of Internet access is the most obvious indicator of the region's population welfare. On the contrary, the availability of services provided via the Internet did not show a strong connection with consumer spending in the region. Practical application of the constructed model will make it possible to predict the level of well-being while improving digital technologies.

This paper is based on the proposed hypothesis: the activities of a company (especially a large, backbone company) in the social, environmental and economic spheres have a corresponding impact on certain aspects of the sustainable development of the region. The goal of the study is to prove this relationship at a conceptual level using indicators of sustainable development applied at different levels of socio-economic systems. The paper addresses a relevant gap in the literature: the absence of frameworks allowing the assessment of the interactions and intendancies between levels. To do this, the literature on this issue was studied and it was proved that there were no studies with a similar framework. The study draws on the systems of sustainable development indicators, suggested in literature and used for the assessment of sustainable development at the regional and company’s level and proposes a framework to integrate them. For that it uses the classical balance scorecard (BSC) tools — the strategic maps both for a region and a company. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Russian Federation and public joint stock company “ALROSA” were chosen as the basic object of research at the regional and corporate level, respectively. The built strategic maps reflect the decomposition of the main strategic goal and contain an interdependent set of sustainable development indicators for each level, which can be used to assess and monitor the results of the relevant strategies. Then, a new conceptual framework reflecting the impact of the l company’s activities on the sustainable development of the region is proposed. The framework includes the performance indicators of the company and the region by three dimensions of sustainable development — environmental, social, and economic. On the basis of the conceptual scheme of the relationship, it is possible in the future to build econometric models based on the proposed indicators. The identified quantitative assessments in this case will make it possible to make strategic management decisions that will maximize the positive effect of the implementation of the sustainable development strategy in the region using the potential of companies.

The concept of inclusive development is gaining momentum in both the academic and policy-making arenas. There are a plethora of definitions and several indicators with which to monitor its progress at the national level. However, the regional level has been relatively overlooked in the analyses carried out by academics. This is particularly serious for large countries marked by deep regional disparities. The aim of this paper is to address this gap by proposing and applying a framework to assess inclusive development at the regional level. Drawing on a critical analysis of the concept and existing indexes, the paper proposes an index of Regional Inclusive Development and applies it to the regions of the Russian Federation. Moreover, it compares the suggested index with established indicators of regional socio-economic development, namely quality of life and gross product. The results support the idea that at the regional level, there is a significant correlation and interdependence between all dimensions of the sustainable development concept—environment, the economy, and society—and that inclusiveness should not be ignored or undervalued in the analysis of development processes. Furthermore, the results show significant differences in the positioning of the regions in terms of the inclusive development rankings as compared to their positions in the quality of life and gross product rankings. The results also reveal small interregional differences among Russian regions, which are unexpected given the size of the country.

This paper assesses the readiness of Russia’s government authorities and local governments for a digital transformation. The digital economy’s condition in the public sector is analyzed, and the problems and possibilities of developing a digital economy in this area are identified. Based on an analysis of the current methods for assessing countries’ readiness for a digital economy and international models to evaluate the development of an e-government, a methodological approach is developed to enable the assessment of a “digital government’s” maturity level at various governmental levels. St. Petersburg was selected as the object of this paper’s research. Expert procedures, methods for gathering and processing statistical information, and fuzzy logic served as the methodological basis for this paper’s calculations. The maturity level of the city’s digital economy was identified using a fuzzy-set approach. The results of these calculations show that, despite numerous solutions aimed at developing digitalization in the public sectors of Russia and, in particular, St. Petersburg, the maturity level of the city’s digital government remains insufficient to satisfy society and businesses’ modern demands. Based on the conducted research, this paper highlights the reasons for the low maturity level of St. Petersburg’s digital government and develops recommendations on how to increase this maturity level.