15.01.2021 – THE SECOND DAY OF THE GAIDAR FORUM “RUSSIA AND THE WORLD AFTER THE PANDEMIC”

In the morning session, the expert discussion – “Future Monitoring and Supervision in Higher Education” was held with participation of Sergei Sinelnikov-Murylev, Academic Director of the Gaidar Institute, Rector of the Russian Foreign Trade Academy of the RF Ministry of Economic Development and Anzor Muzayev, Head of the Federal Supervising Service in Education and Science.

On July 31, 2020, main federal draft laws of the “road map” on implementation of the mechanism of “regulatory guillotine” were signed; these draft laws determined the need of utilization of the risk-based regulation and quantitative risk indicators. Guided by the new supervising principles, the supervising authorities, including the Federal Supervising Service in Education and Science should form within the framework of their competence a new approach to supervision. The risk-based regulation in higher education may suggest not only classification of facilities by risk level, but also utilization of approach similar to testing of scientific hypotheses and quantifying the likelihood of violations. 

The panelists discussed the following issues: the disadvantages of the existing supervising in higher education; the reduction of supervision-related load on higher education establishments; the guidelines for taking a decision to carry out an audit, substantiation of an audit at present and the adequacy of supervising system; what is the new system of mandatory requirements to higher education establishments going to be like; how should the supervising system be integrated in the higher education target achievement strategy in Russia.

Sergei Sinelnikov-Murylev was also the moderator of the expert discussion “Strategy for Foreign Economic Activities. Setting the Priorities”.

Structural reforms of the Russian economy are the prerequisite to the achievement of national goals and sustainable growth as a whole. Trade policy is an integral part of industrial policy and a tool for modifying the economic structure. Therefore, Russia’s foreign economic strategy should become a foundation of structural economic reforms.

Domestic market protection and/or promotion of exports are the strategy’s important turning point. Import substitution is needed for protection of national businesses’ positions in the domestic market. To promote competitiveness of the national business, access to inexpensive import components and equipment is needed – this determines, in particular, the structure of the Russian non-oil and gas economy, its “complexity” and export potential.

Panelists included: Dmitri Konov, Chairman of the Board of PAO SIBUR Holding; Alexei Mordashov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PAO Severstal; Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

Panelists discussed the following issues: what prevents Russia from changing its economic structure, if Russia has a chance of promoting complex manufacturing in 10 years and what needs to be done for this at present; what should be the priorities of the foreign economic strategy to facilitate the Russian business to build up “complex manufacturing and exports”, how are these priorities perceived by the authorities and the business; how to reconcile the interest of domestic market protection and promotion of exports in the foreign economic strategy.

The afternoon expert discussion “Russian Railways. A Conversation About the Future” was moderated by Andrei Kaukin, Acting Director of the Center for the Real Sector, Gaidar Institute and Head of the Industry Market Research Center, RANEPA.

To ensure competitiveness of the Russian economy, including GDP growth above the world average, an effective and modern transport infrastructure which is capable to meet fully consignors’ demand for carriages and reduce government subsidies to the sector on one side and to enhance the sector’s efficiency, reduce cross-subsidization of the sector and promote competition on the other side is needed.

The panelists included: Oleg Belozerov, CEO, Chairman of the Executive Board of OAO Russian Railways; Dmitri Komissarov, Chairman of the Board of Directors, JSC TRANSMASHHOLDING; Maksim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.