Yesterday, on September 10, a public lecture entitled "Modern Business in Russia: Development and State Support" was held at the Library on Gazetny. The event continued the Gaidar Institute's lecture series on entrepreneurship, which began with a discussion of who entrepreneurs are and why they need support.
This time, the focus shifted to practical aspects: how the entrepreneurial climate in the country has changed, what support tools exist today, and what global practices could be useful for Russia.
Vera Barinova, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Gaidar Institute, delivered the main presentation. She began with a fundamental question: why should the state intervene in the economy and support entrepreneurs?
The presentation examined the criteria for SMEs in Russia and globally, how approaches to defining small and medium-sized businesses differ in various countries, sector statistics, level of involvement in exports, and regional differences.
A separate section was devoted to international experience. The lecturer discussed the evolution of the ideas of government support, how direct financial measures are being replaced by indirect ones, and the "entrepreneurial ecosystem" as a modern management model. She cited successful examples of ecosystem measures, including in the post-Soviet space (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Uzbekistan), and considered anti-crisis measures aimed to support SMEs around the world.
Vitaly Stepanov, the guest speaker, Candidate of Economic Sciences, General Director of the Moscow Export Center, dedicated his presentation to the municipal system of export support.
He noted that regional institutions often focus specifically on SMEs, while large enterprises remain the focus of federal agencies. He presented the ecosystem of federal and Moscow- based exports support institutions, discussed the evolution of the Moscow Export Center's support system, current programs for Moscow exporters, and highlighted current trends in company demand. Participants learned how support has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and under the influence of sanctions, what measures prevail today, and whether it is possible to consider the establishment of a full-fledged export support ecosystem in Moscow.