This paper benchmarks the efficiency of public expenditure in the social sectors in the Russian Federation relative to other countries and among the country''s regions. It finds that there is substantial room for efficiency gains, particularly in health care and social protection, although less...

Putting the pension system on a sustainable footing arguably remains the biggest challenge in Russia''s economic policies. The debate about the policy options was hitherto constrained by the absence of general equilibrium analysis. This paper fills this gap by simulating their macroeconomic...

This paper investigates the impact of domestic and international acquisitions initiated by Russian firms on their operating performance. In general, acquisitions can be associated with synergy gains, internalisation advantages and higher market power. However, acquisitions may also give rise to...

The paper looks at the effects of employment concentration on resource allocation with a particular focus on one-company towns in Russia: towns where a single company accounts for a significant share of total employment. Empirical analysis of firms’ production functions indicates that firms...

In this paper we document how the unequal liberalisation of business regulation across Russia’s regions leads to varying effects on the diversification of Russia’s economy. We find that national liberalisation laws were better enforced in those regions with more transparent government. As a...

Capital flight is a fuzzy and unhelpful concept. Russian capital outflows should be analysed in a wider context involving all major determinants of the risk and return faced by Russian savers and investors. Building saver/investor confidence and strengthening the credibility of policies and...

Over the past 15 years, while China’s economy has become more complex and export driven, Russia's economy has become less complex and less competitive. Economic policies have so far largely failed to boost two key drivers of economic development: knowledge and capability building. Building on...