Moscow University Public Administration Bulletin. 2024. 1.

The main research problem of this article is the possibility of applying
some concepts of the neo-institutional approach to analyzing the history
of public administration system in Russia in the 19th — early 20th centuries,
as well as in the late Soviet era. Th is allows us to better understand the general
patterns of evolution of the mechanisms of state institutions functioning
in the past and present. Th e research method was case analysis; the selected
cases relate to manifestations of information asymmetry and opportunism of
subjects of state governance interactions. Th e paper examines the reaction of
government offi cials to the Decree of Alexander I of August 6, 1809 “On the
rules of promotion to ranks in the civil service and on tests in the sciences,
for promotion to Collegiate Assessors and State Councilors.” As the second
example illustrating the manifestation of “government opportunism”, the period
of the “Great Reforms” in Russia was chosen. Th e third case considered
was the development by the supreme power of normative documents ensuring
the activities of representative government bodies created in accordance with
the provisions of the Manifesto of October 17, 1905. Th e latest of the analyzed
cases were manifestations of information asymmetry and opportunism during
the perestroika period, examined using the examples of cotton pricing and the
behavior of regional government offi cials in relation to production cooperatives.
In all analyzed cases, the possession of more information by one of the parties led to an increase in mistrust between the participants in the interaction, usually
supporters of reforms and their opponents. In turn, mistrust resulted in opportunistic
behavior of subjects in the process of developing and implementing
reform plans. Ultimately, all this led to falling into institutional traps and the
consolidation of negative institutional qualities.

In the article we formulate and classify key barriers for data
driven governance system implementation based on international experience
analysis. Further based on the interviews with experts we formulate and prioritize
barriers for data driven governance in Russia. We classifi ed technological,
organizational, normative barriers in data driven governance system. Th rough
the comparison between international experience and experts’ survey we demonstrate
the common trend for data driven governance model development
which is digital trust on the side of the citizens. In case of data driven governance
model in foreign states the highest priority belongs to explicit data policy in
standardization and regulation of working with government data whereas in
Russia the emphasis is in increasing the level of civil servants’ and citizens’ skills
and knowledge about options, mechanisms and conditions of working with data.

The publication provides an overview of the 20th International Scientifi c Conference “Public Administration in New Geopolitical and Geo-Economic Conditions”, held annually at the Faculty of Public Administration of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. During the conference, new trends in the science and practice of public administration, challenges of the modern world economy, problems and prospects of digital transformation of public administration, problems of regional and municipal management, features of staffing the public administration system, prospects for strategic planning, challenges and prospects of Eurasian integration, the role of BRICS countries on the path to establishing a new world order, issues of anti-crisis management of the public and commercial sectors, modern capabilities for managing social systems and personnel management in the face of the challenges of new times. The economic, political, legal aspects of the functioning of public authority, national issues, historical processes, social transformations, issues of sustainable development of the state, crisis phenomena at the macro-, meso- and micro levels, problems of sustainable business development in the context of modern global processes, new personnel technologies of domestic companies are considered.

Assessment of a development level of a territory can be based on various principles. Depending on the approach used and the assessment of a development level obtained on its basis, methods, mechanisms, and ways to improve the situation of the region will be selected. But the most common
approach to regional (or municipal) development is the formation of a system
primarily focused on socio-economic indicators. Th e study object is to develop a
new approach to assessing the level of territory spatial development (municipal unit, region, macro region, state), focused on identifying trends in processes’ changes occurring in the space of the selected territory and characterizing its space. Th e results of the presented study are the systematization of various approaches to assessing the spatial development level of a territory, based on the
identification of general and specific characteristics of each. Particular attention
is paid to determining the spatial development level of a territory as a process, in contrast to the existing assessment of the territory’s spatial development as a status. The assessment procedures are aimed at shaping the subsequent actions of the spatial development institutions. The following general scientifi c and specific methods were used in the study: content analysis, comparative analysis of approaches
to assessing the spatial development of territories, analysis of statistical indicators that determine the spatial state of a territory at diff erent levels. The result obtained is the addition and expansion of existing approaches to assessing the spatial development level of a region as a dynamic process, identifying the main stakeholders in the use of the analysis results and their functional roles.

The digital transformation of public administration requires a significant change in the training of students in the fi eld of state and municipal administration (SMA), who possess a wide range of digital competencies. The foundation for the formation of digital competencies is the basic and special
disciplines of mathematics and computer science. The purpose of this article is to determine the optimal trajectory of students’ education to obtain the necessary competencies. For this purpose, the article consistently examines and solves the problems of the essence of digital competencies (1), the specifi c
features of teaching mathematics and computer science to students in the area of SMA (2), the interaction of these courses with other courses in the area of SMA (3), the content, scope and sequence of these courses (4). Conclusions and suggestions are based on generalization rich experience of Lomonosov Moscow State University, one of the fi rst Russian universities that opened
SMA education, based on the analysis of domestic and foreign literature, as well as regulatory documents governing the digital transformation of public administration.

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of digital profile and the specifi cs of its use in public administration. Based on the analysis of legal acts and literature, two defi nitions of digital profi le in the narrow and broad sense are formulated. Due to the fact that a digital profi le has an
“owner” who can dispose of the information (data) constituting the profi le itself, it is concluded that a digital profi le can be only for subjects of social relations (individuals, organizations, public-law entities), and objects can only have a digital passport containing its characteristics. Th e study of foreign experience in the application of digital profi les has shown its signifi cance for the digital
transformation of public administration. The creation of digital profi les in the management system promotes automation, optimization and typologization of the public sector, transforming this area towards openness, proactivity and personalization. Th e emergence of states in metaverses, the creation of their own state (municipal) metaverses confi rms the need to improve the phenomenon of
digital profi le in order to form digital avatars that allow the state, society and citizens to interact in the digital space.

The article is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Faculty of Public Administration of Lomonosov Moscow State University and sums up the 25-year period of work of the Department of Management Sociology. However, the department has its own, longer history, going back to the so-called “post-
Stalin” period, when large-scale historical changes in education and science began. In this story, “the time spent is measured by formations”, the change of which took place with stunning rapidity — within the time limits of one generation in science, which had the task of comprehending the changes taking place,
conceptualizing them within a certain disciplinary framework and at the same time ensuring a continuous educational process and reproduction of scientific and pedagogical personnel. It is precisely such tipping points that will become the subject of our research memoir.

Creativity as one of the key competencies of the 21st century opens up almost limitless opportunities in the search for unique non-standard and innovative solutions in our constantly changing world. Th e most important component of innovative development is the creative economy, the foundations
of which are cultural resources and creativity. In recent years, the creative economy has become a kind of mainstream in the processes of transformation of socio-economic systems. It contributes to the disclosure of the creative potential of a particular region, the building of mechanisms in it to support
creative initiatives. Today, in many countries of the world, the development of the creative sector of the economy is a state priority. Th e United Nations has declared 2021 the International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. In Russia, there is also great interest in this topic at all levels of government. Two years ago, a Concept was adopted for the development of
creative industries and mechanisms for their state support in large and largest
urban agglomerations until 2030. Th e relevant federal draft law is currently being
developed. Th is article analyzes the experience of practical application of the ideas of the creative economy in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), recognized as the most creative region in 2022 by the results of the National Award in the field of creative industries Russian Creative Awards. The author identifi es the features, problems and prospects for the development of a new sector of the
economy using the method of literature analysis, the method of generalization, comparative analysis, etc. The author of the article believes that if a number of conditions are met, the experience of Yakutia can be scaled in many other regions of the Russian Federation seeking to realize their creative potential,
diversify the economy and reduce industry dependence.

This article presents the results of a sociological survey conducted by RANEPA in 2022 and 2023. The survey collected data on eight directions of digital interaction between citizens and the state. The results diff er from the administrative and statistical data collected by the state, which assess citizens’
views on the effectiveness of digital interaction with the state. The current administrative
and statistical data are generally limited to the assessment of citizens’ satisfaction with the quality of public services provided in electronic form, but this paper also looks at other directions of interaction between citizens and the state. Citizens’ assessment of the eff ectiveness of digital interaction with the
state varies according to the direction (objective) of interaction. Satisfaction with the use of digital formats for interaction with the state exceeds 55% in 7 of the 8 directions considered. There is a positive trend in the level of satisfaction compared to 2022.

The article analyzes the potential of the soft power of the countries
of sub-Saharan Africa, which is increasingly acquiring the features of a
separate civilization. Th is macro-region today causes mainly negative associations
associated with diseases, poverty, crime, wars, terrorism, but it also generates
positive images. Sub-Saharan African States are beginning to use soft
power technologies and tools in their foreign policy activities, while having
very signifi cant resources in this area. One of these resources are philosophical
and ethical teachings, which for the fi rst time in Russian historiography are being
studied in this article. Th e author concludes that Ubuntu in South Africa,
Omoluwabi in Nigeria and Harambi in Kenya are potentially very eff ective tools
of soft power, with which Pretoria, Abuja and Nairobi can achieve signifi cant
success in international aff airs.