The Russian Internet Economy
The Russian Internet economy is demonstrating a substantial rate of growth, one that is significantly outperforming the rest of the domestic economy. According to joint research by the Higher School of Economics and the Russian Association of Electronic Communications, while in 2011 the Internet economy accounted for just 1% of Russia’s GDP, it was expected to grow at a rate of about 30% in 2012. According to BCG reports, the Internet contributed to 1.9% of Russian GDP in 2010, and is expected to grow by up to 2.8% by 2016. E-commerce, which combines retail and electronic payment systems, accounts for the large majority of the Internet economy, but other segments are also growing. Advertising is the fastest growing part of the Russian Internet economy, growing at a rate of 50% annually.
The WTO and the Customs Union: What Consequences for the Russian Banking Sector?
Russia is now a member of World Trade Organization (WTO) and of the Eurasian Customs Union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Questions remain over how this new global and regional integration will affect the competitive environment of the Russian banking services industry.
Vladimir Putin turns 60
What are, in your opinion, his main successes during these 60 years?
- Vladimir Putin’s main success is his ability to be elected the President of Russia for two times; he is certainly a leader with a prominent standing in the Russian history. However, the question of whether the third presidency can be regarded as a success or an achievement is still open. The conditions under which the elections were held, especially the political opposition will be a political problem for him and for Russia for the next 6 years. My answer is that the first two elections were definite successes, but I wonder about the third one.
Russian internet demonstrates high level of political maturity
How do you assess the Russian internet, in general? Is it different from the English web or not, in political terms?
- First of all, we should make a distinction between the official position on the internet as a political issue for the Russian government, and what happens in domestic terms. In the first case, it's very interesting to observe the desire by the Russian state to get back on the web.
Ukraine at the Crossroads: Between the EU DCFTA and Customs Union
After serious decline in the 1990s, Ukraine's economy finally started its recovery and systemic reform in early 2000. While the economy rapidly grew by 2008, its transformation remained unfinished. Ukraine has three possible roads to development.
Decoding Russia's WTO Accession
As Moscow and the WTO Member States have finally established terms on which Russia will accede to the organization, thoughts turn to the impact of this historic event and the potential for it to play a role in the modernization of the country’s economy. The process has been long, with Russia having to negotiate bilateral accession protocols with the more than fifty WTO member states.
Russia's virtual: the new reality?
Russia's blogosphere has until recently been largely written off as a politically blunt parallel space. The Facebook mobilisation of 50,000 protestors has challenged such assumptions, writes Julien Nocetti.
Gas Exports in Turkmenistan
The Caspian region has been at the center of attention since Europe began seeking alternative routes to natural-gas resources. Turkmenistan has the potential to become an important gas exporter to Europe.
Doing Business in Russia: Informal Practices and Anti-Corruption Strategies
To understand corporate corruption in Russia and to develop both anti-corruption policies at the macro level and anti-corruption strategies at the enterprise level effectively we need to move beyond the predominant corruption paradigm and to disaggregate its measurement. The article outlines the results of a pilot survey of CEO of companies operating in Russian regions with regard of their use of informal practices.
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