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Russian experts see state’s priority projects as a key economic growth driver

Author: Alex Freedmann Section: Economy

Issue: January 2017, Vol. 12, No. 1

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The Gaidar Forum-2017 Panel experts that brainstormed over the development strategy of the project management system in Russia and its strategic role in further driving economic growth included Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov; Communications & Mass Media Minister Nikolai Nikiforov; Construction, Housing &Utilities Minister Mikhail Men, Industry and Trade First Deputy Minister Gleb Nikitin, Deputy Economic Development Minister Stanislav Voskresensky and other top ranking government officials.

Top business executives at the debate included amongst other dignitaries Russian Export Center CEO Pyotr Fradkov; Director of the Economics and Corporate Planning Directorate at Gazprom Neft Alexei Urusov; Head of the Spatial Development unit of the Center for Strategic Research Alexei Prazdnichnykh, Ward Ho

well President Sergei Vorobyov and Strategy Partners Group President Alexander Idrisov, the moderator of the brainstorming session, which was attended by delegates from across the globe.

The Gaidar Forum is an annual international academic and research conference dedicated to Russian and global economies and related geopolitical issues and their impacts on Russian and global development trends. The forum, incorporated by the Russian government and supported by several local organizations, has been held since 2010 in commemoration of Yegor Gaidar, the prominent economist and one of the key ideologists of the post-Soviet reforms in Russia in the1990s.

The speakers discussed the priority projects launched by the government in 2016, their expected

social impacts and their roles for ordinary citizens.

Opening the discussion, Idrisov noted that at the end of 2016, the Russian Government launched a number of priority projects with limited administrative, human and financial resources, which were

aimed at generating tangible social and economic benefits.

Shuvalov said that in the current management system, there is a clash of process and desig

n logic, which to some extent, delays the execution of the government’s initiatives. He added that project work had been conducted since 2006 and there has been significant progress in many areas. “In general, I can see some progress, but more work certainly needs to be done,” he concluded.

Nikiforov noted the significant improvements made over the past several years in the delivery of public services through various technologies, adding that further development of a digital economy has become a priority for the government. “We are encouraged by the amount of support expressed by Russian Precedent Vladimir Putin in his National Address to the members of the joint houses of the Russian Parliament on December 1,” Nikiferov added. “We are going to structure new indicators for further development of the digital economy project early this year,” he said.

During the discussion, the experts came to the conclusion that it was necessary to gradually phase out the existing procedural mode of interactions among state agencies. It is important that all the projects are balanced and focus three or four priority areas, whilst those involved in the execution of the projects work toward achieving successful outcomes. One of the main problems faced by these priority projects, according to the panelists, is poor inter-agency communication and mutual coordination of efforts by the government agencies overseeing the projects.