Institutional Support for the Development of a "Green" Economy at the Regional Level: Content Analysis

Karanda Aleksei Viktorovich Postgraduate student; Faculty of Public Administration; Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Moscow, Lomonosovsky Prospekt, 27, building 4. karanda_aleksei@mail.ru

Introduction

The increasing anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems, acute manifestations of social contradictions in modern Russian society, and the presence of imbalances in the sectoral development of the national economy are the main challenges for the Russian Federation at the present stage of development, which is recognized by government agencies and implemented within the framework of certain elements of state strategic management.

The "green" economy is one of the directions in economics, the subject of which is the balanced development of society and the economy and the preservation of the environment while avoiding the negative impact of one sphere on another ^{[1, p. 358]}.

Since the "green" economy makes it possible to achieve a balanced trinity of social, environmental and economic goals, today certain aspects of this area act as measures in strategic planning documents; projects implemented at the federal, regional or municipal levels; powers of state authorities and local governments. Consequently, today in the Russian Federation, institutional support for the development of a "green" economy at the regional level is steadily beginning to take shape due to the need for targeted impact on specific socio-ecological and economic systems.

Literature review

Considering the theory of D. North, K. O. Masnikova and T. A. Saadulayeva note that institutions can act as formal and informal restrictions that establish generally binding rules of behavior. The institutions of state and municipal administration are intermediaries whose activities are aimed at achieving a specific goal. From the point of view of the functions performed, the presented group of institutions can be grouped into three groups ^{[2, p. 739]}:

- Institutes of general competence;

- special institutes;

- supervisory (advisory) institutions.

A. G. Shestakovich adheres to a similar classification, classifying public administration institutions into three categories ^{[3, p. 177]}:

- public authorities;

- advisory, coordinating, and financing bodies;

- executing organizations.

In the course of research, Nguyen Thi Bik Mo adheres to the approach that the institution of public administration should be understood as a system of rules reflected in documents that are formed by government agencies. The main task of the institute is to regulate the activities of organizations and citizens within the framework of public relations. The importance of institutional support for public administration lies in the fact that institutions form the basis for managing the behavior of subjects and objects of management, limit the scope of actions within the framework of managerial relationships and determine sanctions in case of disobedience ^{[4, p. 116]}.

According to I.I. Smotritskaya, the managerial impact on the behavior of management objects within the framework of the activities of public administration institutions is provided within the framework of strategic reform of certain spheres of public life ^{[5, p. 45]}.

G. P. Zinchenko adheres to a narrower approach, considering the institution of public administration only as a mechanism for regulating relations between public authorities ^{[6, p. 43]}. According to V. S. Chetverikov, this form of regulation is represented in the form of governmental coordination, since, for example, federal ministries do not have the right to interfere in the activities of federal services and agencies ^{[7, pp. 163-164]}.

The importance of the civil service as an institution of public administration is emphasized by M. N. Baziev. The essence of public service lies in its focus on the realization of the goals of the functioning of the state at a specific stage of its development ^{[8, p. 67]}.

The issue of the quality of institutional provision has become the subject of research by S. A. Bratchenko, who emphasizes that the quality of public administration is the ability to determine and achieve the goals of public administration that fully meet the needs of the state ^{[9, p. 88]}.

The most significant institutional principles of regulating the activities of state bodies are noted in the work of V. V. Galanyuk ^{[10, p. 40]}:

1) the unity of legal and organizational foundations;

2) the principle of separation of powers;

3) openness, transparency and transparency of the activities of government structures.

Modern transformational trends of state power institutions were studied by S. V. Kozlova, who identifies the following impact factors ^{[11, pp. 97-98]}:

1) rapid changes in the external environment, including geopolitical bifurcation transformations;

2) dynamic transformations of the internal environment in the context of economic, political and administrative spheres;

3) The importance of taking into account both formal and informal institutions.

Polunov examines the institutional support of public administration by a meta-sectoral management object using the example of national policy and states the existence of two important problems. Firstly, the rapid transformation of the structure of public administration institutions in Russia does not allow them to fully effectively and quickly adapt to the new conditions in order to exercise their respective powers due to the factor of institutional uncertainty. Secondly, at the regional level, the regulation of meta-sectoral spheres of public life differs significantly between the subjects of the Russian Federation ^{[12, pp. 473-474]}.

Goncharov highlights that political and legal restrictions have a significant impact on the functioning of public administration institutions, which have a regulatory impact on public relations without allowing restrictions ^{[13, pp. 57-58]}. M. Gasko notes significant transformations in the framework of institutional support for public administration, which are caused by the use of new technologies ^[14].

N. Hardiman, C. Scott substantiate that the institutions of public administration at the present stage perform 4 functions: development, regulation, judicial activity and protection of morality ^[15].

P. D. Jennings., P. A. Zandbergen consider the importance of forming relevant institutional support in order to implement the principles of sustainable development in practice ^[16].

The research by I. N. Makarov, E. V. Drobot, A.V. Grafova, M. Yu. Evsin, O. V. Pivovarova is devoted to the formation of an optimal structure of government institutions under unprecedented external sanctions pressure ^{[17, p. 657]}.

The key directions of optimizing the institutional support of economic policy in the form of the structure of the institutional sectors of the economy of the Russian Federation are substantiated in the works of O. V. Morozov, A. G. Biryukov and M. A. Vasiliev ^{[18, p. 28]}.

V. V. Rebrova justifies the urgent social need and the need to reorient towards "green" economic growth. It is impossible to carry out progressive transformational transformations without the participation of state and municipal management institutions, the development of legal support and the formation of market incentives ^{[19, p. 37]}.

V. O. Rosenthal and O. S. Ponomareva propose the following algorithm as recommendations for optimizing the institutional regulation of state innovation policy ^{[20, pp. 92-93]}:

1) assessment of the feasibility of transformation and determination of optimal options for its practical implementation;

2) development and implementation of organizational structures responsible for the implementation of relevant sectoral policies at the federal, regional or municipal levels into the network of state and municipal government bodies;

3) improvement of the regulatory framework and formation of new forms of organizational and legal regulation;

4) benchmarking relevant foreign experience, taking into account the specifics of Russian traditions of public and municipal administration;

5) strategizing the further development of new institutions through planning and forecasting the future state of the system, developing the most likely scenarios, and modeling the behavior of stakeholders.

The presented algorithm is universal in nature and can be applied as part of the modernization of institutional support for state and municipal management of the "green" economy at all levels of the vertical of power.

Thus, a review of the preliminary studies allows us to note that the authors have considered in detail the issues of the essence of the institute of public administration, its structure, the main trends and problems of the functioning of institutional support both in the general context and in the context of individual spheres of public life. At the same time, the presented research is aimed more at considering the theoretical positions of government institutions, taking into account the impact of modern factors at the national level, when due attention is not paid to both the study of regional government institutions and the study of the activities of specific public administration institutions.

Consequently, within the framework of this study, public administration institutions will be considered as a set of organizations, rules, norms and procedures through which public administration is carried out, aimed at ensuring the effective functioning of the state and meeting the needs of the population.

Methodology and research conditions

Given the intersectoral nature of the nature of the "green" economy and the impossibility of considering its manifestation through the prism of the activities of only one public authority, this study will analyze the institutional support of the "green" economy in the Southern Federal District (SFD) using a content analysis of the regulations on public authorities of the subject of the Russian Federation in order to identify the objectives, functions and powers related to the implementation of certain aspects of the "green" economy at the regional level.

Since the "green" economy is aimed at achieving a balanced development of environmental, economic and social spheres, the study will consider institutional support when divided into these three segments.

In order to simplify the tabular representation of the analysis, the following symbols will be introduced:

Type of organ:

M – Ministry;

Y – management;

C – service;

K – Committee;

A – agency;

D – Department;

Other abbreviations:

c/x – agriculture;

processing industry. – processing industry;

the consumer. The market is a consumer market;

capital construction – capital construction;

Housing and communal services – housing and communal services;

Fuel and energy complex;

economy. development – economic development;

prom. Politics – Industrial policy

Foreign economic activity – foreign economic activity;

social – social;

Gosudarstvo – state;

SMEs – small and medium-sized enterprises;

PPP – public-private partnership;

invest. – investment;

A protected area is a specially protected natural area.

The results of the study

The structure of the bodies of the "green" economy in the regions of the Southern Federal District will be presented in tabular form, divided into three areas: environmental, economic and social (Tables 1-3). The assignment of the represented bodies to these groups was carried out on the basis of a content analysis of the regulations on public authorities of the subject of the Russian Federation.

Table 1 – State authorities of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation classified in the "Economy" block

Table 2 – State authorities of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation classified under the "Ecology" block

Table 3 – State authorities of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation classified in the "Society" block

Consequently, the analysis allows us to note the presence of a significant array of authorities at the regional level, which are responsible for the implementation of certain aspects of the "green" economy. Each region is characterized by a unique set of formal institutions in the form of authorities, however, there are both traditional authorities for all subjects (for example, authorities responsible for healthcare, finance, agriculture and social protection) and specific structures (for example, the Department of Business Development and Foreign Economic Activity of the Krasnodar Territory).

As part of the continuation of the analysis, the provisions of the above-mentioned public authorities will be considered in order to identify commonalities or differences in goals and powers from the perspective of achieving sustainable socio-ecological and economic development at the regional level in the Southern Federal District. This analysis will make it possible to identify the declared priorities from the perspective of "greening" regional development. The presented analysis is grouped by spheres into three tables (Tables 4-6)

Table 4 – Objectives of the activities of the state authorities of the subject of the Russian Federation, related to the block "Economy"

Thus, the analysis of the institutional support for the development of the "green" economy in the "Economy" block revealed the following imbalances in the regions.

The objectives of the functioning of public authorities in the field of agriculture are closely correlated with the sectoral specialization of the region and natural and geographical factors. Some regions (Astrakhan region, Rostov region, Republic of Kalmykia) are aware of the close relationship between rural development and the agricultural sector, the development of which is impossible in isolation.

All regions, except the Republic of Kalmykia and Adygea, have separate structures responsible for the development of the transport sector, which underlines the importance of transport infrastructure for the economic development of the subjects of the Russian Federation.

The Volgograd and Rostov regions, the Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol have specialized authorities in the field of construction, which is associated with a high degree of maturity of the construction sector, as well as the need for more thorough control over construction activities in the coastal resort areas.

In the housing and communal services sector, approaches at the regional level also differ significantly: a number of regions focus on the implementation of public policy in the housing and communal services sector, when, as in the Rostov region, the goals are spelled out more clearly.

All regions within the framework of their activities (ministries, committees, or departments of finance) have goals in the field of tax and budgetary policy, which emphasizes the importance of financial management for economic growth.

In most regions, there is a specialized body responsible for the implementation of industrial policy, which is implemented through the formation of an attractive investment climate, the process of strategizing and the formation of infrastructure in the form of industrial parks.

A number of regions also have specialized bodies that are aimed at achieving goals that are not identified within a separate body in other regions: regional security (Astrakhan Region); consumer markets (Rostov Region and Krasnodar Territory); business and foreign economic activity (Krasnodar Territory).

Table 5 – Objectives of the activities of the state authorities of the subject of the Russian Federation, related to the block "Ecology"

Consequently, the conducted analysis allows us to state that in all regions there are authorities whose activities are aimed at environmental protection, environmental safety, rational use of natural resources, regulation of water relations and control over the state of protected areas.

The Republic of Adygea focuses on ensuring the sustainable development of territories, while other regions, such as the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Crimea, focus on improving the environmental situation in the field of transport.

As part of the activities of the Ministry of Construction and Housing of the Astrakhan Region, environmental control is an important institution aimed at ensuring environmental safety in the region.

The Krasnodar Territory establishes the promotion of the use of high-tech, energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies as one of the goals of the Ministries of Housing and Communal Services and Fuel and Energy Complex. A similar goal is laid down in the branch department of the region in the field of industry and energy.

Environmental, social and economic aspects are taken into account in urban planning activities in the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and Krasnodar Krai.

Social problems are viewed narrowly through the prism of social protection, ensuring a decent standard of living and providing support measures to socially vulnerable segments of the population.

Table 6 – Objectives of the activities of the state authorities of the subject of the Russian Federation, attributed to the block "Society"

Thus, consideration of the institutional provision for the "Society" block allows us to note that the activities of health authorities in all regions are aimed at providing medicines to needy groups of the population on a free basis.

Increasing the income level of the population is a declared goal within the framework of the activities of state authorities in the field of social protection in the republics of Adygea, Crimea and the Astrakhan region, when, as in other regions, there is a focus on providing social support measures and ensuring decent working conditions.

Discussion of the research results

Consequently, the conducted research in the form of a content analysis of the provisions of the state authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation allows us to note a number of problems in the institutional support of public administration of the "green" economy.:

1. The presence of significant differentiation in priorities and approaches in the context of ensuring sustainable socio-ecological and economic development within the framework of the "green" economy leads to the fact that in the strategic perspective it can lead to regional inequality in the context of sustainable development and deterioration of living conditions of the population. Misalignment of the goals of sectoral policies in the subjects of the Southern Federal District may lead to a mismatch of strategic guidelines and the failure to achieve target indicators at both the regional, macro-regional and federal levels.

In a number of regions, ecologization and the development of certain spheres of public life are declared within the framework of government activities (for example, improving the environmental situation in the field of transport is one of the priorities of the sectoral department in the field of transport in the Republic of Crimea and Krasnodar Territory; in the Republic of Adygea, emphasis is placed on regulating forest relations; studying socio-economic, sociological, environmental aspects urban planning is one of the aspects of the activities of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Sevastopol, etc.), when, as the Republic of Kalmykia, it uses a standardized and average approach to shaping the goals of government activities within all three blocks: "Ecology", "Economy", "Society".

In turn, in order to achieve sustainable development, it is necessary to form goals for the functioning of state and municipal government institutions that allow them to take into account their own specifics of the region, while not harming other territories.

2. Uneven distribution of resources.

The Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region, being the leading regions in most indicators of socio-economic development, have a large amount of resources, which allows them to more actively implement environmental measures in their regions, thereby creating inequality within the Southern Federal District.

3. Potential conflicts of interest.

The implementation of social programs, more decent living conditions, and rapid infrastructural development in one region will facilitate the influx of able-bodied people from others, thereby exacerbating the crisis in regions that are outsiders in the rankings of socio-economic development indicators. In addition, with the increasing needs of the population and the reduction of non-renewable natural resources, tensions between neighboring regions may increase in the context of the struggle for resources.

4. Differences in the formation of the structure of government in the regions in various fields.

Each of the regions represented has a unique structure of public authorities at the regional level. In some regions, there are no specialized bodies for certain areas (Tables 1-3), which may make it difficult to coordinate actions within the framework of potential interregional project initiatives.

To solve the identified problems within the framework of institutional support for public administration of the "green" economy, the following areas of action should be implemented in practice (Table 7):

The analysis of the institutional support of public administration in the field of the "green" economy allowed us to form the following structure of formal institutions (Fig.1):

Figure 1 – The structure of institutional support for public administration in the field of the "green" economy

The central place in the presented structure will be occupied by the regional government, which coordinates the activities of the executive authorities of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation. The public councils of the regional government on the issues of the "green" economy and sustainable development will work closely with the Interregional Coordinating Council within the Southern Federal District in the framework of joint project initiatives in partnership with other regions.

Conclusions and further research directions

Thus, the "green" economy is a modern field of economics, which is aimed at finding optimal ways of mutually beneficial development of three areas: ecology, economics and society. In the context of increasing anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems, the "green" economy is becoming increasingly popular within the framework of government sectoral policies, in particular, certain elements of greening socio-economic development are also evident in the Russian Federation.

The analysis of preliminary studies allows us to note that the problems of the activities, structure and interaction of institutions of state and municipal administration in Russia are duly sanctified in the publications of scientists, however, the issues of the formation of public administration institutions at the regional level in the context of the policy of the "green" economy have not been sufficiently considered due to the meta-sectoral nature of the object of research, the dynamism of internal and external environmental factors and the lack of a common understanding regarding the nature of the "green" economy, which determines the relevance and novelty of the research.

Consideration of the sectoral and targeted content of the authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District allows us to note that there are traditional sectors assigned to specific government institutions in all regions (agriculture, transport, industry, finance, economic development, healthcare, environmental protection and social protection). The implementation of state powers within the framework of activities allows achieving the goals of the "green" economy within one of the blocks: "Ecology", "Economy", "Society".

At the same time, the declaration of "green" goals for the development of the territory varies depending on the region. The Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and Krasnodar Krai have shown the greatest attention to sustainable development, which is associated with the recreational specialization of the regions and the urgent need to increase and preserve natural resource capital.

The study of institutional support for public administration of the "green" economy at the regional level in the subjects of the Southern Federal District allows us to note a variety of target orientations within the framework of the activities of public administration institutions, embedded in the regulatory foundations of functioning; imbalances in resource provision.

In order to resolve the identified contradictions, it is recommended to consolidate the need to take environmental aspects into account in the framework of the implementation of sectoral policies by government authorities; to update the objectives of the bodies in the field of environmental policy, taking into account topical environmental issues; to form advisory bodies on the problems of the "green" economy at both regional and macro-regional levels to achieve a synergetic effect and work out compromise solutions, including within the framework of project initiatives; to form strategic planning documents.

Consequently, the "green" economy is a meta-sectoral object of state-governmental influence, which cannot be regulated solely within the framework of the activities of one body, which determines the importance of a competent distribution of powers according to the sectoral principle between bodies with the formation of a coordinating or advisory body under the government of the region.

Further research directions may be directed to the study of institutional support for the "green" economy in other federal districts.