УДК 378.095:330.1(571.6)
Renzin Oleg Markovich – Deputy Director, Economic Research Institute Far Eastern Branch Russian Academy of Science (Khabarovsk). E-mail: renzin@ecrin.ru
Institute phenomenon. From the history of economic research in the Russian Far East (to the 40th anniversary of the ERI FEB RAS)
The article describes the stages and substantial characteristics of the organization of academic science in the study of the Far East during the four decades of the Economic Research Institute (ERI) FEB RAS existence. The descriptions of tasks and implemented research in the Soviet period of ERI development focused on the development and implementation of major government programs of regional development are shown. The changes that have taken place in the organization of research during the Russian socio-economic reforms of 1990s. Three main areas of modern scientific school formed in IRI FEB RAS are the development of theoretical and methodological foundations of spatial economy; study of economic processes taking place in the Asia-Pacific region; the formation of strategic and tactical approaches to the development of the Russian Far East effective sectoral and territorial structure. The influence of the Institute in the development of scientific and educational potential of the Far East region assessed.
Феномен института. Из истории экономических исследований
на Дальнем Востоке России (к 40-летию образования ИЭИ ДВО РАН)
В статье рассмотрены этапы и содержательные характеристики организации академической науки при изучении Дальнего Востока в период сорокалетнего существования Института экономических исследований ДВО РАН. Даны описания задач и направлений, реализованных в советский период развития ИЭИ, когда основное внимание уделялось разработке и реализации крупных государственных программ развития региона. Показаны изменения, которые произошли в организации исследований в ходе российских социально-экономических реформ 90-х гг. Выделены три основных направления современной научной школы, сформировавшейся в ИЭИ ДВО РАН: разработка теоретических и методологических основ пространственной экономики; исследование экономических процессов, происходящих в Азиатско-Тихоокеанском регионе; формирование стратегических и тактических подходов к развитию на Российском Дальнем Востоке эффективной отраслевой и территориальной структуры. Оценено влияние института на развитие научного и образовательного потенциала Дальневосточного региона.
Keywords: Russian Far East, Asia-Pacific region, a scientific school, the region, the spatial economy.
Ключевые слова: Дальний Восток России, Азиатско-Тихоокеанский регион, научная школа, регион, пространственная экономика.
Scientific institutions do not arise spontaneously. The process of their occurrence is associated with the fact that someone is intelligent – the state or private entity – interested in formulating its objectives, find people who are able to solve them, and posing for their scientific work the material platform.
The project to create the Economic Research Institute, implemented in Khabarovsk in 1976, was a textbook content: the state decided to close the chain of research organizations on study and expertise the functioning of local territorial systems on the largest spatial scales over the world.
Following the academic institutions operating in the North-West of the country, in the Urals and Siberia, it was decided to create a division of the USSR Academy of Sciences, focused primarily on the decision of applied problems on the formation of evidence-based regional development projects. In this way the Soviet Union was finally formed a network of academic institutions engaged in practical regional research on the highest international standards.
The emergence of the eastern Economic Institute was very large and effective scientific and organizational solution to the Academy of Sciences and at the same time an important step in strengthening the intellectual potential of the Far East region. It was not only reasonable and logical from the standpoint of solving current problems, but also created a strategic perspective.
This followed from the fact that at the pragmatic issues of tasks formulated by the Institute is not complete: in addition to applied research has been identified and adequately interpreted block academic problems, implying the possibility of form is a scientific school that focuses on the formation, development and application of theoretical and methodological basis of the research on regional and spatial economics.
It is the latter, in my opinion, determined the fate of the institute. Do not craft, and art became an important incentive to attract talented people to a new research project (in the Far East in this period academic socio-economic studies were conducted by few enthusiasts within atomized structures - groups and laboratories included in the so-called "complex" institutions ). Dozens of young (and not so young) ambitious professionals from universities and research institutes in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Novosibirsk decided to use their intellectual force in the creation of a new economic research center (it should be noted that during the Soviet period projects of this scale implemented rarely, after the formation of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok has passed several decades).
Of great importance for the future of the Institute was the appointment of the Director-organizer. As such, management of the project has taken metropolitan intellectual, a brilliant orator and respected researcher of the Soviet economy P.G. Bunich. As a professor of Lomonosov Moscow State University he was providing the personnel policy made a bid to attract graduates of the Faculty of Economics of the University. The idea was quite predictable positive response. During these years, the authority of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the public consciousness (including, in the minds of university youth) was unconditional. Invitation to work in one of its institutions could be regarded as an unconditional success. The important was the fact that as an added bonus was a trip to the romantic region – the Far Eastern region. I note that under the scheme in the years created research institutions in different fields – physical and mathematical, biological, chemical, geological, together make up the Far Eastern Research Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Dozens of boys and girls – graduates of the Moscow State University – accepted the offer by P.G. Bunich and went to "build the Institute". As a result, the initial stage of the forty-year history of the Economic Research Institute – the formation of "expeditionary force" – was marked by his collaboration with the Intellectual school of Moscow University. And that is extremely important that the genetic code is preserved for decades, he was transferred by researchers from generation to generation, where former students themselves become leaders and teachers of young scientists.
Another important – and, of course, fatal – feature created by the research project has been assigned to it by the structural features of the core around which the networked research organizations working in the Far-Eastern region and traditionally been a private or local problems.
The consequence of this decision was, on the one hand, a real opportunity to conduct comprehensive research of regional processes by combining the efforts of the entire Far East expert community (not only academic, but also the industry and the university). On the other hand, such a communicative variant of the Institute protected the new team from the isolationist tendencies of scientific sectarianism.
The process of organizing research work formed a mutually beneficial intelligent ERI cooperation with scientists working in the territories and regions of the Far East. Central office of the Institute, which was located in Khabarovsk, has been managing not only their own laboratories, created in these period, almost all major economic centers of the region (Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Komsomolsk-on-the Amur). Along with the scientific and organizational solutions, he attracted to the implementation of research programs, practicing scientists integrated research centers of FESC (the Amur, the North-East, Sakhalin), specialized institutes and university departments and laboratories.
The first decade of the formation of the institute (a process that began in 1971, long before the appearance of the building a sign reading "Economic Research Institute of the USSR Academy FESC") was marked by the positioning of the new education in the scientific and organizational and expert community of the region. Experience, credibility and enthusiasm of the scientists who led the formation of the Institute, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences P.G. Bunich and doctor of economics G.L. Tarasov enabled the Institute in the short term to become the center of economic research in the Far East. During this period of time the study of socio-economic processes in the Far East has become systemic in nature, has been made possible coordination of scientific research in various fields of economy, was embarked on the integration of science and practice, science and universities. In such an organization the scientific community of researchers and economists has been in the full sense of the Far East, bringing together professionals in the region, all areas and schools.
Accumulated integration potential fully revealed on the Soviet stage of development of the Institute, where under the guidance of directors (corr. Of RAS V.P. Chichkanov and then Academician P.Ya. Baklanov) scientists and experts in the region have participated in the development of large-scale public projects of economic development of the Far East. The Institute was a member of the research team of big projects related to the preparation of the program of economic development of the Baikal-Amur railway zone; Target complex program development and distribution of productive forces of the Far-Eastern economic region for the period until 2000 (the program "Far East"); Integrated programs for scientific and technical progress in the Far East.
Scientific achievements of the Institute were highly appreciated not only in academic circles, but also in the state structures involved in practical economics. Proceedings of the employees were shown at the exhibition of economic achievements of the USSR (as it was made to encourage the best workers in all sectors), the Institute team has received many awards and commendations from the regional and federal authorities.
In the early 1990th, when there was a radical reform, the situation in economics crisis acquired traits in the social structure of the country.
Institute positions have become extremely uncertain, both in ideological and methodological and organizational terms. In this difficult time management institutions to take one of those, who in 1972 joined the team from Moscow University first builders of the new academic structure, doctor (now academician) P.A. Minakir.
He is not only able to titanic efforts to keep the core research team, but also created a new and powerful impetus to its development. With a brilliant theoretical training, while maintaining highly applied research programs P.A. Minakir began active work on the creation of a research school, uniting ideology of high economic theory, economic-mathematical modeling and spatial analysis techniques for the study of the problems of the regional economy. For 25 years this area has become the hallmark of the Institute not only in the Russian expert community, but also in the international research community. Published by the Institute "Spatial Economics" journal for more than 10 years, it unites scientists and specialists who have taken this model of research as a scientific doctrine.
Another major area that started to develop in the 1990s as part of research ERI programs was the study of the economies of the Asia-Pacific region, the development of effective co-operation scenarios with it, determines ways of strengthening the influence of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. It was not an entirely new research project. Even at the organizational stage it was assumed that the Institute in the future will be a scientific basis for targeted linkages between domestic and foreign researchers in the Asia-Pacific region. However, in the Soviet period, under the conditions of secrecy and limited outside contacts, work on such projects carried sluggish and in many respects speculative.
But I must admit that in those years it was created the preconditions for the subsequent burst of the international activities of the Institute in the period of transformation of Russia. Employees of the institute with the appearance of real opportunities for active contacts with foreign colleagues got a chance to demonstrate to the world scientific community to institute a high level of existing development. It is fully consistent with the established international practice requirements, and so research scientists of ERI quickly gained recognition in research circles of Japan, Korea, China, the United States, several European countries. Dozens of research institutes and leading universities in the world have signed with the Institute of documents on the organization of scientific cooperation, which opened up new possibilities for the realization of the potential of its scientists: participation in numerous international conferences, internships in research centers, publications in prestigious journals.
On this basis, quickly began to develop the scientific direction connected with the implementation of joint projects with foreign partners, exploring the potential of Russian integration in the Pacific region, the development of strategic scenarios for the incorporation of the Russian economy into the international community. For decades, frequent visitors to the scientific subdivisions of the Institute became a member of the international economic organizations, diplomatic bodies, colleagues from foreign research centers, corporations, which were necessary advice and qualified expert assessment of situations prevailing in the international partnership of the economy of the Far-Eastern, Russian and Asia-Pacific countries.
The third key area of development has been associated with the Institute for the continuation and development of traditional for his developments in the field of sectoral and territorial development problems of the Far East. In 2000 – 2001, the Institute took an active part in the formation of a new economic policy of Russia. Such developments as the concept of the New Economic Policy and the Federal Target program of economic and social development of the Far East and Transbaikalye until 2010 includes a new set of policy ideas set out in the Institute. Development of the conceptual issues of the Far East as a whole and of individual territories has become one of the most important intellectual products of the Institute, demand for which has not abated over the decades.
Should not be underestimated and has one of the most important roles of the Institute of the Far East. He became the region "source" of economic highly qualified personnel. This metaphor is true not only for research and educational institutions, and government and business structures. Since 1980 the Institute has postgraduate and doctoral programs, Dissertation Council, which takes the protection of candidate and doctoral dissertations. On the one hand, it allows the Institute to conduct targeted recruitment and training of talented young professionals to further develop their own research, on the other hand, is a real help higher education institutions, expert organizations, practical economics in improving professionals bring their training to the highest international standards, growth intellectual capacity to make effective decisions. It is no exaggeration to consider this activity a backbone for regional development, increase the efficiency of economic projects.
At present, there are processes to select new targets in the functioning of the economic system of the country, defining the new rules for scientific research in Russia, including by reforming the traditional system of the Academy of Sciences. New issues will allow a new generation of researchers: now a significant part of the team of the Economic Research Institute of FEB RAS are the specialists who were born later than it was organized. They came here from different universities to become highly qualified economists who have graduated from here postgraduate and doctoral studies. Modern scientific Institute school included in the numbers of young researchers who are actively put into practice theoretical and applied research on the international level, which preserve and continue the best practices of the Far-Eastern Economic Research School.
In this succession of generations is a phenomenon of the Institute, the phenomenon of our success in the today’s life, and I hope that the phenomenon of the implementation of all planned projects in the future.