The paper investigates the causes of large social systems pathology. It is not a spontaneous “system failure” within society, but the result of impact of external non-specific meta-factors that act outside the human ethics and morality — toughly, strongly, efficiently….

The paper analyzes the crowdsourcing possibilities in predicting the future and developing solutions. The author distinguishes types of crowdsourcing, discusses its psychological characteristics in comparison with the other methods of knowledge management. He discusses cognitive and motivational mechanisms limiting the effectiveness of crowdsourcing as a form of collective intelligence.

The article analyzes problems of Russia’s participation in international economic relations. It dwells on different aspects of Russian external economic policy and the experience of several countries, including oil exporters, in supporting their national economy. The paper analyzes rouble devaluation occurring in 2013–2014.

Opening address of editor-in-chief.

How our success was forged and what we need to do in order to make Russia retain the status of space superpower — all this is covered in the interview with the “Economic strategies” of the Board of Directors Chairman of CJSC “Rosobschemash” corporation, Minister of the USSR General Engineering in 1983–1988 (Aerospace industry of the USSR), one of the founders of the nuclear-missile shield of the country, of the orbital space station “Mir” and “Energia–Buran” system, Hero of Socialist Labor, winner of the Lenin Prize, the Prize of the RF Government named after Yuri Gagarin for his merits in the field of space Oleg D. Baklanov.

Efficient use of space technologies and systems enables us to construct a model of techno-mediated social-economic progress, which will determine the format of states’ and corporations’ dominance in strategic business areas. Space is becoming a bifurcation point of conservation — of real-national sovereignty of those countries that are interested in it and can afford it. It is necessary to form a comprehensive space activity strategy for concentration of the Russian competitiveness key factors in the struggle for dominance in the world economy.

Georgy Grechko — an iconic figure in the national space industry. He flew into space three times, each time achieving unique scientific results. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, professor, he worked with Korolev, trained with Gagarin, repeatedly broke record of flight duration and became the oldest astronaut who visited the orbit. His friends and colleagues also know him as a great prankster and joker, but few know that he is one of the most romantic cosmonauts: among the stars he seeks an opportunity not only to make another scientific experiment, but also to learn something new, unusual, and maybe even to meet our intellect brothers. Today it is his main dream.

Importance of problems solved by the Russian space industry determines application of the most modern management tools. Industry Situation Centre ensures a high level of aerospace industry competitiveness, development sustainability and holistic coverage of problem situations in making command decisions. The paper deals with its distinctive features in the system of distributed situation centers.

Over half a century passed since a man first visited the extraterrestrial space. From this moment — April 12, 1961 — mankind began its placement in outer space, inevitability of which was predicted by the founder of theoretical astronautics Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky. Since then, more than 500 people have visited the space, large-scale space experiments are conducted, programs of conquering the Moon and Mars are being developed. In order to survive humanity must be ready to space expansion, believes cosmonaut-investigator Sergey Krichevsky, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor of the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation. However, for the time being we are completely unprepared to settling outside the Earth.

World in the XXI century is a world of unprecedented changes. International relations are undergoing radical transformation too. Although mankind still witnesses unhealthy and humiliating polarization, existence of billion of poor people, abuse of law, veiled or provoking violence against those who are weaker, the old world nevertheless retreats. Getting rid of these “gifts” of the past is a difficult and long matter. The situation is like this also because these shifts are hampered by the West, primarily by the USA and its suzerains. Washington is trying to prolong the unipolar world — Pax Americana, which entered into the terminal phase of hopeless crisis. But the world has seriously changed: it crossed the line where hegemonies were still possible and untouchable. That’s why Pax Americana’s lifecycle is so short, almost fleeting. History now overtakes Empires much faster….