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.

Crisis of the present involves changing management practices. A search for an effective knowledge-action methodology in a mobile, multifactor, nonlinear environment is conducted. Principles and methods of indirect, matrix, reflective, pointlike, reflex, synergetic control of people and events is formulated. Requirements for intellectual, creative and psychophysical status of a decision maker are increasing. The problem of competence limits of the ruling class can be solved by changing the managerial elite staff or by reducing the overall system level.

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….

Emirate of Qatar, small in area and population, being a coastal state of the Persian Gulf, from year to year is demonstrating dynamic economic growth thanks to constantly growing income from hydrocarbon exports. According to experts of the British audit firm Ernst&Young and the Oxford Economics Institute, Qatar has topped the rating of the fastest growing markets in 2000-2010. The author particularly analyzes dynamics of the main socio-economic indicators of the country during the 2000s and also describes important provisions of the national government programs for medium and long-term periods. The study presents conclusions regarding the present situation and prospects of emirate’s economic development in the future.

The article analyzes trends and causes of the fertility decline in the intercensal period of 2002–2010 and temporary increase of the total birth rate in 2007–2014 from 1,3 to 1,7 children per woman due to improving implementation conditions of the existing need of the family mainly for two children by increasing child allowances and introducing “maternity capital”. The article discusses objectives and means of enhancing familydemographic state policy in connection with the upcoming in 2015–2025 reduction in reproductive 18–34 years old cohorts and continuing attenuation of family need for children and decrease of individual reproductive values.

The article presents a comparative analysis of various forecast options of major demographic indicators dynamics for Russia up to 2030. Data of Rosstat and the UNO forecasts are used. Assumptions underlying forecasts are analyzed and possible dynamics of fertility and mortality indicators are assessed. The article also examines, based on the index method, the contribution of various birth-rate components (fertility intensity, proportion of reproductive age women and the age structure of reproductive contingent) in the overall dynamics of this indicator.

The author analyzes the place of basic ethic question — the problem of individual choice — in the polemics of A. Smith with B. Mandeville, theorems of R. Coase, K. Arrow, in “prisoner’s dilemma” and other liberal theories. She arrives at the conclusion that modern scholars, like representatives of classical school, consider ethical behavior of human as a key driver of economic development and welfare. The author also concludes that spiritual and moral education is a particularly important social good.

Oil prices forecast for the period from July 2014 to December 2015 prepared by the Institute of Energy Strategy in collaboration with the Institute for Economic Strategies based on neural model taking into account the experience of the world oil market functioning in the last decades.

The paper considers changes of the “Economic Strategies” opportunistic index (OIES) in January-May 2014. The contribution of supply and demand indices into OIES is estimated. Industrial production analysis is performed.

Opening address of editor-in-chief.