Stages in the formation and modern development of Russian agricultural economics.

摘要

The initial development of agricultural economics as a discipline in Russia was fostered by the establishment of the Imperial Free Economics Society in 1765. In 1865, the Petrovskaya Agricultural and Forestry Academy (now the K. A. Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural Academy) was founded, and in 1866 the Department of Agricultural Economics was established. Research in agricultural economics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries focused on farming systems, the activity of "artels" (cooperatives), and peasant cooperation. In 1929 the V. I. Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences (now the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences) was established; this incorporated 10 institutes, including the Institute of Agricultural Economics. After 1929, Russian economic research became acutely politicized. The ideological nature of Russian economic science from the 1930s to the early 1950s meant that fundamental problems in the development of Russian agriculture were not resolved. In the mid-1950s, Russian agricultural economics began to undergo a revival, with concepts such as profitability, profit and cost price once again being included in research. In 1955, the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Agricultural Economics was established; this institute had branches throughout the Soviet Union. In 1956 the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences established a Division of Economics and Organization of Agricultural Production. This allowed research in the field to be coordinated, and facilitated the establishment of links with foreign academics. In the 1960s and 1970s, work on modelling and forecasting began to be developed. In the 1970s and 1980s, theories and methodologies for analysis, planning and forecasting were developed, as well as theories and methodologies for determining the effectiveness of capital investment, price setting, and rural social development. Agricultural reform policies that have been pursued since the early 1990s have been at odds with the opinions of the majority of Russian economists. The essence of these reforms is outlined, and risks associated with the agricultural policies currently being pursued by the Russian government are discussed. Agricultural economics is seen as having a key role to play in achieving recovery and stable development of the Russian agro-industrial complex. Factors that need to be taken into account in developing medium- and long-term strategies for development of the sector are considered, including: integration in the agricultural sector, innovation processes, overcoming rural poverty, developing market infrastructure, government support for scientific research, regulation of the agricultural land market, and the consequences of globalization.