Saint Petersburg is the second largest and most important city in Russia, which is in a seaside and border situation. Its peculiarity is that, unlike Sevastopol — also a city of federal subordination, it is a complex collection of municipalities of different status. The multilevel strategies of the federal, regional and local level are a logical phenomenon from the point of view of theory, but very problematic for practical implementation. Abandoning strategic planning in the face of uncertainty is a gross managerial error. Adjustment of the municipal structure of St. Petersburg is not a fundamental problem, since it belongs to the competence of the authorities of the subject of the federation.

   The digitalization of the state is the object of close scientific discourse, especially in terms of the implementation of administrative reforms and the description of the storyline of the formation and development of new tools and forms in modern public administration. A meaningful analysis of an extensive layer of scientific publications shows that the digitalization of the state has acquired a mostly problematic connotation. It is worth fixing a significant lack of theoretical research regarding the comprehension and comparative analysis of international experience, as well as identifying trends in the development of state digitalization processes, which allow finding the keys to the most complete study of this phenomenon in the public administration system.

   The purpose of the article is to answer the question about the role, factors and trends of digitalization of the state in the context of international and Russian experience.

   Based on the conceptualization of the new public management, the authors analyze how exactly the phenomenon of digitalization is built into the modern model of political governance and what forms and characteristics it acquires. As a result, it is proposed to focus the attention of researchers on the institutional nature of the digitalization of the state, since it is political institutions that are the sources, mediators and main beneficiaries of digitalization processes.

   The article is devoted to the problems of differentiation in the development of regions. Interregional disproportions in development can be traced in many countries, including China and Russia. The topic of assessing inter-regional differentiation and improving the territorial regional policy is relevant. The authors postulate the idea that in order to reduce inter-regional
differentiation, targeted measures of state economic policy should be applied, in particular, this should be included in regional strategic documents.

   The purpose of the study is to assess inter-regional differentiation in China based on comparative analysis and the index method (calculation of the Theil index, standard deviation, coefficient of variation).

   Research methods: analysis and synthesis, comparative and economic-statistical analysis.

   The object of the study is macroeconomic indicators (GRP, GRP per capita, disposable income per capita) in the context of the provinces of the PRC for the period from 2001 to 2020.

   The article analyzes the dynamics of the level of differentiation of China’s regional development and identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the implemented regional policies to reduce the asymmetry of regions. Particular attention is paid to the fragmentation and lack of coordination of existing regional policies in China. The necessity of transforming the current regional policy and building a new unified regional policy is revealed.

   The general logic of the formation of competence models in the interaction of labor market subjects and vocational education institutions is analyzed. Possible gaps in the sequential deployment of competency models along the chain “profession — professional standard — federal state educational standard — educational program” have been identified. The review was carried out taking into account information aspects affecting the possibility of using intelligent machine analysis tools. The key points of the process in which intellectual analysis can play a big role are identified. An example of the practical implementation of such an analysis based on the CNAME analytical platform for a set of 9 heterogeneous master’s programs is presented. The idea of transition to a paradigm of more flexible formation of normative models of competencies is formulated.

   Under conditions of uncertainty caused by sanctions and geopolitical changes, the correct choice of both strategic development priorities and management tools for their implementation becomes important. Given the global trend towards digitalization and the growing supply from software developers, it is necessary to understand clearly, which software products and for what purposes can be used effectively at specific enterprises. The challenge here is that due to instability, sanctions pressure, and withdrawals of foreign software from the Russian market, enterprises are forced to change business and technological processes, and to look for new tools for implementing development strategies.

   The purpose of the article is to determine the basic principles for choosing strategic management tools and information technologies as elements of strategic management at enterprises in the context of digital transformation.

   The article shows that due to the ongoing digitalization of industrial enterprises any tools for implementing the strategies must be considered within the framework of an automated process management model. It can be based on various information technologies or platform solutions, depending on the coverage of enterprise business processes, and the readiness to adopt digital technologies in strategic and operational management. The modern trend is to implement strategic development directions, relying on the internal ecosystem of the enterprise. Making the right choice of information technology within an enterprise ecosystem requires that technology investments are aligned with the company’s business goals, adaptable to changing needs, can integrate with existing systems, are user-friendly, secure, and provide a short-term return on investment. Ultimately, these principles enable businesses to successfully navigate the digital transformation journey and leverage technology as a strategic enabler for sustainable growth.

   This article discusses the practice of interaction between public authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation and municipalities in the process of creating a favorable investment climate in the implementation of the regional investment standard. The comparative analysis of the implementation of municipal investment standards in various subjects of the Russian Federation, including the rating of municipalities based on the results of the assessment of the investment climate, was carried out. The problems of heterogeneous rating methods and requirements established by regional authorities for municipalities to ensure a favorable investment climate are identified. A number of universal indicators of the municipal investment rating are listed. Based on the conducted research, the authors confirmed the need to develop and adopt at the federal level a municipal investment standard with a minimum set of requirements for working with investors.

   In the modern socio-political process, there is a tendency to introduce digital ecosystems into various spheres of life. The article analyzes approaches to the definition of digital ecosystems and concludes that most often this phenomenon is understood as a set of interacting digital platforms, technologies, applications and users that establish relationships based on the exchange of data and information at various levels, and also include various technologies and services. In the paper, using a set of desk research methods, including the case-study method, the ecosystem of creating equal starting opportunities for citizens “Russia is a country of opportunities” is considered. «Russia is a country of opportunities» is a system of social elevators, where professional competitions act as channels of mobility. Their system provides citizens with mechanisms for comprehensive development, personal and career growth. The platform is aimed at supporting, accompanying and promoting participants of different ages and status — from schoolchildren to managers and managers of senior government positions. The platform unites projects («Leaders of Russia», Recruitment Agency, Senezh Management Workshop, TOPblog, Project «My Country — my Russia», the All-Russian competition for schoolchildren «Big Change», the Program of student expeditions «Rediscovering Russia», the Project «Russian Student Spring», the International Engineering Championship «CASE-IN», Competence Centers, «Another Thing», the Program «More than a journey», the competition «Your move») able to reveal the personal and professional potential of the participant, to form competencies and knowledge, to give the opportunity to express themselves within the chosen specialization to the employer, to change their social status. The paper examines in detail and details the key characteristics of the digital ecosystem “Russia is a land of opportunities”: access to a wide range of services based on a single platform; interaction with project organizers and partners; brand and infrastructure elements; multi–channel representation and interaction; deliberative discussion and participation; openness and modularity. As part of the study, it was concluded that the Russia — the Land of Opportunities platform could transform into a full-fledged digital ecosystem in the future.

   This article discusses issues and problems related to the modern development of public administration in the face of uncertainty and economic crisis, as well as a tense socio-political situation. The paper studies the main theoretical approaches of the authors to the concept of “public administration”, based on the evolution of the main concepts on this
topic. In addition, the article analyzes the directions of development of public administration in Russia. Attempts are being made to study further prospects for the development of public administration.

   The relevance of the topic of this article is explained by the fact that today the issues and problems related to the development of public administration in Russia have a strategic focus, since in the current conditions the management mechanisms of state and municipal authorities are ineffective and require serious changes.

   This also applies to the regulatory framework that regulates the activities of government bodies. It needs some changes and some additions. In addition, it is worth saying that modern society, being on the path of transformation, digitalization and active use of the Internet, have the opportunity to ask questions about government directly.

   Goal. Study of the main directions of public administration development in Russia and its further prospects.

   Tasks. In the course of the research, such tasks were solved as: studying the authors’ approaches to the concept of “public administration”, identifying the main features and directions of public administration development, identifying problems and prospects for the development of public administration, taking into account complex crisis and stressful conditions.
Methodology. It includes theoretical methods, the method of analysis, the method of forecasting with regard to development prospects.

   Conclusions. In the conditions of the existing instability, crisis and a large number of sanctions, new approaches and methods to the development of public administration are required. This is due to the fact that the previously existing mechanisms of state and municipal authorities are not fully effective. Also, changes are required by the regulatory legislative frame-work, which regulates the principles of public power management at both the federal and municipal levels.

   The specificity of the socio-economic and ethno-cultural processes developing on the territory of the Republic of Tyva reflects the objective need for expert and scientific analysis of the problems of managing the territories of municipalities in the region in the general context of the transformation of the system of territorial organization of local self-government in Russia.

   The purpose of this study is to develop practical recommendations for improving the territorial organization of local self-government in the Republic of Tyva.

   In the article, based on the application of general scientific methods (logical method, comparative analysis and a systematic approach), the features of the territorial structure of local self-government in the Republic of Tuva are investigated, and the main problems of spatial and territorial development of municipalities are identified. A general conclusion is made that the republican government bodies, in cooperation with municipalities, need to jointly develop a draft “road map” for the transition to a single-level system of local self-government, taking into account the opinion of the population and repre-
sentatives of the expert community. The author proposes a project of territorial reforms of local self-government in the region and gives a preliminary assessment of possible management decisions to transform the boundaries of the municipalities of the Tyva Republic (projected changes in population, area of municipalities, administrative and managerial effects, etc.).

   Fanfiction is the literary work of fans who use the plots lines and characters from their favorite work — “canon”. It arose with the advent of the Internet, because the Internet is the place where such works can be published and discussed. Assessments of this phenomenon are very ambiguous: from low-grade graphomania to a school of literary excellence. In any case, fan fiction is an important element of popular / convergent culture, including Russian, which has a noticeable socializing influence on its participants.

   The purpose of the study is to describe the specifics of fanfiction as a new social media in modern Russian speaking community.

   Objectives: 1) Characterize the readership of Russian-language fanfiction; 2) Determine the motivation of fan fiction readers; 3) Describe the nature of reader preferences; 4) Highlight the functions of fanfiction as social media and their implementation by Russian readers.

   Theoretical framework: G. Jenkins’ theory of convergent culture and M. McLuhan’s broad approach to understanding media.

   Empirical base — online survey of 1007 respondents, secondary analysis of fanfiction research data.

   Results. The main readers of fan fiction are young middle-class women living in cities and big cities; they study or work in the field of education, science, art and IT. The functions that fanfiction performs correlate with the functions of social media: first of all, entertainment, recreation and leisure, secondly, new emotions and new impressions. Combined with the opportunity to communicate with like-minded people, share your opinion or publish your own texts, fanfiction becomes a space in which each individual user plays important role in the concrete fanfic’s history. It reveals Fanfiction’s convergent nature. Directions for further research: studying the influence of stereotypical ideas about fanfiction on its development, analyzing the reasons for the ambivalent attitude of readers and authors of fan fiction towards cruelty, finding out the reasons for the gender homogeneous composition of the online fanfiction community.

   Assessment of the prospects for the development of the region is an important task for both economic science and public authorities.

   The purpose of this article is to develop an algorithm for assessing the prospects for the development of the region, which would allow identifying the most problematic areas and competitive advantages of territorial development in order to determine the most important areas of budget expenditures in the context of municipalities in the region.

   The research uses the concept of sustainable development and the theory of clusters as a methodological basis. Cluster analysis by the Ward method and k-means were used as research methods. As a forecasting method, the most effective among the methods was used: least squares, exponential smoothing, moving average for 3 and 5 years. Separately, the demographic forecast for each municipality separately was used to predict the population. As a result of the conducted research, groups of municipalities of the region differentiated by the level of development have been identified, for which the main problem areas have been formulated, the leveling of which should be addressed by the state policy of the region. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it identifies and predicts the problems of socio-economic development of the region, which may be hidden in the medium-term forecast of the socio-economic region. In this research, such problems were identified in many municipalities of the Leningrad region in the field of housing construction, demography and economics. The article may be useful to public authorities when forming a strategy for socio-economic development.

   The purpose of this article is to consider and determine the features of the types of mentoring in modern realities.

   The relevance of the consideration of this topic for the successful implementation of the individual’s activities in various fields, as well as within the framework of the revival of the institute of mentoring, is substantiated. The essence of mentoring as a social institution at the present time is analyzed. The factors that contributed to the change in the organizational and
content side of mentoring are described. The types of mentoring are presented and differentiated: tutoring, mentoring, coaching, facilitation, reverse mentoring, as well as forms of mentoring: individual and group. The scope of application of each type of mentoring is described. Based on the analysis of publications, the issue of mentoring functions in various fields is considered: supportive, diagnostic, developmental, communicative and mediative. Research methods include analysis, synthesis, generalization and classification of theoretical works. In the process of writing this article, we analyzed domestic and foreign sources, which allowed us to summarize the experience in this direction and identify the characterological signs of mentoring as a social institution in modern realities. The results provide a description of the specific characteristics of each type of mentoring in the context of modern times, a description of the functions of mentoring.

   It is well known fact that the availability of credit is one of the most important factors of economic development. Particularly this factor is very problematic for Kyrgyz businesses as well as for businesses in some other EAEU countries. In this regard, the phenomenon of the Japanese main banks deserve specific attention as these banks historically played (and still playing) an important role in stimulating Japanese businesses making them highly competitive worldwide.