Institutional instruments for ensuring economic sustainability: priorities for public administration

Abstract

Introduction. The development of socio-economic tools for the growth of the «green economy» and the implementation of the national project «Environmental Well-being» act as institutional drivers that ensure the synchronization of strategic goals, tools, and mechanisms for monitoring the environmental policy of the Russian Federation and its constituent entities within the paradigm of sustainable development. The development and implementation of environmental projects in the economy address the challenges of environmentally oriented technological development. Purpose. Systematization of existing institutional tools that ensure a balance between economic growth and environmental conservation, as well as identification of priority areas for modernizing public administration, taking into account current challenges. Methods. The methodological basis of the study consisted of methods of a systems approach in the analysis of the unified complex system “nature–society,” statistical analysis in processing empirical data on the state of the region’s environment, analysis of the current legislation of the Russian Federation and the Rostov Region, and the concept of sustainable development based on the principles of the Strategy for Environmental Safety of the Russian Federation. Results. Using the Rostov Region as an example, the environmental problems of the modern economy and the institutional tools for ensuring the ecological and economic sustainability of the region are examined. In addition, an information and communication tool — the «integral index in the quality-of-life rating in the «Ecology» area» — is presented, along with the priorities of public administration in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Conclusions. The effectiveness of institutional tools directly depends on their systematic nature and their ability to create new socio-economic incentives. The identified priorities of public administration should ensure a transition from reactive environmental policy to proactive management of environmental quality as a strategic national resource.