Andrei I. Kolganov

The article proposes a systematic description of Russian economy, in order to move from its unilateral definitions to its comprehensive assessment. This assessment is necessary to determine both the foundations of the current state of Russian economy and the prospects for its development. This characteristic is intended to reflect the level of development of the Russian economic system, its place in the system of world economy and its national peculiarities. The article deals with a set of features reflecting the internal structure of the Russian economic system: market situation, the system of reproduction, economy structure, the main socio-economic institutions etc., taking into account the historical development that led to the formation of the current state of affairs. Within the framework of this point of view, Russian economy appears to be a peculiar version of a mixed economy with a significant share of state participation and the structure of private property, formed largely as a result of its noneconomic redistribution. In such an economy there are no economic, institutional and social conditions that provide effective domestic sources of economic development. The national and cultural peculiarities of the Russian economy are determined on the basis of a variety of factors, ranging from natural-climatic, spatial, and up to socio-psychological formed, among other things, due to the influence of peculiar features of social relations’ historical evolution. Finally, the Russian economy place in the system of global economy is considered. It is defined primarily on the basis of qualities and level of Russian economic system development. The conclusion is made that Russian economic system meets the characteristics of semiperipheral economies. Such a characteristic of Russian economic system does not exclude the capability of its modernization, but makes it possible only in case of qualitative changes in the existing economic model.