The article analyzes the state and prospects of financial support for research activities of universities subordinate to the Ministry of education and science of Russia in the framework of cooperation with the International center for scientific and technical information. The article examines the financial contribution of each ICSTI member country to the research activities of higher education institutions of the Ministry of education and science of Russia for the period 2013 – 2017. The author defines the main stable directions and trends of financial support of higher education institutions of the Ministry of education and science of Russia in the field of scientific and technical cooperation with the ICSTI member countries. The author has established a ranking and identified groups of ICSTI member countries that have the greatest impact on the financial support of research activities of higher education institutions of the Ministry of education and science of Russia. The author has developed proposals on the prospects of financial support for research activities of universities subordinate to the Ministry of education and science of Russia.

The article introduces the problem of the promotion of multilateral dialogue within International Organizations in the context of an extremely critical politicization of the modern agenda of the intergovernmental institutions. Through the example of the Council of Europe a real possibility to foster cooperation with equal rights and opportunities with the aim to bring closer European states and to create a single humanitarian and legal space is concerned.

The article presents some new ideas related to the new opportunities for managing science that arise in the process of digitalization. Some of these ideas had already been implemented in other areas of activity, in particular on the Internet, where clustering methods are widely used for various characteristics. Other ideas are not yet fully implemented, but could be the subject of further study. The authors believe that the proposed algorithm of “repackaging projects” can be an effective tool for increasing of the return on investments in science and can lead to an increase in the level of scientific researches in the country.

The globalization process, which has resulted in economic, social and political changes that have been expanding in recent decades, has also significantly affected consumer behavior and consumer attitudes towards the labor market. This is evident above all in changes in the employment structure and has an indirect impact on management processes at both the enterprise and human resources scale. The main reasons for changes in consumer behavior observed in recent decades in Poland are primarily the increase in the standard of living of the society, the globalization of economies and markets, and the development of the production and distribution of goods and services. The purpose of the article is to indicate whether the emergence of new consumption trends on the Polish market is visibly shifted to the structure of the labor market and thus indirectly forces a change in the principles of economic management and an attempt to assess the strength of this impact. The level and structure of consumption are closely related to the state of the economy, the economic situation and the increase in the wealth of the society. The article is devoted to analyzes of the dynamics of changes in the employment structure in basic sectors of the economy in connection with changes in the consumption model treated as an echo of globalization processes. In the summary, attention will be paid to the new trends visible in consumer behavior, namely consumer hedonism, greening of consumption and deconsumption.

In modern conditions, the prerequisites for the development of the concept of “management of competitiveness of goods” and new principles have been created. The COVID-19 pandemic, economic and political instability have led to a rethinking of management mechanisms and management principles used. Intense competition has made the challenges facing managers more difficult. The scientific and technological revolutions, the digitalization of the economy, are also prerequisites for the elaboration of the new concept, because the conditions for doing business have changed, the standards have changed too, the requirements for manufactured products have increased. The main purpose of this study is to conceptualize the management of the competitiveness of goods, in the context of the extension of functions, principles, the application of which would ensure an increase in competitiveness. The novelty of this research is the extension of functions, the development of new principles for management of competitiveness of commodity and stages of management of competitiveness assessment of goods.

We are witnessing a geopolitical inversion - the change of the world leader. Similar phenomena have already occurred in world history, therefore, it seems important to carry out a scientific analysis of both the processes of geopolitical inversion and deeper processes associated with the sustainable and successful development of states, the coalitions and international institutions they create. The analysis of objective trends was carried out using a mathematical safety model; a scenario approach was applied to take into account subjective and poorly predictable factors.

The paper discusses the growing influence of big business in the world economy and the level of its social responsibility in the context of global turbulence. On the example of the automotive industry, the authors reveal the positive effects of various aspects of the economic activity of multinational corporations based on the paradigm of sustainable development. The paper identifies new challenges that automotive corporations are facing and that are triggered by the global trend of business engagement in achieving the sustainable development goals. The strategies of a number of corporations to overcome these challenges and strengthen their positions in the global market are specified.

Food security is a global problem, especially in the context of the current epidemic that is raging in the world. As the number of people infected with the new coronavirus reaches 10 million worldwide, a global food crisis is inevitable. The key to solving the problem of food security is to ensure the safety of production of a growing number of agricultural products, ensuring the safety of transportation and storage. In the context of rapid development of the digital economy, it is necessary to combine agriculture with digitalization, create an information database on agriculture, use digital methods, including for effective prevention of natural disaster risks, minimize losses, reduce production costs, and so on. Food aid cannot fundamentally solve the problem of food security, especially in those countries where the level of agricultural development remains low: these countries and regions need digital agriculture to counter risks and provide food for their populations. This is the only way we can achieve precise (coordinate) farming, create “smart” agriculture, and achieve the goal of zero hunger in the shortest possible time.

This article analyzes the history of the creation and development of free economic zones of the PRC, characterizes their main stages of development, demonstrates the current state of China’s free economic zones using the example of Guangzhou, Henan, Liaoning. The author provides economic indicators of import and export.