The Integral Index of Business Activity: Methods of Constructing

The article deals with the formation and use of the business activity index for the analysis, forecasting and regulation of the development of the Russian economy. The possibilities of forming the Business Activity Index of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences by basic spheres of the economy (Index of the Institute of Economics RAS) are analyzed and its advantages are substantiated in comparison with the Index of Output of Goods and Services by the basic types of economic activities of Rosstat (Rosstat Index). The analysis of the dynamics of the IE RAS Index and the Rosstat Index after the socio-economic crisis of 2014–2015 until the second half of 2021, including the period of the coronavirus pandemic, has been carried out. A list of macroeconomic indicators characterizing the level of business activity in the spheres of the national economy included in the IE RAS Index is presented. Analysis and comparison of the dynamics of the IE RAS and Rosstat indices showed that the main advantages of the IE RAS Index lie in a more accurate determination of the timing of the onset and overcoming of crisis processes, as well as the depth of their impact on socio-economic development. Particular attention is paid to the analysis and comparison of the dynamics of business activity in the post-crisis and pandemic periods. It was found that the maximum drop in business activity, caused largely by restrictive measures in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, was observed in 2020. It is noted that the maximum growth in business activity for the period under review fell on the first half of 2021. This growth is confirmed by the dynamics of business activity indices according to the methodology of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Rosstat. The paper concludes that the IE RAS Index provides a more accurate integral assessment of the macroeconomic dynamics of business activity; it is proposed to widely use it in state accounting and management, forecasting and strategic planning.