Challenges of Russian economic growth: reconstruction or acceleration?

In 2013 the Russian economy entered a new phase of socio-economic development. The period of tempestuous development, during which the primary trends and objectives had been those of recovery and which had lasted almost twelve years (1999–2012), had come to an end. The crisis of 2009 did not end in a replacement of this growth model; on the contrary it perpetuated its existence, given the need for a return to pre-crisis levels of output. The need for a new model became one of practical necessity, since rates of economic growth fell to a level that was unprecedented, a deceleration that could not be attributed exclusively, or even predominantly, to external factors. Corresponding conclusion was politically executed in the President’s Address of 12 December 2013. The internal factors at work within the Russian economy have to be examined in the context of the continuing global economic crisis. This crisis provides not only the economic but also the socio-economic background to Russian economic development and in particular circumstances it can be a significant factor in the adoption of internal political decisions.?