Mesoeconomics as a phenomenon of transformation of social relations — reflections on the book “Russia's mesoeconomics: A strategy of run-up”. Ed. by corresponding member RAS G. B. Kleiner. Moscow: Publishing House “Scientific Library”, 2022. 808 p.

Abstract

The authors analyze the main provisions of the book “Mesoeconomics of Russia: A Runaway Strategy” (Moscow, 2022, edited by G.B. Kleiner). The book, prepared by a team of well-known scientists of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and their colleagues, is the third in a series of books published under the editorship of G.B. Kleiner, and continues the reflections begun in the monographs “Mesoeconomics of the Transition Period: Markets, Industries, Enterprises” (Moscow, 2001) and “Mesoeconomics of Development” (Moscow, 2011). These books, united by a holistic plan, give a systematic vision of a special, mesoeconomic level of the modern economy in general and the Russian economy in particular. The article positively evaluates the arguments of the authors of the new book, proving the validity of the allocation of mesoeconomics – a special economic subspace lying between micro- and macroeconomic levels. The authors of “reflections” pay special attention to methodological and theoretical issues of the reviewed monograph. In particular, it is emphasized that the current level of technology development, characterized by the dominance of the 4th and 5th technological orders and the beginning of the transition to the 6th technological order, as well as the system of relations of late capitalism, suggesting the emergence of post-market and post-capitalist relations, objectively form special reproductive relations at the level of sectoral, intersectoral and regional complexes. The article highlights the significant results of the analysis by the authors of the monograph of industrial and regional complexes of Russia, in particular, such as the sphere of high technologies, the oil and gas complex, the electric power industry, the agricultural sector and others. The authors of the review, while appreciating the book, at the same time note the controversial and debatable issues of the monograph, pointing out, in particular, that when analyzing a number of issues in it, the emphasis on the mesoeconomical subspace of the economy proper is lost.