This paper focuses on the ability of two closely related phenomena, namely culture and institutions (especially the in-formal ones, such as codes of conduct, norms of behavior, and conventions), to impact economic performance. The main emphasis here is on the first of the two -the culture. The paper deals with the impact of the latter on economic activity and agents' behavior regarded from different viewpoints, including quantified and qualified ones. In addition, national and cultural differences of socioeconomic reforms are considered, as well as relations between culture and economic systems, culture and institutions, influence of cul-ture both on intra-firm and inter-firm relations, on the example of Russian corporations which use hybrid agreements and mechanisms of transaction management. JEL classification:A12, B40, D21, M12, M14, O15, P00, Z10. Keywords:culture, economic performance, qualified and quantified approaches, institutions, inter-firm and intra-firm relations.From economic perspective, culture and institutions -especially considering the informal constraints such as "codes of conduct, norms of behavior, and conventions" -are related concepts. In fact, informal institutions are "a part of heritage that we call culture" (North, 1990, pp. 36, 37). In addition, the two are related in a sense that both contribute to economic performance. However, in this paper emphasis is made on culture and its ability to have an impact on the economic activity.

The authors analyze evolutionary-institutional patterns and factors of economic growth and development on the example of a number of countries which have demonstrated the "economic miracle". Their research method is a structure of socioeconomic genotype which aims at maximizing the economic system outcomes. It is concluded that the "economic miracle" appears when the economic policy and development strategy of a country coincide with the succession (logic) of a cyclic structure of genotype as a driving force of economic evolution.

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The paper suggests an approach to solving some basic economic problems and corresponding to them mathematical tasks, taking into account the principle of sufficiency, which, in the authors' opinion, is the quintessence of the ideas of the Club of Rome. According to this principle humanity must rationally limit its needs, produce and consume just a sufficient number of goods and in sufficient quantity. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate opportunities of application the principle of sufficiency for dealing with some problems (tasks), namely the consumer task and the producer task, both aimed at the achievement of not maximal but sufficient utility. In addition, the problem of optimal linear production planning aimed at the search of an optimal plan which from all admitted plans provides a maximal profit is considered. Since nowadays there is no common method of solving all these problems, possibility of finding their private solutions is described.

* Исследование выполнено при поддержке гранта РФФИ № 15-06-08515 «Методология формирования инновационной политики нестационарной экономической системы в условиях активизации внешних сдерживающих факторов».