From a modern institutional economics viewpoint, blockchain is an institutional technology that minimizes transaction costs and greatly reduces intermediation. Through an analysis of blockchain, I demonstrate the possibilities of extended institutional approach – a new generation of complexity-focused methodologies and theories of institutional analysis that complement and expand the standard institutional paradigm. By using the theory of transaction value, I argue blockchain technologies not only will lead to a significant reduction in transaction costs but will also reorient intermediaries toward improving the quality of transactions and expanding the offer of additional transaction services. The theory of institutional assemblages indicates it is impossible to form a homogeneous system of blockchain-based institutions associated exclusively with the principles of decentralization, transparency, and openness. Blockchain-based institutions will be of a hybrid and conflicting nature, combining elements of opposing institutional logics – regulatory and algorithmic law, Ricardian and smart contracts, private and public systems, and uncontrollability and arbitration.

Pablo Paniagua and Veeshan Rayamajhee (2021) propose an Ostromian polycentric view on coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) preventative measures co-produced by the state and citizens. I argue that we should also use another Ostromian approach – ‘crafting of institutions.’ Focusing on the crafting of cognitive institutions allows us to understand the co-production of virus containment in all its complexity. Combining the ‘crafting cognitive institutions’ and ‘boosting’ approaches will allow for the creation of institutionally and behaviorally informed anti-COVID policy interventions in line with polycentric pandemic governance.

The paper deals with the negative aspects of nanotechnology development on the global and national scales. Possible economic, environmental and social risks and latent threats to the formation of nanoindustry and nanoproducts consumption are discussed. The conclusion about the need of intensive studies of this complex problem and development of regulatory mechanisms, legal frameworks and institutions of nanotechnology progress monitoring is made.

Svetlana Kirdina (2013) defends the need to develop new version of holism - methodological institutionalism. This paper elaborates on this idea on the basis of comparative analysis of the opposing methodologies and suggests the concept of institutional configurations, i.e. models of interactions of institutions and their stakeholders in concrete economic space. Methodological institutionalism is considered as a methodology for the configuration mesoanalysis of social and economic systems holding intermediate position between holism and institutional individualism. The paper demonstrates the usefulness of the “switching mode” of methodologies between individualism and holism.

Globalization of modern economics forms new economic challenges in order to improve Russian regions' competitiveness. The regions' competitiveness significance grows substantially under conditions of the regions' historically formed economies' focus; current nature resources use potential and the advantages of the regions' geographic location for external economic cooperation. Considering these facts, current research suggests a new method of assessing the socio-economic systems' competitiveness. The authors suggest using the socio-economic system's competitiveness integral index as the basic competitiveness assessment means. This integral index comprises 4 indicators, defining the system's functionality, system, proactiveness, and organicity. It is suggested to form private competitiveness indices in long-term and short-term periods in order to assess the system's competitiveness dynamically. The private competitiveness index in short-term period comprises indicators, defining the functionality and system levels, and the private competitiveness index in long-term period comprises defining the proactiveness and organicity levels. Several economic magnitudes, interpreting the functionality, system, proactiveness, and organicity indicators are presumed for interpreting each of them. A broadened spectrum of economic magnitudes, used for interpreting the assessment indicators, facilitates the involvement of various statistic and empiric data.