The chapter provides a retrospective analysis of entrepreneurship development in Russia from the 9th century to 2020. It highlights four periods in the development of SMEs in Russia and gives characteristics of each of the periods. It also highlights criteria for classifying enterprises as small and medium-sized businesses according to Russian legislation. A retrospective analysis of government programs to support SMEs from 1994 to 2020 was carried out. The state support program, effective since 2016, “Strategy for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in the Russian Federation for the Period Ending 2030,” is considered in detail. Attention is paid to target indicators of SME development until 2030. An analysis of measures of state support for SMEs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has been carried out, highlighting the most affected industries. An analysis of SMEs by region of Russia was also carried out. An analysis of SMEs in effected industries in the post-pandemic period is carried out.

Integrated research on the introduction of e-government in different countries of the world is performed in this chapter. The aim of the research is the generalization of the positive experience in bringing use the of information technologies for providing government services. Four e-government models were identified in the process of analysis: English-American, European, Asian, and Russian. A retrospective analysis was performed of the introduction of information-communication technologies for providing government services in different countries within the framework of each model. Within the English-American model, the experience of the USA, Canada, and Great Britain was considered. Within the European Model, general information on the European Union was provided. In the Asian Model, the experience of South Korea, Singapore, China, and Japan was considered. Russian Federal Tax Agency was used for performing the research of the use of the information technologies aimed at the improvement of the quality of tax administration.

The chapter is dedicated to the research and analysis of positive practices implemented by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Russia amid the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2016 to 2019, small and medium-sized business has most developed in such spheres as services, trade, construction, industrial production, and agriculture. The introduction of strict quarantine measures had a negative impact on the financial condition of all economic sectors; therefore, the most affected industries of the Russian economy have been identified. The chapter considers the positive practices used by SMEs operating in the affected industries such as tourism and hotel business, food service industry, and fitness industry. When the borders were closed and after the lifting of severe restrictions, domestic tourism saw the fastest development. The research that was carried out showed that amid strict isolation, only food service establishments that managed to adopt a new mode of services—connection to aggregators, organization of meals delivery to clients, take-away orders—were able to continue operating.