The paper suggests a bidirectional nexus between transport infrastructure and price formation. It is argued that the link between these two factors is not only through microeconomic effect that transport infrastructure development has on pricing, but also that it can be analyzed from the macroeconomic perspective. Hence, the article is aimed at investigating the bidirectional nexus between transport infrastructure and price formation. The main hypotheses of the research are the following: (1) Macro- and macroeconomic effects are different with respect to the sign of their influence; (2) Microeconomic effect is described by the negative effect of transport infrastructure development on price level; (3) Macroeconomic effect is perceived as a positive influence of price level increase on transport infrastructure development. Therefore, it is assumed the link between transport infrastructure and price formation is bidirectional: transport infrastructure has a negative effect on price formation, whereas price formation positively impacts transport infrastructure development. To test the hypothesis, analysis was conducted of 118 countries of different economic, social and political systems with the use of panel regression. The panel data for 2009-2018 years was used. The results indicate the presence of the said bidirectional link and prove the hypotheses set. Transport infrastructure development, represented by transport infrastructure score through the global competitiveness index, leads to reduction in price level, measured by the conversion factor of purchase power parity to exchange rates. In contrast, an increase in price level positively impacts transport infrastructure development. The nexus of transport infrastructure and price formation is explained through two directions: 1) from specific to general (including price fall by transport capacity increase – microeconomic effect); 2) from general to specific (as a social development level that determines the efficiency of management processes, in transport and logistics – macroeconomic effect).

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of society. Among the most tangible consequences of the “coronacrisis” in Russia, one can single out a decrease in the number of employed people and a drop in incomes of the population in 2020. The high speed of the spread of the coronavirus has determined the need for the introduction of prompt measures to combat COVID-19, as well as supportive measures for both the population and businesses. Despite the scale and breadth of the measures of state support implemented in 2020, the question of methods for assessing their effectiveness is acute. The purpose of the study is to assess the inclusiveness of economic growth in the Russian Federation in the context of COVID-19 in the areas of state support for employment and income of the population. The following hypotheses are being tested: 1) the inclusiveness of economic growth in terms of employment and income of the population has decreased in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) measures of state support for employment and incomes of the population made it possible to mitigate the drop in the value of the inclusiveness of economic growth. A new approach to analyze the effectiveness of public policy measures is suggested, on the basis of the author's dynamic approach to assessing the inclusiveness of economic growth. The proposed methodological approach is being tested for the case of analysis of the effect of state support measures in Russia in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and incomes of the population. The increase in state welfare funding in 2020 compared to the modeled value made it possible to reduce the level of decline in the inclusiveness of economic growth (by 0.16 points), as a result of which this indicator in the areas of employment and income of the population decreased in 2020 by only 0.11 points. The results indicate relative effectiveness of the support measures adopted by the government that showed in mitigating the pandemic-induced fall in the inclusiveness of economic growth in 2020. The hypotheses under study were confirmed. The practical significance of this study lies in the proposal of a new dynamic approach to assessing the inclusiveness of economic growth, which can be used as a tool for assessing the effectiveness of the state policy pursued both at the federal and regional levels.

The effect of transport infrastructure development on human development is not limited to one-dimensional link. It is a multidimensional process that is based on both economic and social phenomena that determine socioeconomic relations in the society. The article is aimed at distinguishing between different channels of the ways transport infrastructure influences human development. In the focus of the research – the effect of two-directional link between transport infrastructure and price formation.

In accordance with Federal Law No. 116-FZ, starting from 2016, borrowed labor is prohibited in the Russian Federation. At the same time, such a phenomenon as agency employment is actively developing: the total volume of the Russian market for recruitment, provision of personnel, and outsourcing amounted to 281.3 billion rubles in 2020. At the same time, a number of studies indicate a possible link between agency work and informal employment, however, in the absence of statistical data, quantifying this relationship is not an easy task for Russia. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to determine the direction of the influence of the migration factor (international and interregional migration) and informal employment on agency employment. A new approach has been applied to the study of the phenomenon of agency employment in the Russian economy. Due to the limited data of the World Confederation of Labor and the fact of a positive correlation between the level of penetration of agency employment and the global competitiveness index, an attempt was made to empirically assess the impact of informal employment and migration processes on the scale of borrowed labor in Russia. To do this, based on data for 2007-2019, the authors built a multiple linear regression model, where the index of global competitiveness of Russia was used as a dependent variable. As a research result, it was found that interregional migration contributes to the growth of agency employment, while international migration, on the contrary, restrains it. As for the impact of informal employment, it is ambiguous and requires further study. The authors conclude that most of the risks of agency employment (borrowed labor) in the Russian economy are associated not so much with the phenomenon of borrowed labor itself, but rather with the problems of informal and/or shadow employment in general. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that despite the known methodological limitations, the authors have developed, successfully tested, and recommended to experts a new effective approach to the study of agency employment (and borrowed labor) in Russia in the context of the lack of quantitative and/or qualitative data on this form of employment.

At the stage of restoration of employment and incomes of the population to the pre-pandemic level, the importance of measures is focused not only on the current situation but also on long-term changes in the social and labor sphere with an emphasis on developing the infrastructure of the labor market, expanding employment opportunities for citizens based on the acquisition of demanded skills and professions, creating new jobs with decent wages and working conditions. The federal-regional approach being implemented in Russia to the development and implementation of measures to support employment and incomes of the population in the context of the “COVID-19 crisis” integrated the answer to both national problems and the problems of specific regions. The object of research is the regional policy to support the employment and incomes of the population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to perform a content analysis of activities within the framework of a package of measures for 85 Russian regions in order to identify sore points of the labor market both in certain regions and on a national scale. The research methodology is based on a qualitative analysis of the activities of regional packages of measures to restore employment to the level of 2019, implemented in the MAXQDA Standard 2020 program. Based on a quantitative content analysis of documents, the authors developed a classifier of measures to support the population and business, with the help of which the main objects and directions of the support provided, the policy instruments used were identified. According to the results of the paper, the most promising areas of employment support in terms of the expected economic effect are the implementation of investment projects with the participation of the state as a way to support business, the implementation of educational programs, and training in the context of promoting employment. Among the measures to support the incomes of the population, financial support for young specialists and university graduates stands out, implemented mainly in the form of grants. Among the measures of financial support for employers, priority is given to agricultural producers. The practical implementation of the research results and related recommendations will allow, according to the authors, to use them in the future to assess the effectiveness and/or efficiency of the government policy measures to address the consequences of the “COVID-19 crisis”.