This article presents the first part of the work on how instruments and methods of the growth promotion should change as a country approaches the level of advanced economies in terms of welfare and the quality of institutions. We describe the evolution of economic policies in Western countries and also in countries that became known as "economic miracles" during their catch up development. Our analysis allows to trace the major directions of such evolution: from import substitution to export orientation, from regulation of import tariffs to non-selective policy of the real exchange rate undervaluation, from import of technology to domestically based research and development, from creation of large companies to support of small and medium-size firms.

     In recent years economists have come to see rich natural resource endowments as a "curse" that inevitably slows economic growth. Nonetheless, as the examples of a number of countries show, this situation is not fatal. The article argues that serious challenges posed by resource dependence can be overcome if accompanied by the right economic policies. The paper looks specifically at Russia as a prominent example of a resource-based economy and makes recommendations that would help it to sustain high growth.

     The article critically examines claims made by two prominent critical realists on behalf of their philosophy — on the Marx’s law of the tendency of the rate of profit to fall and on the workplace organization theory of the relative decline of the British economy. These two case studies raise important questions concerning critical realism in economics. The character of critical realism as a movement is also analyzed.

     The article examines the history of mathematical methods in economic science and their impact on the structure and factors of development of the modern economic theory. The author considers different features of mathematical modeling in it, giving some examples and analyzing theoretical and methodological issues arising in the process of economic and mathematical research.

     The process of reinforcement of centralization as a dominating tendency in territorial regulating development is analyzed. It is demonstrated that the centralized model of regional policy has exhausted all its resources and is becoming an obstacle to territorial development. An alternative concept of regional policy, allowing for new factors of territories’ development — decentralization of resources, competition, and strategic marketing — is suggested.

     The author examines the phenomenon of the abnormal concentration of economic, financial, demographic, social, and infrastructural potential in administrative centers of Russian regions ("regional capitals") and in few large cities. The fact that regional governments and territorial agencies of federal institutions are located in the "regional capitals" contributes to growth of their competitiveness. The author considers the reasons for and consequences of this situation that should be taken into account when developing and implementing economic and social policy, as well as federal and regional programs and projects.

     The article gives a review of national experience of development and implementation of local economic policy in 1995—2005, as well as brief analysis of the impact that the reform of local self-governance system imposes on priorities of and tools used for local economic policy after 2005. Research is based upon the survey of 70 municipalities from 32 Subjects of RF.

     The main topic of the article is the global problem of the role of economic education in modern society. On the basis of the USA and EU countries experience the author demonstrates different ways of increasing the efficiency of economic training — program modification, changing of teaching methods, using contemporary technology and teacher positions as the main factor.

     Research activities in universities are analyzed in the article. Modern Russia has been flourished with a variety of universities of different teaching quality. What institute to choose is the main question of young people and their parents. As many investigations have shown, the main quality signal for the universities is the level of professors’ research. The situation in Russian universities in this sphere is presented in the article.

     The modern approaches and mechanisms of managing the organization knowledge being now the main factor of innovation processes are observed in the article. Functioning of such mechanisms is not simple and needs outsourcers in education and consulting. In order to make the management effective the interaction of the company with the outsourcer should sustain the process of permanent knowledge circulation.

     Modernization of Russian education at the boundary of XIX—XX centuries and the contribution of distinguished Russian reformer S. Vitte to establishing the system of commercial education in Russia are considered in the article. The author reveals the activity of secondary, as well as higher commercial educational establishments, taking into account the fundamentals of their organization: specifics of financing, organization of educational process, level of teaching.