In the present article, the main principles of the circular economy are outlined in contradistinction with the existing and traditional linear economic model. An econometric model describing the influence of the linear economy on the environment is presented. The environment is characterized by seven key processes: change in global temperature; emissions of greenhouse gases from industry to the environment; emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture to the environment; CO2 emissions into the environment; depletion of fresh water supplies; reduction of forest cover; and economic damage from climatological disasters. The model describing the impact of the traditional linear economy on the environment consists of seven interdependent econometric equations, each comprising an autoregressive distributed lag (ADL)-model. The proposed econometric model is used to analyze the environmental effects of the present linear economy. Methodological provisions for a transformational transition of the traditional linear economic model to the closed-loop systems, which also permit the impact of the closed-loop systems on the environment to be analyzed, are set out. Seven ecological indicators are proposed as criteria for comparing the traditional linear economy and the closed-loop systems. The manuscript presents a new approach for the determination of ecological criteria for comparing linear and circular economies. The results of the study could be interesting to address circular processes, which can be used as a criterion to establish ecological management according to the status of natural resources.

The paper aims to reveal the prospects for the development of global energy sector and to look into the prospects for alternative energy sources in the world power industry. The paper provides the analysis of oil and gas (natural, liquefied, shale) production and transportation in the medium term. We define the conditions and the main factors of providing energy security as well as overcoming energy poverty of national economies. For the purpose of energy diversification, we identify the directions and the potential for the use of alternative energy sources and the possibility to step up development of alternative energy. On the basis of statistics, the paper demonstrates that the use of alternative fuels (hydrogen, biofuel, solar and wind energy, tidal energy) has not yet resulted in a significant decrease in the demand for oil, gas and other traditional energy sources. It is noted that offshore Arctic gas development is gradually increasing. Data on Arctic seas gas resources are provided. Geopolitical, financial, economic and environmental risks on the world energy markets are classified.

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This article analyses the dynamics of trust in institutions, which underpin the legitimacy of social order, on the basis of a study of the developed Arctic region during the period 2006–2018. The authors considered the principal theoretical concepts on which the study of trust, the well-being of citizens, the assessment of security and compliance with the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens is to be based. It is assumed that the legitimacy of the social order consists in a state where people not only trust specific institutions, but also enjoy a sense of security from threats and the ability to exercise basic rights and freedoms in the presence of a competent authority to protect them in case of violations. The dynamics of the security of the inhabitants of the region, associated with an increase in the level of their well-being, are considered. The structure for retaining the legitimacy of the social order is demonstrated on the basis of a number of indices and model calculations. Configuration analysis was carried out to support the construction of multidimensional models. It was concluded that there has been a dramatic collapse in the social activity of the inhabitants of the Arctic region bordering on social apathy. It is shown that, during the period under study, trust in local authorities significantly declined, while the importance attributed to respecting private property rights increased. Trust in social institutions is shown to be significantly lower than trust in government institutions, contradicting the situation in developed countries. It is recommended that more attention be paid to the functioning of local and municipal authorities governing the Arctic region, who are much more aware of the needs of the inhabitants since they are connected by much denser social ties. The authors substantiate the need to introduce social innovation that allows to diversify communication channels between the government and the public, meet unsatisfied social needs that are not solved by existing institutions and contribute to building trust between different participants.

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The paper introduces the term “digital (neural network) economy”, which reveals the content of the processes of digital transformation of the national and world economic systems that are currently going on and makes it possible to form the methodological basis for further research in this field. It is shown that at the technological level the processes are accompanied by NBIC convergence of (nano-, bio-, information and cognitive) clusters of the digital economy, which generates synergy effects. The new structure of the modern economy is being formed. The building blocks of today’s economy are: systems of the circular economy, clusters, network, business incubators, and technology platforms. The economic contents and the essence of the structure of the national economy are shown and the directions for its transfer are found out. It has been concluded that in the time of digital economy, as a result of network convergence, synergy effects of converged regional clusters appear. It has been found out that with a growing number of converged clusters of information spaces, the entropy inside them is stably going down. The paper reveals the content of the digital concept, defines the general principles, criteria and indicators of sustainable development. In order to characterize sustainable development, a number of indicators are used. They can be considered at different hierarchical levels: global, national, regional, local and industry-specific ones. The features of the “green economy” developing in the time of digitalization of the world and national economic systems are looked into. Given these features, a model of the regional concept has been developed and proposed. The model embraces sustainable development and organizational and economic mechanisms, which can be used to measure the efficiency of its implementation in the time of transfer to the digital (e-neural network) economy.