INSOR
Encyclopedia
INSOR known until March 2008 as RIO Center , in a Moscow
-based nonprofit think tank
affiliated with current president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev
, who, as of July 31, 2008, heads INSOR's board of trustees. It is the only non-government organization where Medvedev retained formal influence after the presidential election
. Daily management of INSOR is delegated to Igor Yurgens, vice-president and spokesman of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
.
, moving into National Priority Projects
area when these projects emerged in 2005. The projects became a vehicle for elevating Medvedev to the role of Vladimir Putin
's successor.
INSOR was officially launched by Medvedev March 18, 2008 – after the election but prior to his inauguration. The organization declares a long-term goal of modernizing national social services within the framework of four National Priority Projects
: Modern Healthcare, Affordable Housing, Quality Education
and Agricultural Development - as well as the Demographic Sustainability
program. Medvedev declared that "civil society
should have means to influence the implementation of social policy. And expert discussions of this kind are one of the forms of such influence". Yurgens described the organization "as an open center, where various points of view may collide, but, on the other hand, part of the discussion may be held behind closed doors, yet the final recommendations will always be available to the public".
In July 2008 INSOR made headlines by promoting an unpopular decision to replace regressive rate
of employers' social contributions (unified social tax) with a flat 26% tax. The proposal does not affect employers of low-income workforce but targets employers of highly skilled workers, professional firms etc. The change is part of a larger plan to reform Russian social contribution system. Currently, employer contributions are channeled into Pension Fund, mandatory medical insurance and social insurance, none of which can function properly. INSOR proposes to eliminate mandatory insurance altogether and use the savings to finance the deficit-ridden Pension Fund. These proposals are radically contrary to Vladimir Putin
's government approach.
Earlier in 2008 INSOR launched an internet portal for the youth, mir4you.ru. It was criticized for a formal approach, lack of own exclusive content, massive copyright violation and numerous factual errors due to unscrupulous use of outdated "borrowed" texts.
, Elvira Nabibullina, etc.) and academics (Yevgeny Velikhov, Yevgeny Yasin
). There are no active businesspeople (with a probable exception of Leonid Reiman
). Executive staff is primarily academic (Ruslan Grinberg, Vladimir Mau etc.)
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
-based nonprofit think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
affiliated with current president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
, who, as of July 31, 2008, heads INSOR's board of trustees. It is the only non-government organization where Medvedev retained formal influence after the presidential election
Russian presidential election, 2008
The Russian Presidential election of 2008, held on March 2, 2008 resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev, whose candidacy was supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties , received 71% of the vote, and defeated...
. Daily management of INSOR is delegated to Igor Yurgens, vice-president and spokesman of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs is a lobby based in Moscow that promotes the interests of business in Russia. It has over 1,000 members, which include both private and state-owned companies, factories, and foreign and Russian plants....
.
History
RIO Center, established in 2003, initially focused on the ways of modernizing Russia into an information societyInformation society
The aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally through using IT in a creative and productive way. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic,...
, moving into National Priority Projects
National Priority Projects
The National Priority Projects of the Russian Federation is a program of the Russian government set out by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech on September 5, 2005. The program is aimed to develop social welfare in Russia by additional funding by the state of four selected projects...
area when these projects emerged in 2005. The projects became a vehicle for elevating Medvedev to the role of Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
's successor.
INSOR was officially launched by Medvedev March 18, 2008 – after the election but prior to his inauguration. The organization declares a long-term goal of modernizing national social services within the framework of four National Priority Projects
National Priority Projects
The National Priority Projects of the Russian Federation is a program of the Russian government set out by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech on September 5, 2005. The program is aimed to develop social welfare in Russia by additional funding by the state of four selected projects...
: Modern Healthcare, Affordable Housing, Quality Education
Education in Russia
Education in Russia is provided predominantly by the state and is regulated by the federal Ministry of Education and Science. Regional authorities regulate education within their jurisdictions within the prevailing framework of federal laws. In 2004 state spending for education amounted to 3.6% of...
and Agricultural Development - as well as the Demographic Sustainability
Demographics of Russia
The demographics of Russia is about the demographic features of the population of the Russian Federation, including population growth, population density, ethnic composition, education level, health, economic status, and other aspects of the population....
program. Medvedev declared that "civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
should have means to influence the implementation of social policy. And expert discussions of this kind are one of the forms of such influence". Yurgens described the organization "as an open center, where various points of view may collide, but, on the other hand, part of the discussion may be held behind closed doors, yet the final recommendations will always be available to the public".
In July 2008 INSOR made headlines by promoting an unpopular decision to replace regressive rate
Regressive tax
A regressive tax is a tax imposed in such a manner that the tax rate decreases as the amount subject to taxation increases. "Regressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from high to low, where the average tax rate exceeds the...
of employers' social contributions (unified social tax) with a flat 26% tax. The proposal does not affect employers of low-income workforce but targets employers of highly skilled workers, professional firms etc. The change is part of a larger plan to reform Russian social contribution system. Currently, employer contributions are channeled into Pension Fund, mandatory medical insurance and social insurance, none of which can function properly. INSOR proposes to eliminate mandatory insurance altogether and use the savings to finance the deficit-ridden Pension Fund. These proposals are radically contrary to Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
's government approach.
Earlier in 2008 INSOR launched an internet portal for the youth, mir4you.ru. It was criticized for a formal approach, lack of own exclusive content, massive copyright violation and numerous factual errors due to unscrupulous use of outdated "borrowed" texts.
Personnel
INSOR's board of 12 includes, along with Medvedev, state servants (Arkady DvorkovichArkady Dvorkovich
Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich is an official of the Russian Chess Federation. Dvorkovich favors his opponent, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who is running for re-election of FIDE....
, Elvira Nabibullina, etc.) and academics (Yevgeny Velikhov, Yevgeny Yasin
Yevgeny Yasin
Yevgeny Grigoryevich Yasin is a Russian economist. He was the Russian Minister for the Economy between 1994 and 1997. He is currently a research director at the National Research University Higher School of Economics...
). There are no active businesspeople (with a probable exception of Leonid Reiman
Leonid Reiman
Leonid Dododzhonovich Reiman, in Russian: Леонид Дододжонович Рейман; born July 12, 1957 in Leningrad is a Russian businessman and government official, former Minister of Communications and Information Technologies of the Russian Federation...
). Executive staff is primarily academic (Ruslan Grinberg, Vladimir Mau etc.)