The article is devoted to the methodological and practical aspects of assessing the specifics of developing countries, including Mongolia, in estimate of the performance of financial and logistics chains. The relevance and significance of the study is that decisions on the investment program (Vision 2050) are made on the basis of traditional assessments of investment projects, its’ economic and social effects. Based on a generalization of available information and data, the article presents the author’s approach to justifying the need to change traditional assessment methods. The necessity of taking into account in models the costs of diversification and forecasting changes in the place in value chains when implicit costs arise in the future has been proven. Ignoring the fact that the costs of international trade are passed on to consumers in small commodity economies often leads to recessions and the need for constant debt refinancing. The article examines the structure of Mongolia’s exports and imports not in traditional estimates, but from the position of influence on future growth of expenses in the absence of sources to cover them. Particular attention is paid to the growing inefficiency and irrationality of budget expenditures in the traditional forecasting of the effects and benefits from the implementation of the project. In relation to the research topic, the use of the terms «budget liquidity», «fictitious financial flows», «disguise of commodity flows» is justified. An approach to the classification of factors that distort the picture of the movement of financial and logistics flows from the point of view of influence on national economic interests is proposed. In conclusion, a conclusion is drawn about the possibility of practical application of the proposed approaches for the analysis of financial and logistics flows of other countries, as well as the existing assumptions in the application of this model.

This article is devoted to the study of existing problems and prospects for the development of cooperation between the Russian Federation and Mongolia in the field of electric power. The author briefly describes the history of the development of Russian-Mongolian relations in this area and current legal framework, another point of interest is the study of existing energy problems in Mongolia. Particular attention is paid to the advantages that the Russian side has in its energy cooperation with Mongolia. The author then analyzes the areas of cooperation between Russia and Mongolia in the field of electric power, specifically: thermal energy (the most important traditional area), development of electrical grid infrastructure, hydropower, nuclear energy and, finally, alternative energy. For each area, the author provides information about the degree of its development in Mongolia and the opportunities available to the Russian side while interacting with Mongolian partners. The article provides a list of the most significant, including those already implemented, those under development, or those with a promising future. In addition, the author studies the existing problems that hinder the deepening of Russian-Mongolian cooperation in the electric power industry, such as opposition from other states (primarily the so-called «third neighbor» countries) and unresolved contradictions regarding Mongolian hydroelectric power station projects in the Selenga River basin. The author concludes that if the Russian side properly realizes the available advantages, there are good chances to resolve the controversial issues and achieve success in the development of Russian-Mongolian cooperation in the electric power industry, thereby contributing to economic growth and strengthening energy security of both countries.

Russia’s current confrontation with the collective West forces us to pay attention to the countries of the East, in whose fate Russia once played a key role and which, unfortunately, it has decided one day to leave. One such power is Mongolia. The history of Russian-Mongolian relations is a clear illustration of the influence of the civilizational factor on the course of political processes. In order to take into account this factor for more effective development of bilateral relations at the current stage, it is necessary to identify the main directions of bilateral cooperation development, resorting both to the analysis of key bilateral political and legal regulatory documents and the provisions of the civilizational approach, which is the purpose of this article.

Using the methodology of civilizational political science, the article examines and defines the main and possible directions for the development of RussianMongolian relations in the near future, identifies the main problems and suggests ways to solve them. Special emphasis is placed on those areas of cooperation that can be considered «civilizational». Interaction through public diplomacy is considered. It establishes the need to involve representatives of business, a number of government departments, as well as the public in order to achieve significant results. The inertia and inconsistency in the attitude of the Mongolian side towards bilateral projects are stated, the contours of the problem of Mongolia’s benevolent neutrality towards the countries of the Third Neighbor, and above all the United States, are determined. Based on the results of the study, the prospects of using the civilizational factor in the development of bilateral relations between Russia and Mongolia and the role it can play in the formation of a multipolar world order are assessed. The conclusion is made about how effective Russia’s return to Mongolia and strengthening of the Russian presence can be when giving bilateral relations a new civilizational dimension. It is specified that the fundamental acts of the two countries, which determine the main directions of foreign policy and build the contours of national security, can serve as a basis for this.

Foreign trade is one of the phenomena most susceptible to the so-called spatial friction effect. This article provides an overview of the geographical structure of Mongolia’s exports and imports by remoteness zones, demonstrating the critical influence of its landlocked position. Examining the distribution of imports and exports, considering the degree of product processing, reveals that finished products have a more dispersed distribution across remoteness zones. In contrast, raw materials are primarily directed to the nearest zone. The article presents statistics on product transportability, understood as the price per unit weight, and its distribution by remoteness zones at border crossing points. It concludes that the most valuable cargo passes through border points with Russia, while raw materials with low transportability, primarily coal and copper, are transported through the Mongolian-Chinese points of Gashuunsukhait and Zamyn-Uud, mainly to the nearest zone. Field studies have revealed the specifics of logistics schemes for coal delivery to China from the Tavan Tolgoi deposit. These involve delivery by road trains or by rail in containers, which simplifies the transshipment process and mitigates the barrier factor of the difference in railway gauge between Mongolia and China. In the copper mining industry, Russia and Mongolia are entering into competition through the parallel development of their largest copper-gold reserves. To diversify Mongolia’s foreign trade and reduce its economic dependence on China, it is necessary to increase the processing of raw material exports into finished products, which can be achieved with the help of Russian high-tech companies.

The article is devoted to the consideration of the situation in the trilateral energy cooperation between Russia, Mongolia and China. The authors analyze the current state and prospects of energy development of the three countries from the point of view of mutual cooperation. The author pays special attention to the prospects of signing an agreement for the supply of gas from Russia in transit through Mongolia to China. The article presents the strengths and weaknesses of this project and analyzes the reasons for delaying the negotiation process.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the theoretical views of thinkers representing various directions of socio-political thought on cooperation, its place and role in social development. The views of representatives of the Marxist, populist, and social democratic directions of the science of cooperation are specially considered, an idea is given about the theoretical concepts of the Italian and American academic communities of cooperation researchers, and the contribution of intellectuals developing game theory.