Agency for Strategic initiatives as a New Type of development institution

Developments in the post-crisis period in Russia were associated with the emergence of a number of new institutions that support interactions between government and business. Against this background, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), in our opinion, has been the most successful institutional innovation so far. In this article we analyze the ASI as a new type of development institution for Russia, whose activity is focused not on allocations of budget funds and preferences, but on organization of strategic dialogue with the private sector and the consensus building within the government. Practical experience of the ASI’s activity is reviewed in this article, first, from the standpoint of general principles of the “new industrial policy” and, second, from the perspective of international best practices in deregulation policies. On this basis, the article highlights the strengths and possible risks of the current ASI model and proposes further steps to facilitate formation of favorable investment climate.