Drivers and limitations of Russia’s development based on the evidence provided by the Global Innovation Index

The article explores the potential of the complex international indices for identifying, assessing and comparing the strengths and weaknesses of prog- ress in the science, technology and innovation complex of Russia. Using the Global Innovation Index data for 2013-2016 (82 indicators and more than120 countries annually), a cross-country analysis of comparative advantages is performed. Russia demonstrates positive dynamics in terms of the aggregate rankings, however, these relatively high positions are provided by the resource-related dimensions, e.g. various forms of R&D and innovation expenditure, share of university graduates in the total population, etc. However, the country is lagging behind along all the measures of the effectiveness of the utilization of these resources. According to the identified set of strengths and weaknesses, Russia differs significantly from both absolute leaders of the rating and the most actively developing countries. The emphasis on the resource elements reflects the instability of competitive advantages and the prevailing development model.