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Purpose – Presented on behalf of the Evian Group @ IMD, this paper aims to expand upon points made in the keynote speech at the 9th Annual EABIS Colloquium on Corporate Responsibility and Emerging Markets held in St Petersburg, Russia on 20-21 September 2010.Design/methodology/approach – Three themes are explored within the context of the BRICs: geopolitics and global governance in the twenty-first century; the balance between public good and private enterprise; and frameworks for equitable trade and inclusive growth.Findings – The global situation is precarious, characterized by multi-polarity, asymmetrical power threats, and a vacuum in global governance. The trade-based economic development of the BRICs is a positive economic sign but raises implications for sustainability. There is a need for balance between the ability of the public sector to provide public goods, including global public goods, and the need for government to create incentives for the private sector and unleash its creativity and energy. With the proper incentives and legal structure, including respect for the rule of law, the energy and creativity of the private sector can be harnessed to develop a framework for equitable trade and inclusive growth, and to further the development of a sustainable global market economy.Originality/value – The paper provides a catalyst for discussion that bridges the gap between business school education, legal education, political science and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we regard public procurement as an instrument used by the government for indirect support of enterprises. In this context, we have investigated the place that public procurement occupy in state-business interrelations. Using data from a large survey of Russian manufacturing enterprises conducted in 2009 we show that in Russia public procurement cannot be regarded as a component in the system of exchanges, and the extent of combination between direct and indirect support depends on the level of government. At the federal level direct and indirect instruments of government support complement each other. At the regional and local levels the effect of mutual complementation can be observed only in relations with firms, which conceal information about their ownership structure and are supposedly affiliated with regional and local bureaucrats. In relations with other firms at regional and local levels direct and indirect support substitutes each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]