This article covers the basic principles and methodological, economic and mathematical tools for solving the problem of modernization of Russian enterprises. The paper shows that the solution of this problem affects a wide range of topical issues of the modern economic science: effective structuring of the socio-economic aspect of society; concepts and definitions of ‘enterprise’; theory of the firm; theory of production functions and associated models; methods of organization and of the evolution management of the development of the economy at the micro level. The article proposes the concept of the enterprise as a system of institutional and organizational, social and labour, property and technological, business and model sectors interacting both among themselves and with the authorities, population, economic and business structures of regional and federal levels. This concept allows not only formulating a correct definition of the ‘enterprise’ concept, but also indicating the ways of the implementation of enterprise modernization projects. The concept of system modernization as a method of the transformation of economic entities, occupying an intermediate position between the administrative modernization and organic evolution has been developed. The author classifies the risks and advantages of both methods of transformation. The resource-based and competence-based theory of the firm highlighting the interaction of enterprise resources with its capabilities (ambitions, aspirations, competencies) can be the basis for describing the functioning of the enterprise under modernization. The nonconformity of the amount of resources to the level of capabilities of the enterprise is a powerful stimulus of its transformation. The article has developed a small-size model of the functioning of an enterprise under modernization, including the resource-based and competence-based production function, as well as the functions of costs, dynamics of resources and capabilities of the firm. The author presents the key elements of the strategy of the massive modernization of enterprises at the regional and federal levels.

Balance is one of the economics’ cornerstone concepts. Researchers identify various types of balance, including commodity- money, industry, territorial, inter-period, etc. The universal representation of socio-economic systems in the form of a complex of object-oriented, project-oriented, environment-oriented and process-oriented systems enables to question the system balance, i.e., whether the scales of these subsystems are proportionate in the system. Furthermore, the concept of a system balance of the economy of the Russian Federation subjects, federal districts and the country as a whole appears. The paper aims to quantify the system balance of each subject and determine the current ratio of systemically balanced and unbalanced Russian subjects. The application of these correlations in the development of the Russian Federation’s socio-economic strategy will allow the increase of the socio-economic space’s connectivity. Moreover, it will impact the socio-economic policy’s continuity and targeting over time and the national economy’s sustainable development. Based on the provisions and methods of system economic theory, we evaluated the system balance of the Russian economy from a regional perspective. We calculated system balance index of the Russian Federation subjects, federal districts and the country as a whole. Then we identified groups of the Russian Federation subjects of with a high, medium and low degree of system balance. Further, we investigated the dynamics of the structure of groups of regions-leaders and regions-outsiders according to the degree of system balance for the period from 2012 to 2016. We created the heat map of the Russian economy’s system balance from a regional perspective. Finally, we created the guidelines for the system economic policy for territorial development, aimed at increasing the number of system balanced regions. The article justifies the need to include a section reflecting the proportions between the development of the object-oriented, environment- oriented, process-oriented and project-oriented subsystems of the region in the strategy of the Russian Federation subjects.