The material published here is a report on the Thirty-First Gubernatorial Readings held in Tyumen, December 5th, 2017, under the framework of the joint project conducted by the journal Politeia and the administration of Tyumen region. The topic of the Readings is problems and prospects for the development of the digital economy in Russia. The main report presented by A.N.Raikov, the President of the Analytical Agency New Strategies, gives a detailed analysis of the state of the digital economy in Russia and identifies the most important obstacles that hamper its implementation. T.V.Pogodaeva, the Vice-Rector of the Tyumen State University, in her report emphasizes the challenges that the development of the digital economy faces in the sphere of education. O.F.Danilov, the Head of the Department of Automotive Transport, Construction and Road Building Machinery of the Tyumen Industrial University, devoted his speech to the program of "smart cities" and the conditions favorable for its realization. I.B.Khusainov, the Director of the real estate company Etazhi, and K.A.Bazhin, the General Director of KB-Inform, shared their experiences in the practical application of the digital technologies in business. Summing up the discussion, V.V.Yakushev, the Governor of the Tyumen region, drew attention to the fact that, regardless of people's attitude to it, digitalization and its repercussions will continue, significantly changing our lives. He admitted that we will not be able to lead in the race for the global dominance in this sphere and listed concrete steps the region can take to support the IT direction.