April Conference Discusses Strategic Areas of Russia’s Development
The XVIII April International Academic Conference has kicked off at Higher School of Economics (HSE). This major event includes expert discussions on the strategic problems facing Russia’s economic and social development. Representatives of the Russian Government will take part in the debates.
The expert and roundtable discussions are based on analyses prepared by the Centre of Strategic Studies (CSS). On April 11, Alexei Kudrin, Chairman at CSS, is speaking on the prospects for Russian economic growth. The discussants for his presentation include Anton Siluanov, Russian Minister of Finance, Ksenia Yudaeva, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, Alexander Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and President of HSE, among others.
On the same day, the conference participants will discuss the problems of technological development (keynote speaker: Vladimir Knyaginin, Vice President at CSS). Other important speakers include Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vassily Osmakov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, and Andrey Fursenko, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation.
Sergey Sinelnikov-Murylev, Rector of the Russian Foreign Trade Academy, will speak on issues regarding inter-budgetary relations. This discussion will be joined by Leonid Gornin, Deputy Minister of Finance, and Vladimir Lisin, Chairman of the Board of Directors at NLMK Group, as well as representatives of the City of Moscow and the Moscow Regional Government.
The first day of expert discussions will finish with the roundtable discussion ‘The State and Economic Development’ with the participation of Anton Siluanov, Alexei Kudrin, Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development, Tatiana Golikova, Head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, Yaroslav Kuzminov, HSE Rector, and other experts.
On April 12, discussions will be held with a focus on the problems of Russian education (keynote speaker: Isak Froumin, Academic Supervisor at the HSE Institute of Education), social policy (Lilia Ovcharova, HSE Director for Social Studies, will make a presentation, and Maxim Topilin, Russian Minister of Labour and Social Security, is expected to participate), and health care (Sergey Shishkin, Director of the HSE Centre for Health Policy, is presenting a paper).
On the following day, experts in public administration will get together to discuss a presentation by Maria Shklyaruk, Head of Institutions and Society at CSS. Furthermore, experts in international relations and trade will be discussing Russia’s position in the global economy (a major paper shall be presented by Natalia Ivanova, First Deputy Director at the RAS Institute of World Economy and International Relations).
Online broadcasts of the expert discussions are available at the conference website.
The academic part of the April Conference includes 35 topical sections and 240 discussion sessions in various areas of social studies.
See also:
HSE University Announces Call for Proposals to Attend Anniversary Yasin Conference
HSE University invites submissions of proposals with academic reports for participation in the 25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference (YIAC). The conference programme, centred on five research themes addressing issues of economic and social development, will retain its interdisciplinary focus and welcome participation from leading scientists in Russia and around the globe. The key events of the 25th Yasin Conference will be taking place in Moscow from April 15 to 18, 2025.
25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference Now Accepting Proposals
Reports on new research results will be presented and discussed as part of the conference’s sections. These reports will be selected based on reviews of proposals. As always, the conference programme features expert discussions of the most pressing economic, social, internal and external issues in the format of roundtables and associated events.
Academic Council: HSE University’s Contribution to Achieving National Goals and Development Priorities to Increase
HSE University’s Development Programme until 2030 will be improved in order to increase the university’s contribution to achieving national goals and implementing the priorities of the country’s scientific and technological development. This decision was made by the university’s Academic Council on April 26. The meeting also addressed the principles for the development of HSE University’s external communications, one of which is the creation of a high-quality information field around the university.
Keeping Up with the Neighbours: Envy as a Driver of Economic Growth
Classical economic theory assumes that economic agents are entirely self-interested and rational in their pursuit of material well-being, and that they are not affected by external factors. As a result, externalities are not considered in any way when constructing economic models. Nevertheless, some sociologists argue for a revision of modern economic theory to incorporate the ethical dimensions of economic agents' behaviour. Kirill Borissov, Professor of the Faculty of Economics at the European University in St Petersburg, spoke at the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference and shared his observations from creating his own economic model incorporating the factor of envy.
Structural Transformation and Drivers of Sustainable Growth in Russian Economy Discussed at HSE University
The Russian economy has demonstrated high resilience to unprecedented external pressure and has managed to largely adapt to new conditions. As early as this year, it can go from recession to growth. The issue of where to find drivers and resources for this was discussed at a plenary session titled ‘Russian Economy under Sanctions: From Adaptation to Sustainable Growth’ at the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference held at HSE University as part of the Decade of Science and Technology. Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maksim Reshetnikov took part in the discussion.
‘People Want to Receive Only Useful Content’
Experts say that interest in news has sharply increased among the Russian audience. At the same time, part of the audience deliberately avoids it. What kind of content is in demand and will people continue to watch TV? These and other issues were discussed at the plenary session ‘ Info-hygiene and Information Elitism: How to Consume Media Properly’ at the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.
'The Emerging Trends in Africa Will Shape the World Order, and We Need to Be Prepared for That'
Africa has the potential to become a new economic giant. Today, African countries are interested in comprehensive cooperation and strengthening their positions in the global arena, and they look forward to receiving assistance from Russia and China in developing their technology, economy, and social sphere. Effective engagement with Africa requires training a greater number of professional African studies specialists. The XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference at HSE University featured a plenary session on 'Africa in a Changing World'.
Learning a Foreign Language Can Delay the Onset of Dementia
Dementia, a debilitating form of cognitive impairment, can be preventable. According to Professor Jubin Abutalebi of the University Vita Salute San Raffaele, Italy, and the Arctic University of Tromsoe, Norway, the easiest way to prevent cognitive decline after the age of 60 is to learn and practice foreign languages – the more languages, the better, suggests Professor Abutalebi in his presentation 'Preventing dementia through bilingualism' at the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.
‘The BRICS Strategic Partnership Offers the World Creative, Unifying, Forward-Looking Initiatives’
Today, BRICS has become an influential factor in modern international relations and is perceived as one of the pillars of a more just world order. This association is not based on one party’s dominance, but instead, is built on a sound balance of interests. The role of the association was discussed by the participants of the plenary session ‘BRICS Development Strategy: Equal Opportunities in an Unequal World’at the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.
Sanctions Create New Opportunities for Russian Companies
Like any crisis, the sanctions of 2022, besides problems, have created new opportunities for Russian companies. This is the conclusion that HSE University’s experts have come to. Their study results are presented in the report ‘Adaptation of Russian Industrial Companies to Sanctions: First Steps and Expectations’, prepared by HSE University for the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.