‘At the Conference We’ll Be Talking about Different Facets of Life in Russia: From New Investment Policy to the Digital Economy’
Today, the XIX April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development begins. HSE Academic Supervisor Evgeny Yasin talks about the main topics that will be covered at the conference, as well as some of the participants.
The April Conference, above all, is an academic event and an opportunity for researchers from across Russia and other countries to express their views on the problems of contemporary economics. As we traditionally do, we will hold an interesting plenary session with representatives from the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Finance, Center for Strategic Research, Sberbank and the Central Bank of Russia covering the development potential of Russia’s economy. In particular, Maxim Oreshkin, Russia’s Minister of Economic Development and one-time student at HSE, will speak on this topic.
Today, HSE is not only focused on economics, as it was 15-20 years ago. Whereas the first April Conferences concentrated solely on economic issues, the situation has changed somewhat today. We’ll be talking about different facets of life in Russia – from new investment policies to issues surrounding the digital economy and demographics.
In previous years, the global economic situation was developing in such a way that we could rely on oil. Today, the situation is different, and we need to understand the development path we are planning that will allow us to achieve economic growth and increase prosperity. I am convinced that human capital should play a very important role for the development of Russia’s economy in the coming years. Economists and sociologists have long been studying this phenomenon, including by keeping in mind the education of people in terms of their economic interests and their interest in certain institutions that increase the level of knowledge of a particular person. It is human capital that is becoming the main force in the development of Russia’s economy, which means that society should be interested in making this capital rise up and be placed into circulation. A plenary session entitled ‘Human Capital and Social Policy’ is dedicated to this topic; the main speakers are our rector, Yaroslav Kuzminov, and the director of the HSE Institute for Social Policy, Lilia Ovcharova. We anticipate that the discussion will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets.
I plan to attend the speech by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who will talk about the role of budget policy in ensuring economic growth. In my opinion, this will be one of the most important and interesting plenary sessions, since the budgetary sphere is one of the most painful today. I hope that we will have a meaningful conversation with colleagues who have been invited from the State Duma's Control and Budget Committee.
I am also interested in the other plenary sessions, in particular, the report concerning the new phase of anti-monopoly policy in Russia. The head of the Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, Igor Artemyev, will unveil the 5th anti-monopoly package. I also plan to attend the meeting where the challenges and prospects involving structural policy will be discussed. In my view, it is very important to clearly identify the priority sectors of the economy that will receive special attention from the state and business, and what kind of policy should be pursued with respect to them. I look forward to the report by Yuri Simachev, HSE’s Director of Economic Policy.
As I already mentioned, the format of the conference does not stipulate emphasis on any one key topic. The conference will also include sessions devoted to the national data management system and interaction between society, business and the state in the digital age. Problems, prospects and challenges concerning education will also be addressed, as will the technological future of Russia’s economy and structural policy. The agenda is quite rich and diverse, and I hope that I’ll be able to attend most of the meetings and sessions.
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
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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.