‘I Did Not Have to Think Twice before Accepting the Offer to be Research Fellow at HSE University’

Francisco Cabrera

Francisco Cabrera, a Research Fellow in the Center for Institutional Studies (CinSt) at HSE  is working under the supervision of Dr. Maria Yudkevich on projects on human capital accumulation using the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey - HSE. He is planning to stay in Moscow for one year at least.

Francisco Cabrera is originally from Mexico City and came to HSE Moscow from University of Sussex. ‘I was aiming to continue my career as an academic in a country with a long tradition in science and research.

Russia has a strong academic tradition and HSE, as the best economics department in the country, is highly competitive, well-funded and internationally recognized

I did not have to think twice before accepting the offer to be Research Fellow in the Center for Institutional Studies (CINST) at HSE.’

Francisco Cabrera uses the most recent research methods in economics to answer questions that could improve education and labour markets. He hopes to use big data from Russia while working at HSE. ‘My research is highly applied, aiming to answer policy questions such as:

• Is grade repetition good for children to learn?
• Does the length of the school day influence pupils’ educational outcomes?
• Does providing free childcare increase female participation in the labour market?

By answering this type of questions I seek to provide evidence that could inform governments’ decisions on public programmes.’ 

Francisco lived in four different countries before coming to Moscow.  However, this experience is completely different from any of his previous ones. ‘It is both more exciting and challenging. For the first time, I do not speak the local language and I broadly ignore most of the customs and ways of the local people. Nonetheless, this only makes the experience more appealing. I am sure I will learn a lot from the Russian culture and people and this is something I will never regret.’

‘Personally, I have always appreciated Russian ballet and composers. I am so looking forward to spending an afternoon at the Bolshoi Theater. Also, as an economist trained in a public university in Mexico, I studied a lot about Russian political and economic history: Lenin, the communist era, the Bolsheviks, the Tsars and other Russian characters such as Trotsky --who spent his last days in Mexico, and the historical circumstances that lead to socialism. However, I must admit that even highly trained people in my country broadly ignore most of the present circumstances in Russia as our only source of information is the western media. So I am happy and prepared to learn all about this marvelous country: its people, its language, its society and also, its challenges.’

Francisco Cabrera is going to present his report ‘Leave them kids alone! The positive effect of abolishing grade retention on pupils’ dropout rates: Evidence from a policy change’ at CInSt research seminar on December 12, 2019.