‘Over 20% are Presentations by International Researchers’
The Preliminary programme of the XIII International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development which will take place on April 3 – 5, 2012, has been published on the HSE website. Andrey Yakovlev, Vice Rector of the HSE, told us more about the programme.
— Dr. Yakovlev, what are your views on the level and quality of the applications for this year’s April Conference?
— When we were selecting the papers, we wanted to present the best possible work at the conference – not only in economics, but also in other disciplines, such as sociology, management, public administration, political science and economic history. In total, there were over 900 applications for the conference this year, many more that last year. As a result, the preliminary programme includes more presentations: over 500. But also, compared with last year, there were more applications which were rejected or put into the reserve pool. This was the result of stricter selection criteria and changes in the evaluation procedure for team applications. Unlike previous years, when individual and team applications went through different procedures, this year team applications were evaluated in the same way as individual ones, which means that specific papers were evaluated. As a result, some applications were not accepted, and in some cases several sessions were combined into one. And, in my view, this is a useful thing. For example, the results of joint research can be better presented as part of one strong session, rather than including two or three weak sessions in the programme.
About half of the papers in the programme will be presented by teachers, staff members and postgraduate students from the HSE, while over 20 percent are papers by international researchers. The largest number of international participants in the programme are from the USA (17 papers), Germany (13), Great Britain and Finland (8 papers each).
Despite the stricter selection criteria, the programme is still large: it includes almost 150 sessions, spread over 23 sections, but fortunately, we still have enough letters of the Latin alphabet. Following tradition, there will be two plenary sessions – in the morning of April 3rd and the morning of April 4th, and I.Shuvalov, A. Kudrin, E. Nabiullina, A. Siluanov, A. Dvorkovich, G.Gref and A. Ulyukaev have been invited. Justin Lin and Otaviano Canuto, Vice Presidents of the World Bank, have also confirmed their participation in the plenary sessions.
— What principles have been used to form the section programmes of the conference?
— While forming the section programme we have focused not on a ‘principle’ but on the results of research projects. Traditionally, the conference programme involves sections dedicated to macroeconomics, theoretical economics, banks and finance, demography and labour markets and sociology. But there are also some new sections which were previously represented on a much smaller scale. In particular, the section on economics and law now includes 10 sessions. This section highlights one of the two special topics of the conference. The first is more political and related to the results of the expert work on Strategy-2020, while the second one is interdisciplinary and related to the phenomenon of trust, bringing together economists, lawyers, social and political scientists to analyze how the development of economy and law generates (or not) trust. My impression is that we shall see many interesting presentations in various disciplinary areas.
The Economics and Law section will involve several sessions dedicated applying the approaches to public development analysis which have been suggested in the book ‘Violence and Social Orders’by Douglas North, John Joseph Wallis, and Barry Weingast, published last year in Russia. In Great Britain the follow up, which considers nine cases from developing countries, is already being prepared for publication. For our conference, North and his colleagues have prepared a special paper summarizing the results of the analysis of these cases, and the Russian version will be published and unveiled at the conference.
Other highlights of the conference include a visit by Kenneth Arrow, Nobel laureate. His honorary report will be dedicated to the information basis of the economy. I’d also like to mention the honorary report which will be given by Professor Jacques-François Thisse, head of the Laboratory of Theory of Markets and Spatial Economics at the HSE Saint-Petersburg Branch.
We are confident that the HSE April Conference will continue to be the pre-eminent event for economic and social sciences in Russia. You can register for the conference until March 9th.
Liudmila Mezentseva, HSE News Service
Jacques-François Thisse
See also:
Nobel Laureate Proposes Solution to Markov Equilibrium Problem
In dynamic games, a Markov equilibrium involves strategies that guide players' behaviour based on the current state of the game, rather than its entire history. This approach is effective when players have access to complete information. But when uncertainty arises in the game—for instance, when players are unsure of who they are dealing with—this approach can become problematic. Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate in Economics and Professor at Harvard University, addressed this issue in a paper presented at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development held at HSE University from April 15 to 18, 2025.
‘The World Is Becoming More Complex and Less Predictable’: What Scientists Say about the Future
The future is now more difficult for researchers to forecast, and events that are hard to predict are playing an increasingly significant role. But there is good news too: scientists are confident that humanity will adapt to any changes. This was the focus of discussion at the International Symposium ‘Foresight in a Rapidly Changing World,’ which took place as part of the 25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.
Fragmentation and Bloc Formation: How the Global Economy is Changing
Sergey Dubinin, former head of the Bank of Russia and Professor of Finance and Credit at the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University, has delivered an honorary address at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference. He spoke about the transformation of the global monetary and financial system, as well as the Russian economy.
More Children, More Happiness: HSE Experts Study Impact of Number of Children on Russians' Assessment of Happiness
Russians with children feel happier than those without children. At the same time, the number of children influences the assessment of happiness: the more children Russians have, the happier they feel. These conclusions were outlined inthe report ‘More Children, More Happiness: The Impact of the Number of Children on Russians’ Assessment of Happiness,’ presented at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development, held on April 15–18 at HSE University. The study was conducted by Elena Churilova, Senior Research Fellow, and Dmitry Jdanov, Chief Research Fellowat HSE International Laboratory for Population and Health.
HSE Expands Cooperation with Gulf Countries
HSE University and the Centre for International Policy Research (Qatar) have agreed to collaborate in the field of social sciences, with plans for joint research, academic exchanges, and regular expert engagement. The agreement was signed during the roundtable ‘State Capacity and State Resilience in the Global South,’ held as part of the 25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference at HSE University.
‘We Grow Old before We Become Rich’: How BRICS Countries Can Achieve Economic Growth
Due to population aging, many countries aiming for economic prosperity have limited time left to undergo economic transformation, according to the honorary report Narratives Versus Reality on Employment and Demography: How Undermining Institutions Can Push Countries Out of the ‘Narrow Corridor’ by Santosh Mehrotra of the University of Bath. The report was presented at the XXV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.
XXV Yasin (April) Academic Conference Kicks Off at HSE University
The anniversary 25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development will take place from April 15 to 18. This year, over a thousand applications were submitted to present at the conference, of which the Programme Committee selected 381 of the best research papers in their respective fields.
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.