‘It’s Very Interesting and Inspiring to Hear what is Going on in Russia’
On April 2, 2013, the XIV HSE April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development got under way. Some of the conference participants told us about their research and shared their first impressions and expectations of the event.
Simon Marginson, Professor of Higher Education in the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne, Australia:
‘This is my first time both in Moscow and at the April Conference. I’m participating in the second plenary meeting, “Institutions and New Social Policy”. I’ll also give an honorary lecture on ‘Research, STEM and the global arms race in innovation: The rise and rise of East Asia and Singapore’.
We’ll be talking about the development of higher education and research within the development of economies. The plenary session will focus on social policy issues and institutional frameworks, and I will discuss how to optimize the relationship between innovation in the higher education sector and the economic sector.
The conference is very intelligent and serious-minded. There are many dilemmas and problems facing Russia and the Russian economy at the moment. Those issues are underlying the discussion and I think causing some anxiety amongst senior decision makers. At this point in time there is no clear answer and there is a soul-searching discussion going on about what the correct path is.’
Leo Kolttola, Senior Adviser on Environment and Energy, Statistics Finland:
‘I will speak about “Implementation of SEEA (System of Environmental-Economic Accounting)” as part of Session C-07, “Formation of environmental accounts”.
I am an official statistician and work with environmental accounts. Environmental accounts are basically a question of bringing together the environment and the economy: having statistical information connecting economic development with environmental development. And ‘environment’ also includes natural resources, which I think is an interesting point here in Russia.
I’ve been working with Rosstat (Federal State Statistics Service of Russia) for many years, since the 1990s. I’ve been to Moscow several times before, but the HSE is completely new to me. I was invited here by the Commission on environmental accounts in the United Nations.
Compared to Finnish events, it’s a very big conference and the theme is very interesting. For me it’s a little difficult to listen to presentations through translation and it seems that there are Russian political questions that are not so familiar to me, but it’s all very interesting. I would also be interested in the discussion on social policy and income distribution and I’ll definitely participate if there are interpreters for these sessions.’
Marco Buso, Researcher at the University of Padova, Italy:
‘I am a researcher and I’m presenting my work on “Partnership of information and optimal contractual arrangements” as part of the Session Ma-07, “Public-private Partnership (PPP) and Public Procurement as Tools to Increase Efficiency of the Public Sector”. This is a theoretical study. This is my first time at the April Conference and my first trip to Moscow, but I have been to Saint Petersburg before. I arrived in Moscow yesterday evening, and my only impressions so far are that it’s been raining heavily and it’s a big city. Here at the conference I am hoping to make contact with both researchers and practitioners working in the field of public procurement.’
Christophe Degain, Senior Statistical Officer, International Trade Statistics Section, Economic Research and Statistics Division, World Trade Organization, Switzerland:
‘This is my first time at the April Conference and in Moscow.I will speak on “Trade in Value-Added: Concepts, Methodologies and Challenges” as part of Session C-03, “Input-Output Analysis”. This is research work on trade in value-added, a new measure of international trade. I am particularly interested in all presentations related to statistics, including statistics and education, and statistics and environmental issues.
I’ve been in contact with Mr. Kirill Muradov, Head of the Department of International Educational and Research Programmes at the HSE International Institute of Statistical Education. We are trying to collaborate or at least to share our interests in input-output tables, a statistical tool based on national accounts and trade data. At the moment nothing has been finalised, but we are in contact and we have already met in several international meetings on this topic.
It’s been a good introduction today with the plenary session, and I hope that this afternoon and tomorrow we’ll be able to share our knowledge and experience on input-output tables and also on the application of statistics on environmental aspects and I’m also looking forward to the session on applied statistics.’
Peter Nielsen, Associate Professor, CARMA (Centre for Labour Market Research), Aalbourb University, Denmark:
‘I will present my paper on “Organizational Dynamics and Innovation Capabilities - a comparison between public and private workplaces in Denmark” as part of Session P-03, “Business as an object of research in the social sciences: Russian and international perspectives”.
It’s a theoretical framework where I present an alternative way of analyzing the problems of growth and employment. I look at micro-relations within firms, in the workplace, and I notice where there are certain factors which are important for producing growth in employment and innovation. It is a sort of complementary way of looking at things, complementary to the macro-perspective.
This is the first time I have participated in the April Conference, but I’ve been to the Higher School of Economics before. I hoping to establish firm connections with the HSE, and we have been in touch with the HSE Center for Study of Social Organization of a Firmat the Faculty of Management.
It is very interesting for me to come here and hear about the Russian development plans and how scientists and politicians discuss the problems. We don’t hear so much about it in Denmark, we have our own challenges and problems to cope with. And it’s very interesting and inspiring to hear what is going on in Russia, this is a huge country.
Maria Pustovoyt, specially for the HSE News Service
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