HSE and Sberbank Will Host the April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development
From April 13 – 30, 2021, the XXII April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development (AIAC) will be held in Moscow. For the first time, the conference will be co-organized by HSE University and Sberbank.
Among the interdisciplinary conferences devoted to the social sciences held in Russia, AIAC is the largest event in terms of number of participants and representation of the international research community. Every year, the conference attracts more than 1,700 researchers and experts — including about 200 specialists who are from outside of Russia — who engage in discussions devoted to a wide range of issues related to the economic and social development of Russia.
For the first time, from April 19 – 23, a series of discussions will be held as part of the conference and hosted by the HSE and Sberbank Discussion Club — an expert platform where academics, industry professionals, and government representatives discuss urgent challenges facing Russian society and the economy, share best development practices for businesses and institutions, and shape the image of the future.
Sections dedicated to breakthrough technology, education, science, and health will be streamed live. The Discussion Club’s topics will also include AI, the digital transformation of companies and the state, cybersecurity, and ESG.
Yaroslav Kuzminov, Rector, HSE University
The April Conference is the largest social sciences conference in Russia. It brings together leading Russian and foreign researchers, experts, and public figures who, on the basis of scientific and scholarly research, develop solutions for the economic, social, and educational strategies of the state. Today we have brought the HSE and Sberbank brands together so that research and business gain new opportunities for discussion and develop mutually beneficial promising areas of cooperation. We are confident that Sberbank’s participation as a co-organizer of the conference, particularly in terms of its substantive aspects, will impart a new energy to the event, invigorate its agenda, and attract new participants, each of whom will enrich our programme.
Herman Gref, CEO, Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank
HSE University is not only one of the best universities in the country, but also a centre of international expertise. At Sberbank, we always carefully study the research, analytics, and reports that we receive from HSE scholars and experts. And we are very interested in the results of that research being put into practice as soon as possible. As part of our joint discussion club, we will discuss current challenges for society, share the best practices for developing business and institutions, and together with all of the participants, we will formulate ways to implement them.
Traditionally, April Conference speakers include members of the Russian Government, employees of the World Bank, the OECD, and heads of Russian and foreign companies. The majority of the event programme is comprised of presentations and talks given by Russian and international researchers. Special events that are held as plenary sessions and round tables, as well as presentations, also form an important part of the programme. The scholarly presentations of the conference will be held online while the special forums will be held in a hybrid format.
The thematic areas of this year’s AIAC cover dozens of subject areas, including the Arctic; public administration; local government; NGOs; demography and labour markets; macroeconomics and economic growth; international relations; management; world economy; science and innovation; education; health development; regional and urban development; social policy; sociology; financial institutions; markets and payment systems; firms and markets; and others.
The conference’s general information partners are TASS and the Russia-24 TV channel. The event’s general news agency partner is RIA Novosti, while its strategic partner IA Interfax, and its general radio partner is Business FM. Media partners include: Rossiyskaya Gazeta, MIC Izvestia, VTimes, News.Ru, SNOB, Indicator.Ru, Anews, Profile magazine, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, Finam.ru, Invest-Foresight, Econs.online , the telegram channel ‘Scientific and Educational Policy’, Polit.ru, Scientific Russia, Strategy magazine, the Agency of Social Information, and Industry of Eurasia magazine.
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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.
Search Query: How to Study Migration with Google Trends
Experts have calculated that the number of international students in Russia has grown six times over the last decade, and researchers say that many of those who are studying today would like to stay in the country. This, alongside issues such as why Google Trends are worth looking into, were covered at the HSE XXIV Yasin International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development section on demography and labour markets.