Cooperation Bears Fruit
International participants of the XV HSE April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development speak to the HSE News Service.
Albrecht Kauffmann (Department of Urban Economics, Halle Institute for Economic Research) has come to the conference for the second time. The first time he participated in the April Conference was ten years ago, and much has changed in the relationship between the HSE and the Halle Institute. In particular, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the HSE’s Institute for Industrial and Market Studies and the Halle Institute regarding a number of projects, including a research project called ‘Foreign Direct Investment in Transition Economies’.
Albrecht Kauffmann often spends time in Moscow and is more comfortable speaking Russian.
― What topic was your report at the conference devoted to?
― My topic was ‘Economic and Demographic Development in Russian Cities,’ which involved using HSE and Russian Federal State Statistics Service databases.
― And what conclusions have you reached?
― Large cities are growing, while the populations of small towns are shrinking. A process of population concentration is underway in cities, which is typical not only for Russia but also for Germany. This can cause problems in the development of agriculture.
― Having identified the problem, is it possible to begin looking for ways to solve it?
― Absolutely. During the conference, I hope to speak closely with colleagues from the Institute for Industrial and Market Studies, in particular, with Ksenia Gonchar, who works with my colleagues at the Halle Institute – Philipp Marek and Jutta Günther. The first joint paper prepared between our institute and the HSE has already been submitted for publication. Our partnership is bearing fruit.
Anna Chernyakhovskaya, specially for the HSE news service