About the Conference

Higher School of Economics has been hosting the annual April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development since 2000. Professor Evgeny Yasin, HSE’s Academic Supervisor, is the Chair of the Conference Programme Committee.

The April Conference is the largest interdisciplinary event in social sciences in Russia, in terms of the number of its participants and attending representatives of the global academic community. At various times, Nobel Prize winners, as well as leading experts from the World Bank and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have taken part in the Conference. This year, the Conference will bring together about 2000 participants, including 200 international experts.

Conference speakers are selected based on expert reviews of their academic papers by internationally renowned experts in respective disciplines. This year, 240 sessions that have successfully passed academic review shall be carried out. Each session will feature three to four presentations focusing on current issues in economics, sociology, law, statistics, political science, management, public administration, finance and other fields related to the social sciences.

On top of research-related reports, the Conference’s programme traditionally includes special events such as roundtable discussions, doctoral seminars and presentations of honorary papers. Moreover, in 2017, the April Conference shall serve as a platform for discussion of papers dedicated to strategically important areas of economic and social development based on materials of the Center for Strategic Development.

Furthermore, the Conference’s roundtable discussions will cover the following topics: interaction between business and government at the regional and municipal level: the global and Russian experience, prospects for development in Russia’s regions: views and opportunities of regional elites, the fate of economic programmes and reform in Russia, and the economic community and rankings of Russian economic journals, as well as other current issues related to the Russian and global economy, technological development, education and social policy.

Members of the Russian Government, senior officials of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, and several of the most high profile representatives from the business community and civil society shall take part in the Conference. The Conference’s discussions have become an essential part of an important dialogue between the Russian authorities, the expert community, and the general public.