Conference Topics

Topic	Description
Banking and Payment Systems: Regulation, Risk Assessment, Financial Innovations	This section focuses on the modern banking regulation linked with risk assessment methods in both emerging and developed countries, payment systems development and changes in financial intermediation due to innovations on the financial market. The section is organized in collaboration with EuRun-BIS (www.eurunbis.eu).
Demography and Labor Markets	We accept submissions on a wide range of issues related to functioning of labor markets in developed, developing and transition economies. Submissions should be based on the results of original studies.
Education	Symposium “Territorial differences in education” is devoted to the issues of territorial differences in the accessibility and quality of education, the peculiarities of regional and municipal educational policy in Russia. What is the scale of the existing differences? At what levels (preschool, general, vocational, additional education) and in which dimensions, such as the quality of infrastructure, qualification of personnel, learning outcomes, are the differences the highest? What is the impact of contextual factors, including space, spatial location, demographics and economic factors on the existing differences in education? How should these influences be addressed by within-country comparisons? What is the actual and potential impact of policies implemented on the levels of regions and municipalities on education? What is understood by the "unified educational space"? How the balance between centralization and autonomy can be achieved in Russia? Second symposium “Economics, sociology and politics of education” will combine various disciplinary perspectives on theoretical and empirical issues in education (primarily, relating to economics, sociology and politics of education).
Financial Institutions and Markets	The section deals with wide topics of banking, financial risk management and developing of financial markets as well as integration and microeconomic processes in financial sphere.
Firms and Markets	The section is open to the articles on the following topics: corporate governance; corporate finance; enterprise behavior on the market of goods and services, investment, innovative and organizational behavior; firms’ competitiveness on local and global markets; state-business relations at different levels; market structures, corporate integration; development problem of regulated markets. Other topics are also welcomed.Papers on marketing, personnel management and other managerial issues are considered in the section “Management”.
Healthcare Studies	The section is open to the articles on the following topics: factors of healthy lifestyle development, efficiency of health systems, innovations in health care organization, management, and financing, comparative analysis of health care reforms, impact of changes in labor organization and remuneration of health workers on their motivation and activity, patient payments for health care, inequalities in access to health care.
Instrumental Methods in Economic and Social Studies	Possible topics: the development of formal methods used in social sciences and its practice
International Relations	The section includes issues of global governance, regional and interregional integration, and instruments of foreign policy. The key topic of the first issue is the crisis of global governance system and the formation of a new model of relationship between Great Powers and of crisis management (including relations between Russia and USA after the U.S. presidential election). The second issue discusses the formation of Community of Great Eurasia, giving examples of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the states and regional integration projects (in particular, the EU and the EaEU, EaEU - Silk Road Economic Belt, as well as domestic integration problems in the EU). The third issue - economic instruments of foreign policy (aid-policy, economic sanctions, etc.).
Law and Economics
Local Government and Civic Self-Organization	Possible topics: institutes and practices of civil society (NPOs, third sector, volunteerism, philanthropy etc.), noncommercial sector in Russia and other countries. Local government and non-political self-organization of population are the main fields of research.
Macroeconomics and Growth	The major topics of the section will include patterns of economic development, trends in the Russian economy, monetary policy effects, fiscal policy issues, financial system developments considered from the macroeconomic viewpoint. Conclusions derived from models of the Russian economy will be discussed, including impact of external and domestic shocks.
Management	The section is intended to discuss empirical research results and conceptual papers laying down new research trajectories both in major areas of management (Business Models, Corporate Governance, Strategic Management, Project Management, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Innovation Management, HRM, Marketing, Marketing Communications, and others) and in sectoral areas.
Market Studies and Spatial Economics	The section is organized by HSE Center for Market Studies and Spatial Economics. Topics of interest include: industrial organization, spatial economics, imperfect competition, international trade, urban economics, and new economic geography. Researchers working in the above fields are invited to submit papers for presentation at the session. Both empirical and theoretical papers are welcome. The language of the session is English.
Media and Communications	Sessions are formed on media issues andmass communications, including media sociology; anthropology of the media; the public sphere; political communication; social communication; integrated communications (PR, GR); advertising; Design / Digital Design / design solutions; media business / mediakapital; medasistem transformation; digital technologies in media / PR; digital culture / digital media; audiovisual communication / television spectacle / interactive spectacle; transmedia; multimedia journalism / data journalism; media ecology, media information literacy.
Methodology of Economics	In 2018 the section will be organized as a special symposium devoted to the 200^th anniversary of Karl Marx. Suggested topic include: assessing Marx’s contributions to economics, social sciences and philosophy; Marx’s thought facing realities of the XXI century; Marx as a historian of political economy; MEGA project: a new perspective on Marx’s legacy.
Network Analysis	Possible topics: network science models and tools for network analysis, including multilevel and complex networks; current gaps in network science methodology; creation of network datasets in sociology, management, education, and other fields that focus on the pressing issues; creation of cross-sectional and longitudinal models of networks and behavior in a variety of disciplines for testing on real and simulated data; evaluating the impact of research design on robustness and resistance of network models; creating software applications of new network methodology; any other networks-related studies.
Political Processes	Possible topics: comparative analysis of political institutions and political processes in Russia and other different countries (by qualitative and quantitative methods). Also we are interested in wide problematics of comparative and world policy, political theory, political behaviour, political culture, methodology of political research and other.
Regional Studies	Possible topics: socio-economic development of regions and regional policy, intergovernmental fiscal relations, specificity of regional development of different economic sectors, human potential of the regions, institutional environment in the regions and investment climate.
Science and Innovation	The section is devoted to the issues of S&T Foresight, STI policy, methods of futures studies, measuring and analysis of science and technology, instruments and best practices of S&T governance.
Social and Cultural Processes	This section invites outstanding research on interaction of culture and society. Papers on either real (cultural institutions, rituals, etc.) or subjective (values, identities, etc.) aspects of culture are welcome. Likewise, contributors may apply either quantitative or anthropological methods in their research.
Social and Economic History	The section is aimed at discussing research work on a great variety of political, economic, social, gender, cultural and other aspects of the life of the human society in the past. We welcome papers on social mobility, history and memory, social transformations, comparative studies, microhistory, history of daily and private life, history of emotions, etc.
Social Policy	Social policy is the most important tool through which society supports social stability and provides the key development prerequisites related to the formation of human capital and the harmonization of relations between social groups. The mission of social policy is to achieve a balance between the interests of the state, the economy and civil societies. It is the mission that determines a wide range of research problems that will be considered in many areas of the conference. The focus of this section is issues related to the level and quality of life of households and social policies aimed at equalizing the chances of development. The key among them are: 1) income expenses and consumption of households; 2) quality of life; 3) family economy and family policy; 4) social security and social support programs; 5) employment support programs.
Sociology	The section is devoted to analysis of social structure, social institutions and processes in the modern society, the social mechanisms and ways of acting on society and of his sphere, as well as the development and testing of methodological approaches to solving social problems. Methodical and technical methods of data collection are also considered, the analysis and presentation of data in the logic of quantitative and qualitative approaches in the direction of explanation and understanding of social issues and processes.
Sports Studies	The articles on the following possible topics are considered: success factors in sport, leagues regulation, tournament design, contest theory, tournament and match strategies development, corruption, betting, spectator interest studies, financial issues of sporting mega-events and other.
State and Local Government Challenges	The section is focused on change management in the public administration, on theory and practice of strategic and project management, optimization of the government regulation, implementation of modern HR technologies in civil service, interactions between the authorities, civil society, NGOs and business.
Statistics	The section is focused on the development of statistics during the "Data Revolution", as well as the use of statistical methods for analytical purposes in various subject areas. The following points are suggested for discussion: new methods used for the data collection and processing, «big data»; official statistics and independent producers of statistical data: cooperation or competition; statistical analysis of modern tendencies in Russian economy; use of statistical methods for researching of mass phenomena in various subject areas.
The Arctic: Сhallenges of the XXI Сentury	All spectrum of Arctic problems - from political ones to arctic design - will be discussed.
Theoretical Economics	The section incorporates research from different fields - micro- and macroeconomics, theory of branch markets, political economy, public choice and other fields which use modern game-theoretic, experimental and empirical methods.
Theories and Practices of Art and Design: sociocultural, economic and political contexts	The panel’s priorities are: the socioeconomical contexts of art and design in XX–XXI centuries, the art market, the institutionalization of art and design, the educational strategies in teaching art and design, the museum practices and the relationship artist-curator-audience, the correlation between the global and the local, propaganda in art and design, as well as the topics of inclusion, which is actively evolving in theatre, dance and fashion; technology (e.g. science art and BioArt), and the problem of digitalization and new media.Panel ‘Theories and Practices of Art and Design: sociocultural, economic and political contexts' is an international and interdisciplinary forum which attempts to discuss art and design with the scholars of totally different backgrounds, ranging from classic art history to sociology, culture studies and economics.
Trade Policy	Trade policy constantly has to address the key question: what to choose - protectionism or liberalism? One may support national business or give the trade full freedom – this problem of choice is on the minds of scientists for many centuries. Elaboration of effective trade policy instruments – the most interesting subject for scientific discourse, which can propose mechanisms of the smart trade regulation. The section is the open platform for the exchange of research results and transparent discussions.
Urban Studies	The key issues for discussion: general trends of urban development, structural transformation of cities within new economy, cities’ impact on national economic growth, urban development regulation, development of urban transportation, housing policy and utility infrastructure development. Special attention is given to issues of coordination of social and economic development within urban agglomerations, establishment of effective governance instruments.
World Economy	Possible topics: oreign trade in goods and services, international factor movements and international business. Current processes and prospects of regional economic integration, especially European and Eurasian. Economic impacts of globalization and national models of participation in world economy.