Continuing Last Year’s Success at the Upcoming Conference in Applied Economics
The Second ICEF Conference in Applied Economics will be held at HSE University on September 14. The HSE News service spoke with organizers and participants about the upcoming full-day event, which features eight papers presented by renowned specialists from Russia and across Europe and concludes with an evening dinner.
Excitement and Fun
Fabian Slonimczyk, an Associate Professor at HSE’s International College of Economics and Finance, is serving on the conference’s organizing team for the second year in the row. ‘This is a very exciting event,’ he said. ‘For a long time, we did not have a workshop specifically dedicated to applied work in economics at HSE. Since last year, and thanks to the university's support, we have been able to invite a group of top researchers from some of the best universities in the world to come and present their latest work. It is a great opportunity to showcase the university and make long-lasting connections. It is also a lot of fun!’
The first conference was a considerable success, meeting everyone’s expectations as Fabian noted.
‘I personally keep in touch with all of last year's participants. And the paper presented last year on the effects of the Unified State Exam reform on student mobility recently got published in the European Economic Review,’ he said.
The article ‘Democratizing access to higher education in Russia: The consequences of the unified state exam reform’ was co-authored by Fabian Slonimczyk, his colleague Anna Yurko, who serves as Associate Professor at ICEF, and Marco Francesconi, a Professor of Economics at the University of Essex.
While the Unified State Exam remains a priority topic for Fabian, he is also occupied with other pursuits, such as a new project that looks at comparisons of wage growth profiles across countries. Fabian has also developed a new course on Big Data and Machine Learning for ICEF's Master’s students.
One of the great features of the conference is that every paper is assigned a discussant. Fabian Slonimczyk will be discussing a paper on issues of financial literacy with Laura Botazzi, Full Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Bologna.
Genes and Fertility
Marco Francesconi, Professor of Economics at the University of Essex, is coming to Moscow to present what is considered the first paper in economics that looks directly at the influence of genetics on a wide range of female fertility outcomes (from age at menarche to age at first birth to age at menopause).
‘We find there is an important impact of genetics on fertility that accompanies the more conventional and better known impact of the environment in which women grow up,' said Marco.
An important role is also played by gene-environment interactions, suggesting that fertility outcomes are not just a question of genes or individual decisions.
Marco’s research interests cover several topics in applied empirical economics, ranging from labour and family economics to health and education economics and policy evaluation. He devotes special attention to intergenerational links, expectations, heterogeneity, and measurement error. While he says that he chose these topics out of intellectual curiosity, he did emphasize that he has a preference for issues that are policy relevant and have far reaching consequences.
In addition to his paper on genes and fertility, he is also working on a project concerning expectations and pension reforms in Europe, another on the impact that stricter drink driving regulations have on road accidents, a project on how better measurement of business income can affect our understanding of income inequality, and finally a project on the impact that maternity leave policies have on the employment strategies used by firms.
Climate and Conflicts
David-Enrique Castells-Quintana, visiting professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, will present a paper on 'Climate, Displacement, and Conflict: the Effects of Floods on Urban Social Disorder.’
‘Climate change has already become a major factor in the process of economic development in many countries worldwide,’ said Castells-Quintana when asked about his reasons for choosing this topic. ‘One key dimension in this regard is conflict: several ongoing major conflicts in the world are in large part an outcome of deteriorating conditions driven by climate change. With my co-authors, we wondered whether climate change could also help us understand more minor conflict in urban areas.
The main takeaway is that climate change can fuel social conflict in urban areas, and the reason for this is that climate change is currently a major force displacing population from rural to urban areas, making cities grow very rapidly and in an unplanned way.
Castells-Quintana specializes in topics related to economic development, in particular the concentration of resources in both personal and spatial dimensions. Currently, he is studying the impacts of climate change on the spatial distribution of population and economic activity and what this means for several socio-economic dynamics.
He plans to continue studying the impact of climate change on the process of economic development. Beyond his research on conflict, he is also working on a paper on climate change and the spatial distribution of population and economic activity within countries, and on another paper on cities and pollution.
Fabian Slonimczyk
Assistant Professor at ICEF
Anna Yurko
Assistant Professor at ICEF
See also:
‘Studying Is in Many Ways Like Sports’
Georgy Khvatkin, first-year student of ICEF International Bachelor’s Programme in Economics and Finance, won gold at the World Cadet, Youth and Junior Sambo Championship. Georgy proved his superiority in the 98 kg weight category. He shares, how he decided to enroll in ICEF, when he started practicing Sambo, how regularly he trains, what role Jackie Chan played in his becoming a pro athlete, and the support his family provides to him.
ICEF Awarded Diplomas to Graduates of Bachelor's and Master's Programmes 2024
More than 200 graduates gathered in the hall of the HSE Cultural Centre, where their parents, the leadership of HSE University and ICEF, teachers, and numerous guests came to congratulate them.
'Conferences Publicly Push Important Research to New Levels'
During his visit to ICEF, Sergey Tsyplakov, a professor in finance at Moore School of Business of the University of South Carolina, delivered a lecture to students and contributed to ICEF-CInSt 11th International Moscow Finance Conference as a keynote speaker. In this interview, Sergey shares what surprised him about ICEF students, why scientific paper reviewing may not always be objective, and why people on Wall Street read academic research.
ICEF Graduates Celebrated at HSE Cultural Centre
The class of 2022 faced the difficulties of the pandemic, moving to the new campus in Pokrovka, and completing their studies in a difficult geopolitical climate. This year's graduation ceremony was held at HSE University itself, allowing the graduates to celebrate their achievements together with their families, whose support was praised by HSE Rector, Nikita Anisimov, as well as hear praise from other members of the HSE management team.
Pivot to the East: A Comprehensive Study of the Cultural and Civilisational Centres of the Non-Western World is the Top Priority
China and the Chinese world, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia and Africa are gaining new significance in Russia’s foreign policy. However, we do not know enough about the Eastern countries. It is necessary to change the priorities in education, starting from grammar school. Prospects for the development of domestic Oriental studies in the context of the new stage in the development of the system of international relations were discussed at a round table at HSE University.
‘I Admire HSE Students’ Eagerness to Learn, to Discuss, to Broaden Their Perspectives’
Robert Romanowski was a ‘Digital Professor’ at HSE University in November 2021. In his interview for the HSE News Service, he talked about the specifics of online teaching, his course on Strategic Branding, and the skills that are essential for marketing professionals today.
Russia and Africa: Time to Expand Cooperation
There is major potential for economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and African countries. Particularly, Russian organisations and universities can help transfer competencies and knowledge in the fields of agriculture, energy, industrial production, environmental management, climate change, and public administration. Experts and representatives of African embassies in Russia discussed these issues at the round table ‘Russia-Africa Sharing Knowledge’ hosted by HSE University.
The Brain in Space: Investigating the Effects of Long Spaceflights on Space Travellers
As part of an international project conducted with the participation of Roscosmos and the European Space Agency, a team of researchers used differential tractography to analyse dMRI scans ofcosmonauts’ brains and found significant changes in brain connectivity, with some of the changes persisting after seven months back on Earth. The paper is published in Frontiers in Neural Circuits.
HSE University-Perm and the Training Centre of the Uzbek Ministry of Finance Sign Cooperation Agreement
HSE University in Perm has become the first academic partner of the Training Centre under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The parties have signed a cooperation agreement in education and research.
‘The Opportunity to Study at an International Level Has Played a Major Role in My Career’
Anatoly Braverman graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the ICEF programme in 2006, received invaluable experience conducting deals at a major Russian oil company and personally witnessed the history of investments in the Russian economy by becoming one of the first employees of the RDIF in 2011. In this interview with Success Builder, Mr Braverman explains why international education is especially useful when working for the betterment of the Russian economy, the nature of ‘anti-virus’ investments and how the RDIF directed them towards the development of the Sputnik V vaccine, and much more.