The Seventh ICEF International Conference on Applied Economics
Scholars in the field presented their latest research on the specifics of Indian telecom market and unique public–private duality, where state‐owned firms coexist with private operators competing in the same market, the effect of BEVs on urban air pollution in China, measuring impact of gender norms on productivity of women, welfare implications of government interventions that improve cross-country transparency and other interesting topics.
Among our invited speakers were such scholars as Rajarshi Bhowal (Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan), Jindong Pang (Wuhan University, China), Hao Geng (Wuhan University), Michele Valsecchi (NES, Russia), Hosny Zoabi (NES, Russia), Sultan Mehmood (NES, Russia), Evgeniy Yakovlev (NES, Russia, University of Essex, UK), Alexander Muraviev (HSE - St. Petersburg, Russia), Ekaterina Kazakova (HSE, Russia), Anna Yurko (ICEF HSE, Russia), Fabian Slonimczyk (ICEF HSE, Russia), Nicolas Lagios (ICEF HSE, Russia).
The organizing committee of the Conference consists of Prof. Fabian Slonimczyk (chair, ICEF HSE) and Deputy Director for research, Prof. Maxim Nikitin (ICEF HSE).
Prof. Fabian Slonimczyk (chair, ICEF HSE)
This is the 7th edition of the ICEF International Conference on Applied Economics. How would you say this year's event differed from previous years?
This year's conference had a somewhat larger scale and scope. We had 12 presenters from 8 different countries of Europe, Asia and Latin America. Indeed the topics and methodologies of the different presentations varied widely. The program featured a wide range of topics, from labour markets and education to development economics and corporate governance. One of the principles guiding us when organizing the conference is that applied economics is a diverse field. Instead of setting some arbitrary limit, we encourage participants to reach out to colleagues whose areas of expertise may be quite different. Explaining complex ideas to the colleagues from other fields is an important skill.
A key strength of this conference is bringing together leading international and Russian researchers. How does this international dialogue contribute to advancing research in applied economics?
This is one of the great things about science. The method and the principles are the same everywhere. We speak the same language. Science that is not international is a contradiction in terms.
The conference also serves as an important platform for young researchers and students. What opportunities does it provide for them?
Small conferences and workshops are great venues for scholars to present their work-in-progress and get feedback from colleagues. Larger conferences can be intimidating. Moreover, large international events typically allocate a meagre 15 to 20 minutes for individual presentations. Our conference is meant to provide a space where researchers have ample time to present and discuss ideas.
Deputy Director for research, Prof. Maxim Nikitin (ICEF HSE)
This conference was very interesting for me as an economist – I learned a lot about the development of the banking sector in California, quasi-independent directors in Russian publicly traded companies and about the paradox of energy transition in China. But the key thing is the environment of our boutique-style conference where speakers feel free to discuss their research, presentations flow seamlessly into discussion, and where researchers receive a lot of interesting questions and comments. Such conferences motivate both speakers and participants to do research.