The HSE Look talked to several researchers from the HSE international labs about their impressions from the April Conference.
Research & Expertise
On April 27 John F. Bailyn, Professor at the Department of Linguistics, State University of New York will speak on ‘Language, Fire, Music and Chess: Thoughts on the Evolution and Acquisition of Cognitive Systems’. The event is organized by HSE School of Linguistics. An expert on the workings of the linguistic component of the mind, Professor Bailyn recently spoke with the HSE news service about his upcoming lecture and research interests, as well as his experience studying Russian, his favourite music and a host of other topics.
Values such as religious beliefs impact attitudes towards euthanasia. The more people value independence and autonomy, the higher their approval is of euthanasia. Conversely, conformism and an adherence to traditions are negatively linked to attitudes towards euthanasia, Maxim Rudnev and Alexandra Savelkaeva, researchers at the HSE Laboratory for Comparative Studies in Mass Consciousness, said at HSE’s XVI April International Academic Conference.
Maternity capital has supported numerous families in regions across the country, helping people solve their housing problems. At the same time, many people have not accessed these funds, as the programme is quite limited. Maternity capital is not very useful when buying an apartment in the city, as it does not go very far, and two other options for using it – towards children’s education or the mother’s pension – are longer-term issues, noted Elena Gorina, Senior Research Fellow at the HSE’s Institute for Social Development Studies/Center for Studies of Income and Living Standards, during the XVI April International Academic Conference at HSE.
Russia’s current demographic dynamics seem to be positive. Life expectancy is growing, and the population is growing, not only by means of migration from other post-Soviet countries, but also by natural increase, even if it is not big yet. At the same time, researchers assess the near demographic future with moderate optimism, which is mostly due to the forming age structure of the population, said Anatoly Vishnevsky, Director of the HSE Institute of Demography, in his report.
Economic inequality between the Russian regions will manifest itself clearly in the context of the current crisis. While the 2009 crisis passed almost painlessly for regional budgets, the situation today is quite different. The regions will be forced to look for anti-crisis strategies in the context of continuously decreasing oil revenues, said Natalia Zubarevich, Leading Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Studies of Income and Living Standards, in her presentation on ‘Crises in Russia: Regional Perspective’ as part of the XVI HSE April International Academic Conference.
HSE has been officially invited to join the European PhD in Socio-Economic and Statistical Studies (SESS.EuroPhD) Consortium starting from the 2015/2016 academic year. At a recent annual seminar held in Rome, all the participants expressed a strong interest in HSE becoming a full member of the consortium.
As part of the XVI April International Academic Conference, HSE hosted a joint symposium of the Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Associations (GAMMA) co-organized with Korean Scholars of Marketing Science. Themed ‘Bridging Asia and Russia in Global Marketing & Management’, the event aimed to promote academic cooperation between scholars working in the fields of marketing and management in Russia and Asia. Professor Olga Tretyak (HSE), Professor Vera Rebiazina (HSE) and Professor Jaihak Chung (Sogang University) co-chaired this joint symposium. The Center for Sustainable Culture & Service of Yonsei University and Korea Economy & Management Development Institute were partners.
For a business startup to grow and thrive, its employees should have a vested interest in its success. Employee incentives may include bonuses, equity and profit sharing, recognition of accomplishments, opportunities for career development, and flexible work schedules. But being inspired by a new challenge and proud of work well done can motivate people even more effectively, according to Olga Gaponova, Associate Professor at the Department of General and Strategic Management, HSE Branch in Nizhny Novgorod.
At the XVI April Conference’s section on Science and Innovation hosted by the Higher School of Economics, a seminar took place on international ways to cooperate in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. Participants included universities from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) project ‘Knowledge Triangle: Cooperation in Science, Education, and Innovation.’ The section’s participants discussed the role of education, academic research, and innovation in ensuring the ability of European countries to compete globally.