Winners of Russian National Award in Applied Economics – 2020 Announced
This year the award was bestowed on Marco Francesconi (University of Essex, UK), Fabián Slonimczyk and Anna Yurko (HSE University, Moscow). The team of authors was recognized for their article, which reliably proves the increased geographic mobility of high school graduates seeking to obtain a higher education following the introduction of the Unified State Exam.
The research results were published in an article in European Economic Review entitled 'Democratizing Access to Higher Education in Russia: The Consequences of the Unified State Exam Reform’. The research proves the increased geographic mobility of high school graduates seeking higher education following the introduction of the Unified State Exam (USE). Using a clever empirical strategy and modern methods of applied economic analysis, the authors evaluated this effect and found a three-fold increase in mobility after the exam was introduced. ‘This result is important for the simple reason that ensuring equal conditions for gifted youth in terms of access to quality higher education was one of the main goals of the Unified State Exam reform,’ said Leonid Polishchuk, Professor of Applied Economics at HSE University, Department of Applied Economics, and chairman of the award jury.
The Russian National Award in Applied Economics was established in 2009 by the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University, Moscow), New Economic School (NES, Moscow), Yeltsin Ural Federal University (UrFU, Ekaterinburg), Association of Russian Economic Think Tanks (ARETT, Moscow), RAS Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), and Expert business magazine (Moscow).
The Russian National Award in Applied Economics is given once every two years for outstanding published papers on the Russian economy at the country, industry, regional, or company level. The main purpose of the award is to identify works of high importance to the development of academic research and economics education in Russia, as well as to the increased efficiency of the Russian economy and economic policy.
In its sixth award cycle (2019–2020), the jury considered over 25 works nominated by prominent Russian and foreign economists who are members of the Award Academic Committee. The nominated works dealt with a wide range of problems and areas of economic science and were published in leading economic journals. Choosing the winners was therefore not an easy task for the jury. The jury vote was the final stage of a multi-level examination of the nominated works by distinguished scientists from Russia, Europe, and North America.
In addition to the award winners’ paper, the jury also found three studies noteworthy. The first is an article by Olga Malkova (University of Kentucky, USA) entitled ‘Can Maternity Benefits Have Long-Term Effects on Childbearing? Evidence from Soviet Russia’, which was published in Review of Economics and Statistics. The second study is an article by Andrei Markevich (New Economic School) and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya (Paris School of Economics) entitled ‘Economic Effects of the Abolition of Serfdom: Evidence from the Russian Empire’ published in American Economic Review. The third is an article by Evgeny Yakovlev (New Economic School) entitled ‘Demand for Alcohol Consumption in Russia and Its Implication for Mortality’, published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.
The award ceremony and honorary report by the winners will be held online on May 13 at 4 pm (MSK) as part of the XXI April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development.
See also:
‘I Hope You Have Entered the Economic Profession Consciously’
On November 11, 2024, the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences hosted a celebration for Economist Day. Many of the university's partners came to congratulate HSE on the occasion. The atrium on Pokrovsky Bulvar hosted booths from VkusVill, Ozon, HeadHunter, Wildberries, and other leading companies. Students and professors participated in quizzes, spun the wheel of fortune, painted, and crafted.
Maxim Reshetnikov: ‘An Effective Open Market Economy Has Been Built in Russia’
On November 11, 2024, during Economist Day in Russia, Maxim Reshetnikov, Russian Minister of Economic Development, spoke to students of the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs about Russia’s foreign economic activities, how the country managed to withstand unprecedented sanctions pressure, and the current state of its development.
FES Announces the Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2024 Prediction Contest
The HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences summarised the results of its traditional prediction contest. FES holds this contest annually on the eve of Nobel Week. This year, the contest once again attracted participants from different regions of Russia and countries around the world. Remarkably, one participant managed to predict all three laureates of the 2024 Economics Prize.
Try Your Hand at Predicting the 2024 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics
The Faculty of Economic Sciences is launching its annual prediction contest. On October 14, the Nobel Committee will announce the winners of the Sveriges Riksbank Alfred Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences live on air. You have time to prepare and explore the landscape of contemporary economic thought. What topics and areas are considered particularly important and promising at the moment? Anyone can win.
Choosing the Right Server Results in Better Outcomes in Doubles Tennis
The Roland Garros tennis tournament, one of the most prestigious in the world, began on May 26. The prize money for this year's French Open totals nearly 54 million euros, with athletes competing in both singles and doubles events. In doubles tennis, choosing the right strategy for a match is crucial. Athletes' ability to adapt to the dynamics of the match and strategically choose the server can earn the pair up to 5% more points, according to Nikolai Avkhimovich, doctoral student and research fellow at the Laboratory of Sports Studies of the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences. A paper with the study findings has been published in Applied Economics.
Consumer Prices Decrease in Densely Populated Areas
HSE University economists have proposed a novel approach to modelling monopolistic competition with heterogeneous firms and consumers. The results of collaborative research carried out by Alexander Tarasov from Moscow, his co-authors from HSE University–St Petersburg, together with the Norwegian School of Economics, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Free University of Brussels, have been published in American Economic Journal: Microeconomics.
Football Players Cover Greater Distances During Critical Derby Matches at Home Arena
Researchers at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences examined the level of effort that professional football players are willing to exert during a match in absence of financial incentives. It appears that the primary factors driving players to strive harder for victory are the strength of the opponent and the significance of the match for the club. This is particularly noticeable in derby matches between teams from the same city, such as the Moscow derby between CSKA and Spartak on April 25, 2024. The study has been published in the Journal of the New Economic Association.
Participation in Crowdfunding Can Generate up to 73% in Returns Annually
Backers of projects on crowdfunding platforms can expect rewards from their pledges. For example, funding someone's idea on Kickstarter can result in an average annual return of 11.5%, with design projects known to deliver returns as high as 70%. However, it is important to note that these returns do not come in the form of direct cash payments but rather as savings on the purchase of the product once it hits the market. This has been demonstrated in a study by researchers at the HSE Faculty of Economics published in Economic Analysis Letters.
Economists Suggest Using Media's Attention to Bitcoin to Predict its Returns
Researchers at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences have studied the relationship between the changes in the bitcoin prices and the media attention to this cryptocurrency. The researchers examined the mentions of bitcoin in the media between 2017 and 2021 and built a mathematical model that revealed the strong relationship between media attention and bitcoin prices. The study was published in the Applied Stochastic Models in Business and Industry journal.
HSE Economists Develop a Model for Sustainable Solar Geoengineering Agreements
Researchers at HSE University and George Mason University have investigated the sustainability of prospective international agreements on solar geoengineering. The authors have proposed a scheme in which payments flow from affluent nations to less wealthy ones; an arrangement which sets their proposal apart from traditional systems. The proposed model aims to dissuade more vulnerable countries from excessive use of the prevalent geoengineering method by providing compensation for the potential damage they may incur and supporting their adaptation to climate change. The paper has been published in Environmental and Resource Economics.