The central mission of USRF is to support the long-term economic development of Russia's market economy and the political and social environment required for its success. This is in full accord with an exchange program for leading young Russian economists and specialists in economic public policy, named in honor of Yegor Gaidar (1956-2009), the first Minister of Economy and Finance of the RSFSR, the first Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of Democratic Choice of Russia, and Member of the State Duma.
The Yegor Gaidar Fellowship Program in Economics and Public Policy:
Gaidar Fellows are chosen through a merit-based and open competition to spend approximately six months at a U.S. think tank or university according to their research focus and professional expertise. Fellows, along with their collaborators, engage in policy-relevant research at a host institution, leading to a co-authored white paper to be presented at conferences in the U.S. and Russia.
Gaidar fellows focus on a diverse range of economic and public policy research including the formation of international trade policy in Russia and the United States, multi-national investment strategies, energy policy and the development of the energy market.
While in the United States, Gaidar fellows enlarge their networks of professional contacts, inform and educate the public about key policy issues of crucial importance to both nations, and attend conferences in order to support the success of the joint research project.
The collaborative research results of the Gaidar Fellow and U.S. collaborator are released at a closing program conference that is held in Moscow, Russia.
The non-profit corporation "International Research and Exchanges Board IREX" (USA) is an operator of the Program to administer this project under the overall guidance of USRF.
Konstantin BorisovInstitution: Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Position: Deputy Division Chief Department of Regional Economic Development Projects U.S. Host Institution: Harriman Institute, Columbia University U.S. Collaborator: Dr. Timothy Frye, Director, Harriman Institute Dr. Padma Desai, Director, Center for Transition Economies Research Topic: International Trade and Investment |
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Viacheslav EvseevInstitution: Center for Customs Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation Research Position: Director U.S. Host Institution: Georgetown University, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies U.S. Collaborator: Ambassador Ross Wilson, Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council Anna Borshchevskaya, Assistant Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council Research Topic: International Trade and Foreign Policy/WTO Compliance |
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Ksenia KushkinaInstitution: Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences Position: Asian Energy Market Analyst/Doctoral Candidate, Energy Research Institute U.S. Host Institution: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) U.S. Collaborator: Edward Chow, Senior Fellow, Energy and National Security Program Leigh Hendrix, Energy and National Security Program Research Topic: Energy Policy |
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Each of the collaborative teams will submit a six-eight page white paper on their specific research topic by April 5, 2012. The goal of the papers is to have a series of tangible results and policy recommendations on each topic which, ultimately will be distributed to a broader public policy audience in the U.S. and Russia during the mini-conferences/roundtables and on institutional websites. The papers will be published in English and Russian and will be disseminated at key policy think tanks and research institutions in the U.S. and Russia, strategic Russian government institutions, and press outlets.
IREX will set up teleconference meetings between each of the American and Russian collaborative teams and senior management at the fellows' respective home institutions in order to deliver "progress reports" on meetings held to date, preliminary research findings, and the overall progress of the co-authored white papers. The collaborative teams will have the opportunity to receive feedback and suggestions that will serve to strengthen the relevance of their projects to the current policy situation in Russia. The teleconferences will take place in mid-February, 2012.
The U.S. and Russian collaborative teams will jointly deliver their key findings and policy recommendations at small scale conferences, or roundtable discussions, at U.S. host institutions in mid-April, 2012. Representatives of local think tanks, research centers and governmental agencies will be invited to participate. The conferences/roundtables will serve to broaden the professional networks of the participants, disseminate policy recommendations to the U.S. policymaking community, and inform and educate the public about key economic policy issues. U.S. collaborators, in turn, will travel to Russia in fall 2012 to jointly present with the Gaidar fellows at a final conference that will be attended by representatives from policy-relevant think tanks and academic institutions in Russia.
http://www.irex.org/project/yegor-gaidar-fellowship-program-economics-public-policy
