Public lecture

17 November 2014

Professor Natalia Zubarevich from the Moscow State University and the Independent Institute for Social Policy, will give a public lecture entitled

Russia’s Regional Development:
The Effects of the Economic Stagnation and Sanctions

on 26 November 2014 from 14:15–16:00 at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education, Lossi 36, room 103. The lecture will be delivered in the Russian language, translation into English will be available.

Regional inequality exists in all large countries with catch-up development model. Spatial inequality in Russia is comparable with China and Brazil. It has recently eased somewhat due to the redistribution of huge oil and gas rent in the form of transfers from the federal budget to less developed regions. At the end of 2012, Russia entered a period of economic stagnation, caused by internal structural problems. The economic sanctions and the costs of integrating Crimea also have negative impact. Against this background, the speaker will address the following questions: What is the likely impact of the recession and the sanctions on Russia’s regional development? Can Russia quickly re-orient towards China in global trade and investment? What is the balance of costs and benefits of the ‘turn to the East’ for different regions? How will the annexation of Crimea affect the development of Russia’s regions?

Natalia Zubarevich is Professor at the Department of Geography of the Moscow State University and the Director of the Regional Programme at the Independent Institute for Social Policy. She graduated from the Moscow State University and received her Doctor of Science degree in 2003. Her field of research is regional economic and social development in Russia and other CIS countries, human development, urban and rural studies. Professor Zubarevich is the author of more than 200 publications, including 3 monographs. Since 1997, she serves as an expert on Russia for the UN Development Programme. Her concept of ‘Four Russias’ has been widely acclaimed as a seminal contribution to the understanding of the developments in the wider Russian social and economic space.