On September 24-25, 2024, the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus held a round table “Issues of the social sphere and the service sector economy”

On September 24-25, 2024, the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus hosted a round table “Issues of the social sphere and the service sector economy”. The round table was organised jointly by the Council of Young Scientists of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus and the Council of Young Scientists of the Institute of Economics of RAS to discuss the current situation in the social sphere and the service sector in the two countries’ economies.

From the Belarusian side the round table was attended by the following staff of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus:

Anna AKSENEVICH, Deputy Chairman of the CYS of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus, researcher of the Department of Monitoring of Socio-Economic Development;

Olga KOCHERGA, researcher of the Centre of the Investment and Innovation Policy;

Marina LEBEDEVICH, Chairperson of the CYS of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus, researcher of the Centre of Human Development and Demography;

Olga MURASHKO, researcher of the Centre of Human Development and Demography;

Veronika POGORELSKAYA, junior researcher of the Department of the Service Sector Economy;

Andrei SULEIKOV, Deputy chairman of the CYS of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus, researcher of the Centre of World Economy;

Vladislav KHOMICH, researcher of the Centre of State Building and Law.

From the Russian side the discussion was attended by following young scientists of IE RAS:

Nikita BURAKOV, researcher at the Centre of Economic Theory of the Social Sector of the Institute of Economics of RAS;

Yulia VOLOGOVA, researcher at the Centre of Innovative Economy and Industrial Policy of the Institute of Economics of RAS;

Andrei VOLYNSKY, Deputy Chairman of the CYS of the Institute of Economics of RAS, researcher at the Centre of Institutional Evolutionary Economy of the Institute of Economics of RAS;

Svetlana NIKITINA, researcher at the Centre for Research on International Macroeconomics and Foreign Economic Relations of the Institute of Economics of RAS;

Maria KRUGLOVA, Chairperson of the CYS of the Institute of Economics of RAS, senior researcher at the Centre of Institutional Evolutionary Economy of the Institute of Economics of RAS, Candidate of Historical Sciences;

Olga SLAVINSKAYA, leading expert of the Centre for Science, Technology, Innovation and Information Policy of the Institute of Statistical Research and Knowledge Economy of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Candidate of Economic Sciences;

Nadezhda FROLOVA, researcher at the Centre for Research on Public Administration Issues of the Institute of Economics of RAS.

In their reports, the roundtable participants touched upon a wide range of issues. The topic of digitalisation was touched upon by Olga KOCHERGA and Anna AKSENEVICH, focusing on the issues of cryptocurrency market legal regulation and digital transformation of business in the Republic of Belarus. Nikita BURAKOV spoke about the author’s model of budget subsidies distribution in the humanitarian sector of the economy, and Olga SLAVINSKAYA revealed the peculiarities of the creative labour market in the Russian Federation.

Both Russian and Belarusian participants paid special attention to the study of China’s experience. China’s policy on the development of creative industries was considered (Andrei VOLYNSKY). The discussion was continued by Vladislav KHOMICH, who examined the development peculiarities of the computer games industry in China. Maria KRUGLOVA and Olga MURASHKO introduced the round table participants to the measures of the Chinese leadership response to the challenges of demographic crisis. The round table participants agreed that the demographic crisis has become a serious challenge for the economies of both developed and developing countries. Svetlana NIKITINA linked the difficulties in the service sector development in South Korea to this global trend.

Marina LEBEDEVICH continued the topic touched upon by Maria KRUGLOVA and Olga MURASHKO on the development of national pension systems in the context of the demographic crisis by reviewing the existing strategies of solving the problem in the Republic of Belarus, taking into account the studied foreign experience.

The round table participants did not ignore such a factor of the Union State’s economic development as the problem of national sovereignty under the growing sanctions pressure: Yulia VOLOGOVA, Nadezhda FROLOVA, Veronika POGORELSKAYA, Andrei SULEIKOV addressed this topic.

The programme of the roundtable also included a dialogue platform between the managers of the Councils of Young Scientists. The participants discussed the prospects of cooperation between the Councils of Young Scientists and outlined a roadmap for joint activities and research projects.

Within the framework of the round table programme the delegation of the Council of Young Scientists of the IE RAS met the Director of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus Denis MUKHA.

The Director of the Institute of Economics of NAS of Belarus gave the participants of the round table a tour around the museum exposition of the Institute, telling about the history of its creation, outstanding scientists, the work of the Belarusian School of Economics.

In addition, the programme included a visit to the building of the Presidium of NAS of Belarus and acquaintance with the activities of NAS as a whole through a tour arond the permanent exhibition of NAS of Belarus “Achievements of Domestic Science used in the Production”.

The programme also included a cultural component. In order to acquaint the foreign delegation with the history, culture and everyday life of the Belarusian people, they were offered to visit the archaeological scientific and museum exposition of NAS of Belarus, as well as the Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture.