UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON -- OXFORD UNIVERSITY
2ND JOINT CONFERENCE
THURSDAY, APRIL 19 to SATURDAY April 21, 2001
INITIAL CONDITIONS AND THE TRANSITION ECONOMY IN RUSSIA: THE WEIGHT OF THE PAST IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Sponsors:
International Economic Program,
Division of Research
University of Houston;
Ken Lay Foundation, 
St. Anthonys College, 
Oxford;
Location:
University Hilton Hotel
Calhoun Blvd.
University of Houston
Houston, Tx. 77204
(713) 741-2447; (713) 743 2498 (fax)

Conference photo gallery


 

Conference program and papers

Thursday, April 19

  • Arrival and Registration
  • Banquet   6:30 PM  "San Francisco Room, University Hilton"
  • Greetings from Edward Sheridan, Provost
  • Introduction: John Antel, Chair of Economics
  • Address: Joseph Berliner (Professor Emeritus Brandeis and Harvard Davis Center): "The Soviet Past and the Russian Present"
Friday, April 20
  • 8 -- 8:30  Breakfast and Registration (Economics conference room McElhinney 212)
  •  McElhinney 120
8:30 – 11:45 Session 1: Political Economy: Linking the Past and Present. Chair: Carol Leonard 
Carol Leonard (Oxford) and Paul Gregory (Houston):
Introductory Remarks
Hans-Juergen Wagener (Frankfurt Transformation Institute, Viadrina Europe University, Germany), " The Virtual Economy as a Transitory Stage in Russian Transformation" Discussant: SebnemKalemi-Ozcan (University of Houston)
Peter Ordeshook (Caltech) and  Marianna Klochko (Cornell), "Constitutional Enforcement and System Design" Discussant: Thomas Mayor (University of Houston)
Mark Harrison (Warwick University, UK),  "Coercion, Compliance and Collapse of the Soviet Economy" Discussant: Nick Feltovich (University of Houston)
Valery Lazarev (University of Houston and Hoover), 
"Evolution and transformation of the Soviet elite"		 Discussant: Roger Sherman (University of Houston)
  • McElhinney 120
2:00 – 4:30 Session 2:  Initial Conditions and the Russian Present Chair: Joseph Berliner
Carol Leonard (Oxford),  "Emergent Innovative Regions in Russia, 1989-2001." Discussant: Janet Kohlhase (University of Houston)
Chris Davis (Oxford), "Initial Conditions and Welfare in Transition." Discussant: Michael Ben Gad (University of Houston)
Roderick Kewiet and Misha Myagkov (CalTech and University of Oregon), "Are the Communists Dying Out?" Discussant: Valery Lazarev (University of Houston and Hoover)
Peter Rutland (Wesleyan), "Putin, Yeltsin and Gorbachev." Discussant: Peter C. Caldwell (Rice University)
  • Dinner for Conference Participants (University Hilton)
Saturday, April 21
  •  Palacio Del Rio Room (276 University Hilton)
9:00 -- 11:45 Session 3: Law, Trade, and Money.  Chair  Mark Harrison 
Stephen Gardner (Baylor), "The Influence of the Soviet Past on Russian Foreign Economic Relations." Discussant: Mark Harrison (Warwick University)
Eugenia Belova (University of Houston and Hoover),  "Contract enforcement in the Soviet economy" Discussant: Peter Odeshook  (Caltech)
Aleksei Tikhonov (University of Houston and Hoover),  "Money, Payments, and Non-Payments in the Soviet and Post Independence Periods."  Discussant: Chris Davis  (Oxford)
  • 12:00 -- 1:30  Lunch: room to be announced 
  • 2:00 -- 3:30 Session 4 : Energy and Environment. Chair Chris Davis  
Victor Mote (University of Houston), THE LOWEST PRIORITY:
SOCIALIST AND "CAPITALIST" ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES IN THE SOVIET UNION AND RUSSIA		 Discussant: Eugenia Belova (University of Houston and Hoover)
Gurcan Gulen and B. Shenoy (University of Houston, Energy Institute), "Developing Energy Resources in the Caspian: Soviet and Independence Periods." Discussant: Paul Gregory (University of Houston)
  • 4:00-4:30   Session 5: Conclusions
Carol Leonard (Oxford)
Paul Gregory (Houston)
Joseph Berliner (Brandeis, Harvard)
    5:45 Dinner at "Hickory Hollow"  --  Rice University event at the Blue Grass restaurant
Sunday, April 22
Departure for most participants
  • Instructions to Presenters: You are booked at the University Hilton and your rooms will be prepaid. You are responsible for telephone calls and minibar charges. All meals will be provided. If we know your arrival times, we will attempt to arrange taxi pickup at the airport which will also be prepaid. All prepaid travel arrangements should be made through Gloria Smith at annsmith@uh.edu, the economics department administrator.