Odesa welcomed the other day Yevgeny Yasin, Russia’s ex-minister of economics in the Boris Yeltsin government. The economist arrived in his native city to establish “an intellectual environment and foci of education on the basis of the Higher School of Economics.” The academic chose Odesa to carry out his educational project.
Mr. Yasin and Odesa Mayor Eduard Gurvits have signed a memorandum that aims “to confirm the two parties’ intention to develop good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” But, first of all, the document offers to carry out a number of projects in the field of education. Under the document, several Odesa higher educational institutions will launch new liberal arts and business courses drawn up by Higher School of Economics academics. Besides, educational institutions are planning to enter into informational contact to exchange research results. The projects provide for the organization of summer schools and multifunctional Olympiads. Programs designed for schoolchildren are to be launched in the coming summer. The Higher School of Economics is going to be the project’s major supplier of funds.
The economist believes that large Ukrainian educational centers are some of the potential focal points of an intellectual breakthrough in the post-Soviet space.
“The industrial era of the economic development has come to an end, and the world is running more and more short of workforce. And in the absence of labor resources, it is the resources of intellect that enter the struggle for survival. And if you look from this angle at Ukraine, Russia, or any other ex-Soviet country, you will see a deplorable situation,” Yasin says. “We are essentially lagging behind other countries in terms of new technologies. We do not even need to create something new: we can at first just copy things, and there is nothing shameful in this. Just look at China. But a breakthrough needs an environment. Ukraine already has this kind of environment.”
As before, Yasin is in opposition to what he calls “Putinist government.” He thinks the situation in Ukraine is more favorable for a sustainable development of society.
“I sincerely supported Viktor Yushchenko during the 2004 Orange Revolution. And although he failed to rise to all my expectations, his victory was, above all, a victory of the people. The situation in Ukraine is just the reverse of that in Russia, where democratic gains are being actively suppressed. You have democracy. Keep it safe! For democracy is the very source of cultural and economic development,” Yasin says.
