In December 2009, ICEUR presented the second Working Paper: “Critical Optimism: Russia and Europe Cope with the Crisis”. The Working Papers are meant to provide a forum for experts from Europe, Russia and the Newly Independent States to comment on current topics.
The main part of the second Working Paper is an analysis of Russia’s coping with the global economic crisis, written by Alexander Dynkin, Director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) in Moscow and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Dynkin discusses the impacts of the Crisis on Russia and describes the Russian policy’s reactions to the consequences of the Crisis. This is the first crisis, which Russia experiences as a reformed national market economy and as a real component of the global market economy. Dynkin argues that recovery and further growth of the Russian economy is closely connected with the pickup of the global world economy, especially of the economy of Russia’s main trade and investment partners (the EU, China, Republic of Korea). Therefore Dynkin also touches the main trends and prospects concerning Russia’s relations with its economic partners.
Shorter articles written by experts as well as by the members of the ICEUR team complement Dynkin’s analysis and discuss other aspects of the global economic crisis. Bernhard Felderer, Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS Vienna) and member of the ICEUR Scientific Advisory Council analyses the coherency of financial market crisis and the real economy crisis.
Michael Löwy, Head of the Division of International Relations of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) describes the current economic developments in Austria as well as in Middle and Eastern Europe. He underlines that Austria has to continue and even intensify its economic relations with Eastern Europe to guarantee growth and prosperity.
The foreword was provided by Reinhold Mitterlehner, the Austrian Federal Minister of Economy, Family and Youth. Mr. Mitterlehner stresses the importance of the commercial relationship between Russia and Austria, to which consolidation ICEUR-Vienna is making a substantial contribution.