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Roman ZakharenkoAssistant Professor of EconomicsState University - Higher School of Economics (Russia) Mailing address:
Office phone: (+7) 495-772-9590, etx. 2296
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I grew up in Siberia, which is the best place on Earth, especially in January (seriously!). I got my BA in Economics from Novosibirsk State University, which is one of the most rigorous undergraduate economic programs in the world. For example, we were required to know by heart the proof of Arrow's impossibility theorem by the end of the second year. Then, I was taught some more world-class mathematics for Economists in a Master's program at New Economic School, Moscow. Then, I spent six years in a PhD program at Pennsylvania State University, where I was taught to learn independently. Currently, I have a permanent position at International College of Economics and Finance, which is part of State University - Higher School of Economics, and which offers English-language Bachelors and Masters programs in Economics.
Generally, my research interests lie in the field of Development Economics, with more specific topics outlined below. As the previous paragraph would suggest, I have a comparative advantage in theoretical research, but I am interested in empirical work too.
One of my major research interests is international migration, more specifically, high skilled migration, more specifically, its impact on developing countries. I believe that high skilled migrants are the main "vectors" of diffusion of knowledge and social norms across countries; understanding the mechanisms of diffusion at the theoretical level, and finding empirical evidence, are major challenges.
Another line of my research interests can be described as Evolutionary Economics or Bioeconomics. The underlying idea of this school of thought is that human behavior can be explained by studying the environment in which ancestors of modern humans lived, and in which their psychology has evolved. Although much work has been done in this vein to explain such things as the attitude towards risk, intertemporal time preferences, and altruism towards kin, there are not yet very many applications of this theory to Development Economics. Can we explain, by studying human evolutionary past, such phenomena as fertility decline, corruption, differences in social norms and institutions across countries? These are major research questions.
Although I do not conduct active research, I am also interested in the following fields: international trade, economic geography and spatial economics, some applications of mechanism design, and economic history.