History

The Department for International Economic and Political Studies (DIEPS) was formed on November 15, 2005 as a affiliated organization of the joint Institute of Economy RAS and is a successor of the Institute of International Economic and Political Studies (IIEPS) RAS. Head of the Department for International Economic and Political Studies of IE RAS is acting Deputy Director of the Institute of Economy RAS for scientific activities, Dr. (Econ.) Svetlana Pavlovna Glinkina.

IIEPS RAS (prior to September 25, 1990 – the Institute of Economy of the World Socialist System of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR) was created in accordance with the Resolution of the Praesidium of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR No 684 dated July 22, 1960 as a leading academic centre for studies of political, external economic and foreign political problems of the Socialist countries.

For almost 30 years, from 1960 through 1998, the Institute was headed by a distinguished organizer of science, one of the leading economists in the field of comparative analysis of transition economy and policy, as well as of international economy, Academician of the RAS, Dr. (Econ.), professor Oleg Timofeevich Bogomolov.

From 1998 through 2001 director of the Institute was vice-president of the RAS, RAS academician, Dr. (Econ.), professor Alexander Dmitrievich Nekipelov.

From 2002 through mid-2005 the Institute was headed by Dr. (Econ.), professor, director of the Institute of Economy RAS Ruslan Semyonovich Grinberg.

Since November 15, 2005 the Institute of Economy of RAS has been operating as a new academic organization of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Institute is a member of the Economic Section of the Department of Social Sciences of RAS, which exercises scientific methodological and scientific and organizational management of the unified Institute.

As a result of the unification in accordance with the Resolution of the RAS Praesidium No 161 dated June 14, 2005 ("On reorganization of Institute of Economy of RAS and the Institute of international economic and political studies of RAS via merger into a scientific organization of RAS – the Institute of Economy of RAS") on the basis of the IIEPS RAS the Department for International Economic and Political Studies was organized, having a status of a affiliated organization of the Institute of Economy RAS.

Over a period of more than 40-years long history of its development DIEPS IE RAS is keeping the continuity of its research directions, high level of analysis studies, maintains high national and international authority as a leading research centre of socio-economic and political problems of the post-Soviet space.

The Department of International Economic and Political Studies has entered a new phase of its development having a significant store of research papers in the field of macro- and microeconomic problems of transition from planned to market economy. It has well-established connections and contacts with leading Russian and international state and commercial entities.

Structure

The Centre is the Department's basic structural unit. Currently, the Institute has 12 centres:

• The Centre for External Economic Studies
• The Centre for Problems of Integration
• The Centre for Comparative Political Studies
• The Centre for Comparative Economic Studies
• The Centre for Social Studies
• The Centre for Asian Studies
• The Centre of Central and South-East European Countries
• The Centre of the CIS and the Baltic States
• The Centre of Industrial Policy
• The Centre for the Analysis of Risks and Crises
• The Centre for Research and Professional Improvement
• The Information and Publishing Centre

Formulation of basic research directions and evaluation of research outcome is provided by the Academic Council for supervising research and administrative activities.

The subject matter of research

The research staff is engaged in:

• comprehensive analysis and generalization of societal transformation and renewal processes going on in Central and East European countries, the republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as in North Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia and China;
• study of implications of these processes on the system of international relations;
• research into the place and role of post-socialist countries in European and world politics.

The research activity of the Department is traditionally characterized by:

• a complex interdisciplinary approach, reflected in studies of economic, political, ideological and international problems of transition from totalitarian command system to democracy and market;
• comparative analysis of transformation processes in post-socialist Central and East European countries, in post-Soviet states, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, and China;
• practical objectives of research: to produce recommendations related to the extent in which foreign experience could be adopted for Russian reforms, and for developing economic and political relations with post-communist and post-socialist countries.

DIEPS IE RAS promotes academic cooperation with European, Asian, American research centres and maintains collaborative ties with international organizations.

Priority lines of DIEPS RAS research for the period of 2004-2006:

• The CIS countries and common European economic space: problems of harmonizing interests. 2004-2006. Heads of the direction: Ruslan Grinberg, Svetlana Glinkina, Sergey Silvestrov
• Complex research of economic and political development of the CEE, CIS and South-Eastern Asian states. 2004-2006. Heads of the direction: Ruslan Grinberg, Svetlana Glinkina, Natalja Kulikova, Leonid Vardomsky, Marina Trigubenko
• Models of relationship between CEE, CIS and South-Eastern Asian countries with global economy institutions. 2004 -2006. Heads of the direction: Svetlana Glinkina, Sergey Silvestrov, Marina Trigubenko, Leon Zevin
• Problems of economic integration of CIS countries: the key directions of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. 2004-2006. Heads of the direction: Ruslan Grinberg and Leonid Vardomsky
• Contemporary theories and methods for research in social problems. 2004-2005. Heads of the direction: Ruslan Grinberg and Tatyana Chubarova
• The basic tendencies of scientific, technological and innovation development in CEE and CIS countries: analysis and forecast. 2004-2006. Heads of the direction: Ruslan Grinberg, Sergey Silvestrov, Vladimir Voloshin, German Vlaskin
• The formation of security system in Euro-Asian space. Russia's interests. 2004-2006. Heads of the direction: Svetlana Glinkina, Boris Shmelyov, Igor Orlik
• The risks and crises of post-Socialist world and Russia's interests. Heads of the direction: Ruslan Grinberg, Boris Porphirjev
• Theoretical problems of the CIS countries' economic development. 2004-2005. Head of the direction: Ruben Evstigneev