VEO of Russia Today

I“…The Free Economic Society of Russia has been and is one of the country’s leading civic institutions contributing to the development of common understanding of priority modernization objectives and routes, scientific-technical, socio-economic and intellectual development of the country and society...”

V.V. Putin

Today, the VEO of Russia unites over 300 thousand members: practicing economists, leading scientists and experts, representatives of public authorities, business community, public activists; it has its branches in practically all regions of the Russian Federation. The VEO of Russia comprises 65 regional and interregional organizations.

In 2015, it celebrates an important historical event: the 250^th anniversary of the Free Economic Society of Russia. The Anniversary Congress of the VEO of Russia: VEO of Russia: 250 Years in Service to the Motherland will take place on October 31, 2015 in Moscow, at the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions.

For over 2.5 centuries of its history, the VEO of Russia has been one of the leading civic institutions of the country whose work serves enlightenment goals and development of an applied economic thought.

The VEO of Russia organizes reputable, large-scale forums, conferences, congresses, round tables, contests, exhibitions and other events that traditionally arouse high interest and evoke a positive response in the public, scientific, state and information communities of the Russian Federation and abroad.

The members of the VEO of Russia have joined their efforts to form public opinion about the most important issues of the country’s economic development, they are actively cooperating with state structures, giving assessments to different projects and programs, doing research work, providing consultations to the representatives of federal, regional and local authorities concerning the current economic policy.

 

The main goals of the VEO of Russia are as follows:

1.      Active use of its members potential to develop and strengthen the economy of Russia and its regions, all branches of the national economy;

2.      Forming public opinion about the most important issues of the country’s economic development;

3.      Contributing to the country’s intellectual potential development, improving the quality of human capital assets;

4.      Preserving and popularizing the historical, cultural, and scientific heritage of the Imperial Free Economic Society of Russia;

5.      Performing enlightening activities;

6.      Contributing to the development of creative activity of economists, scientific and engineering personnel, other specialists;

7.      Contributing to the development of scientific and technical creativity of the youth, supporting young specialists, etc.

 

Main areas of activities of the VEO of Russia:

 

1.      Program: Economic Growth of Russia

within the framework of which in 1994 VEO organized a permanent Round Table: Economic Growth of Russia (the head of the Round Table till year 2011 was only one person: Chairman of the Scientific and Practical Council of the VEO of Russia, RAS Academician L.I. Abalkin). In 2011, the Presidium of the VEO of Russia decided to rename the Round Table into Abalkin Readings. The current host of Abalkin Readings: Round Table: Economic Growth of Russia is Chairman of the Scientific and Practical Council of the VEO of Russia, Member of the Presidium of the VEO of Russia, RAS Corresponding Member D.E. Sorokin.

2.       Program: All-Russia Forums, Conferences, Congresses, Exhibitions

within the framework of which VEO organizes various all-Russia and international forums, conferences, congresses, seminars, round tables, exhibitions devoted to the relevant issues of the socio-economic development.

3.      Program: Developing Creative Potential of the Youth

Young specialists and scientists training has always been a priority in the activities of the Free Economic Society of Russia. This goal is achieved, among other things, through the All-Russia Contest of Youth’s Scientific Works: Economic Growth of Russia organized by the VEO of Russia among the 9-11-grade pupils of general secondary and professional educational institutions; students of higher educational institutions of Russia, research associates, postgraduate students, degree-seeking students of scientific and research institutes and higher educational institutions of Russia aged under 33 years old; over 3,000 people take part every year in this Contest. The research projects developed by the Contest winners and awardees are published in a special issue of the Transactions of the VEO of Russia. The Youth Association of the VEO of Russia continues actively working and developing at the VEO of Russia.

4.      Research programs:

History of Russian Economic Thought; New Economy: Optimal Models; Innovations in Education; Problems of Population Employment; Effective Development of State Cities and Capitals; Problems of National and International Economic Security; World Experience and Russia’s Economy; Progressive Forms of International Integration; World Experience in Anti-Crisis Measures, etc.

5.      Program: Agricultural Economy.

6.      Program: Nature Use Economics.

7.      Russian Contests Program: Manager of the Year; Public Manager of the Year in Banking Award; Manager of the Year in State and Municipal Administration

The Free Economic Society of Russia has revived the tradition of holding national reviews and contests. The Russian Contest Manager of the Year has become a socially important event over its 18-year-long history. Over two thousand people from most regions of Russia take part in the Contest every year. This prestigious competition determines the leaders and the best representatives of management who are able to develop and apply effective managerial technologies and business strategies and gives a huge impetus to the professional creative growth of managers for the benefit of Russia’s economy development.

The Manager of the Year in Banking Award contributes to the growing effectiveness of the Russian banking system, disseminating the best achievements in managing business processes, enhancing the degree of confidence in banking institutions, forming the financial elite of Russia.

The practice of holding the Russian Contest Manager of the Year in State and Municipal Administration allows VEO to acknowledge the serious role of the Contest in enhancing the performance efficiency of the state administration system, ensuring the information openness of executive authorities, strengthening their interaction with civic institutions.

The Society regularly conducts the reviews of the regional branches of the VEO of Russia. The main objective of the Review is to examine, generalize and disseminate the working experience of the regional branches of the VEO of Russia focused on the development of the region’s economy.

8.      Program: Independent Assessment of Economic Education Quality

In order to contribute to the establishment of international-level economic education in Russia and improve the system of training highly-skilled professionals, the VEO of Russia under the auspices of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation has been conducting an annual All-Russia Contest, ECONOMICS and MANAGEMENT, in the past eight years. The Contest is meant to determine the best economic departments and educational programs, effective experience in introducing innovations in specialist training that meet world standards and are sought-after in the modern labor market.

As a scientific and professional public institution, the Free Economic Society of Russia performs the public accreditation of educational programs on such specialties as Economics and Management on the basis of its advanced experience in independent assessment of education quality and effective international practice of public accreditation with the help of resource potential of international organizations.

9.      Program: Enlightening and Publishing Activities

The VEO of Russia is one of the most active popularizers of scientific and economic knowledge. Publishing of popular scientific, informational and analytical literature remains the main means of enlightenment.

Currently, the total annual circulation of journals, newspapers, and bulletins amounts to 11 million copies. These printed materials are distributed only on a free-of-charge basis.

In 1994, the VEO of Russia resumed the publication of the Transactions of the Free Economic Society of Russia (and published 190 volumes by 2015) devoted to the most burning issues of the Russian economy transformation, Russia’s integration into the world economic community, the history and experience of economic management in our country. Since 2003, upon the decision of the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Transactions of the Free Economic Society of Russia have been included in the List of Leading Scientific Journals and Periodicals issued in the Russian Federation where the key scientific results of theses submitted for a doctor’s or candidate’s degree must be published.

The VEO of Russia publishes unique editions, including the bibliography of all materials issued by the Society and its regional branches starting from 1765, an illustrated album Portrait Gallery of Presidents of the VEO of Russia, a book about the History of the VEO of Russia Reborn Phoenix, Motto “Beneficial,” etc. By its 240^th anniversary, the VEO of Russia completed the creation of a library fund comprising all Transactions of the VEO of Russia starting from 1765.

Since 2000, together with the International Union of Economists and the International Academy of Management, it has been regularly publishing the Econom journal that provides detailed information on the activities of the VEO of Russia.

Besides, a big amount of publishing activity is performed by the regional branches of the Society. All periodicals of the VEO of Russia are available in printed and electronic versions that are placed on the official websites of the organization, and the websites of its partners. The final proceedings of the events organized by the VEO of Russia are available to the public and discussed on the Society’s page in social networks.

The VEO of Russia is part of the International Union of Economists. The Society performing a large-scale work contributing to the economic and social progress of the world community, taking part in the development of interregional programs of the UNO, UNESCO, European Union, APEC, ASEAN, SCO, BRICS. The VEO of Russia is also actively cooperating with international nongovernment structures, enterprises, foundations, scientists.

The VEO of Russia has always highly appreciated its activists. One of the first gold medals of the Society was granted to its founder Catherine the Great. The modern awards of the VEO of Russia, a Big Gold Medal and a Small Silver Medal, are registered by the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation.

The VEO of Russia is open to everyone who shares its goals and principles and is ready for mutually profitable collaboration with all progressive forces focused on the economic and social development of the Russian Federation.