The Tenth World Congress of the International Economic Association took place against the background of historic changes in the Russian economy and society. Among the features of the Congress were lively debates about the choices facing Russian Economic policy, including addresses by many policy-makers. For more than 400 participants from outside Russia, the Congress provided first-hand insight into the problems of transition to a market economy. For all taking part, there was an unprecedented opportunity for scientific exchanges, both formal and informal .

The final programme consisted of 5 plenary lectures, 4 panel sessions, 29 half-day and 17 full-day specialised sessions. There were 67 invited papers and 241 contributed papers. The scientific sessions covered all aspects of economics. While the economic transformation of the former USSR and Eastern Europe was to the forefront of everyone’s minds, there were important sessions on the development of Latin America, China, India and Africa. Those taking part were drawn from more that 50 countries.

One of the important objectives of the Congress was to contribute to the development of economics training in the successor states of the former USSR. In part, this contribution took the form of the general opportunity for scientific exchange afforded by the Congress.

Three specific contributions were:

Two panel sessions dealing with the problems of teaching economics. Professor Anne Krueger organised a panel on “The Graduate Teaching of Economics”. The second panel was organised by Mr S. Wright, of the University of Cambridge, on the subject of “Training and Re-Training in Economics”

The second contribution of the Association was through a paper commissioned from a team of Russian economists on “Teaching Economics: Post Soviet Case” Post Soviet Case” written by Yaroslav I. Kuzminov (Institute of Economics), Oleg. Ananying (Institute of Economics), Igor V.Lipsits (Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs), Sergey N. Sementsov (Academy of National Economy)

A number of the IEA officers and congress participants were involved in the initiative to establish the ” New Economic School in Moscow” This initiative was co- ordinated by Professor Valeri Makarov of CEMI and Professor Gus Ofer from the Hebrew University, (Jerusalem).

As a result of this Congress, the plenary lectures and invited papers have been published in five volumes by Palgrave under the title: “Economics in a changing world”

Vol 1: System Transformation : Eastern and Western Assessments, edited by Abel Aganbegyan, Oleg Bogomolov and Michael Kaser (Macmillan 1994).
Vol 2: Microeconomics, edited by Beth Allen (Macmillan 1996).
Vol 3 : Public Policy and Economic Organization, edited by Dieter Bös (Macmillan 1994).
Vol 4: Development, Trade and the Environment, edited by Edmar Bacha (Macmillan 1994).
Vol 5 : Economic Growth and Capital and Labour Market, edited by Jean-Paul Fitoussi (Macmillan 1995).