Join the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (CSEEES) for our second Ukraine Wednesdays lecture series. This lecture series began in spring 2022 in order to help OSU students, faculty, staff, and the general public better understand the war in Ukraine and Ukrainian heritage, history, and culture. Please check our event page for a full listing of all events.
Presenter: Yaroslava (Yasya) Babych (ISET) was born in Ukraine. She studied at the University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, then continued her education in the United States. In 2000 she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin and Marshall College, PA, with a double major in Economics and Philosophy. Yaroslava graduated with her Ph.D. in Economics from the George Washington University in Washington, DC in 2011. Her research and professional interests focus on macroeconomic stability and growth patterns in transition economies; gender and economic development; and the effect of a country's political institutions on growth takeoffs. She is a Lead Economist and Head of Macroeconomic Policy Practice at ISET - the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University in Georgia. The core activities of the Practice are monitoring macroeconomic indicators for Georgia, providing consulting services for governments, the private sector, and international organizations.
Abstract: Despite being a natural resource and human capital rich country, Ukraine has struggled to achieve standards of living comparable to partner countries in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, etc. This talk will explore the roots of Ukraine's economic underachievement since the 1990s and will explain the role of the Soviet colonial legacy in shaping the modern-day economy of the country. The talk will also touch upon the economic origins of the strong pro-western sentiments in the country which led to two Maidan revolutions and subsequently an all-out war with the former colonial hegemon, the Russian Federation.
If you have any questions about accessibility or wish to request accommodations, please contact us at cseees@osu.edu. Typically, a two weeks' notice will allow us to provide access.
