The Economics Research and Outreach Center (EROC).

Mission. The goal of EERC-Ukraine has been “to create a new generation of economists for Ukraine.” The effort began as a teaching program at NaUKMA, providing highly selected candidates with MA-level training in economics at international quality standards. As of spring, 2003, 217 students have graduated from this program and are using their new knowledge either to work in Ukraine or to pursue PhDs at top-quality institutions abroad. The new Economic Research and Outreach Center expands this effort through support for high-quality economic research and assistance to other Ukrainian institutions of higher education to modernize their curricula and instruction in economics. Its research program will emphasize work on economic issues important for Ukraine in its progress toward a market economy.

Program.

Research.

In research, the Center program has four main activities. Some research will originate within the Center. This includes a project to create a data base on the economic behavior of Ukrainian households (labor group), a group studying (enterprise) behavior, a group on macroeconomics and transition (macro group) and a group on (efficiency and productivity). Other areas in which such projects might be developed include international economics and industrial organization. Working papers produced by these groups are available online.

A second activity is open competitions for research support. This competition is organized in co-operation with the existing CIS-wide research competition sponsored by EERC. Since one of the Center’s goals is to encourage Ukrainian economists to participate in the international community of economists, investigators should consider involving foreign collaborators in their research team. EROC also wants to use the rich resource of newly trained EERC graduates and students and would hope to see them as collaborators or research assistants in projects funded by the Center. Research is expected to lead to publication for both a domestic and an international audience. The Center will make its research facilities in Kyiv available to successful applicants. A proposal development workshop is organized to help applicants prepare their proposals. For tips on doing research go to our research workshop page

A third element in the program is “EROC Research Incentive Supplements” offered to Ukrainian economists with a completed PhD from a western institution, who return to Ukraine to teach. They provide time off from teaching, financing for research assistance, funds for conference participation, etc. Applications, made in conjunction with applications for teaching positions in Ukraine, should outline the applicant’s research and publication plans and desired support. Renewal of the supplement for additional years will depend on performance and will be subject to review and approval by EROC’s research review and evaluation committee. To support the education of aspirants, EROC also gives stipends to a selected group of NAUKMA aspirant students.

A fourth activity will be short workshops on proposal development and research methods, research seminars, and conferences for presentation and discussion of research results.

Outreach.

The outreach program will provide resources for undergraduate and graduate curriculum development in modern economics at Ukrainian universities. The Center’s Curriculum Development Support Service at the library library will make available model curricula and syllabi from the EERC program and from other exemplary institutions in the region. It will supply numerous kinds of instructional materials, both hard-copy and web-based, for teachers and students. Since the availability of good textbooks and such teaching materials as workbooks and test banks in Ukrainian or Russian is a serious problem, the Center expects to support the development of such materials. A major goal of the Center will be to develop partnerships with institutions for a sustained effort in curriculum development over several years. Such partnerships might include internship positions in the EERC MA program, or access to EERC faculty and graduates to work in a team teaching mode with faculty to develop new courses. The EROC teaching outreach program also sends out EERC faculty to teach at other universities. EROC also is involved in the organization of conferences for educators , student conferences and summer schools (on the Economics of the Firm and on Econometrics). Finally, to support the participation of Ukrainian economists in international conferences, we created a conference fund