Book review, Crisis, Economics, Education and Science, Press-release

The book is based on analytic papers undertaken within the Institutes studies. The author is acting as a Head of IGSO’s Center for Economic Studies for more then two years, devoting his work to the detailed study of the global crisis.

It is settled that the book will be in a free access as a digital copy because of the importance of the economic problems for the society. “We consider the publication of this book as a continuation of our policy for openness of the significant public studies. We aim at making the origins of the crisis known and helping the people to realize the future challenges”, IGSO Director Boris Kagarlitsky said BC. He is concordant with the key points of the book: we have not reached the “bottom” of the crisis and Russia and the whole world have to face main troubles and drastic changes in the near future. The crisis will not end soon. Neo-liberalism is at the bay and the economy is too important to be obscure.

On the 9^th of June, 2008 IGSO published its report “The crisis of global economy and Russia”, prepared by Vasily Koltashov. Its sensational conclusions concerning crisis outlook for Russia were not accepted from the start. But soon the Report has had wide distribution thanks to its precise and distinct forecasts. And still the main forecasts are only starting to come true. So this Report is implemented as a beginning of the book. The paper concerning currency and inflation and the first two years of decline goes after. The third and fourth chapters include the 2008-2009 interviews and articles on crisis and connected social problems.

Vasily Koltashov.

Vasily Koltashov is one of the few economists who have foreseen the end of the economic expanding. He has foreseen the course of the crisis and its consequences long before the fact of the crisis was admitted. The crisis deep-laid origins, its system and cycle nature were uncovered. A range of courageous forecasts and sensational conclusions were made. A lot of problems relevant for modern society were solved or were clearly phrased for the first time. What should we expect in the near future? What changes will the crisis provoke? What are the barriers for its ending and what we need to complete it? How the crisis will impact on Russia? What is for tomorrow? And what attitude toward the crisis the battle of economic theories has? 

IGSO is an independent intellectual center. Its activities are directed to generate expert judgments, conduct researches and contribute initiatives aimed at democratic and radical socio-economic transformation of society. Its predecessor was IPROG headed by Boris Kagarlitsky. In 2006 the majority of IPROG’s team has set up a new institute – the IGSO.