On 27 June 2024, within the framework of the Symposium on Economic Theory (EASET-2024), a round table dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Journal AlterEconomics took place.
In her welcoming speech, Prof. Lavrikova, Director of the Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke about the origin and development of the Journal of Economic Theory, which later changed its brand to AlterEconomics. Prof. Lavrikova stressed that the journal was fouded in 2004, when the Russian community of economists realised the limitations of borrowed theories of the neoclassical mainstream in understanding what was happening in the country’s economy. Today, as the world order is changing, economists in other countries, including those that continue to dominate the global marketplace of economic ideas, face the same challenge. This requires changes in the principles of functioning of economic science journals, approaches to the organisation of their activities, as well as the creation of the journal ecosystem.
Svetlana Kirdina-Chandler, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Ph.D. in Sociology, spoke about the future directions of the journal’s development, paying special attention to the implementation of the project «Russian Gene of Economic Theory» in 2024.
The slogan of the project is «Remember the past, understand the present and work for the future!».
The aim of the project is to comprehend the role of economic theory in Russia, to identify the contribution of Russian scientists to the development of Russian and world economic science and to popularise these achievements in modern science and education.
Prof. Kirdina-Chandler noted the first steps that have already been made within the framework of this project — the thematic issue of the journal AlterEconomics (No. 1, 2024) «Synthesis, evolutionary approach and strategic planning in the history of Russian economic science» was published. The guest editor was Doctor of Economic Sciences, Prof. Glovely (Moscow). In 2024, the journal will introduce a new section «Economic Theory and Education», which will discuss topical issues of teaching economics in Russian universities. Within the framework of the project «Russian Gene of Economic Theory» in 2024 AlterEconomics offers a collaboration with the journal Problems in Political Economy on the theme «Alternative economic theories in the educational process» (provisional title), to promote theoretical developments and courses of economic disciplines based on them, complementing the modern economic mainstream. Finding an optimal balance between the achievements of domestic and foreign economists seems to be one of the most important tasks of the proposed collaboration. Prof. Kirdina-Chandler announced that AlterEconomics starts the formation of the next thematic issue of the journal (No. 1, 2025) on the theme «ECONOMIC THEORY, ECONOMIC EDUCATION AND DIGITAL ECONOMICS«, guest editor Dr. Balatsky. The first editor of the journal, Prof. Yurchenko (Ural State Economic University) and Prof. Bersenev (Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences) spoke about significant events in the life of the journal. Alternative theories and approaches that are more adequate to the changed conditions were also discussed. Dr. Yakovleva (Moscow State University) in a report dedicated to the memory of A. V. Buzgalin told about the development of the Moscow political economy school. Dr. Volchik (South Federal University) reflected on the issues of ideology in economic sciences, and Dr. Peter Orekhovsky (Institute of Economic Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences) told about cartels in the sphere of scientific journals. In the light of the current world situation, Dr Kapoguzov (BRICS Journal of Economics) spoke about the prospects of scientific cooperation of journals with the countries of the Global South.