Konstantin Sonin is a Russian economist. He is a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, research fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), London, and an associate research fellow at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics.[1] In recognition for his outstanding research in the field of political economy, in December 2015, he was named the John Dewey Distinguished Service Professor of the University of Chicago.[2]

Konstantin Sonin
Born (1972-02-22) February 22, 1972 (age 52)
NationalityRussian
Academic career
InstitutionUniversity of Chicago,
FieldPolitical economy, Development economics, Economic theory
Alma materMoscow State University
AwardsGaidar Memorial Prize (2020)
Information at IDEAS / RePEc

Sonin is the co-founder of the joint HSE-NES Bachelor of Arts Program. Until December 2014, Sonin was Vice Rector at the Higher School of Economics, but was forced to resign for political reasons.[3] Until August 2013, he was Professor of Economics and Vice Rector at the New Economic School. His primary research interests are in political economics, development economics, conflict, and economic theory.[4]

Sonin has been published in leading academic journals in economics and political science, such as American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Econometrica, Review of Economic Studies, American Journal of Political Science, Quarterly Journal of Political Science and others.

Sonin has been a columnist for Vedomosti/VTimes (in Russian) in 2004-2020 and The Moscow Times in 2004-2017. He contributes to major international[5] and Russian media outlets. He is the author of "Sonin.ru: Lessons of Economics" (in Russian), a book aimed to a wide audience. In 2019, a new edition of the book was published, titled "When the Oil Runs Out and Other Economics Lessons" (in Russian).

In 2023, Sonin was placed on the Federal Wanted list in Russia (Sonin lives in Chicago); the criminal case against him is based on information that he published in 2022 about the Bucha massacre and the Siege of Mariupol.[6]

An arrest warrant was issued for Sonin in February 2024.[7]

Biography edit

Sonin was born in Moscow. He received his MSc in 1995, and PhD from Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University in 1998. Initially an algebraist, he transistioned to economics after 2000–01, when he was appointed a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Davis Center for Russian studies at Harvard. In 2001, he joined New Economic School as an Assistant Professor and in 2009 received tenure as a full Professor of Economics. In 2011–13, he was Vice Rector at New Economic School responsible for creating an NES undergraduate program. In August 2013, he moved to become Professor of Economics at the Higher School of Economics. In August 2013 - January 2015, he was Vice Rector at the Higher School of Economics. Sonin is a co-founder of the joint HSE-NES Bachelor of Arts Program.

In 2004–2005, he was a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA. In September 2009 – March 2010 he worked as a Visiting Professor of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.[8] In May 2014 Konstantin was a visiting scholar in Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics at the University of Chicago.[9]

Since September 2015, Konstantin Sonin has been a professor at the University of Chicago.[10]

Awards and memberships edit

  • Yegor Gaidar Memorial Award, 2020
  • Member of the Science Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (2013 - 2017)
  • Prime-Minister Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, 2012
  • Research Medal of the Global Development Network, 2004 (1st), 2006, 2009 (2nd)
  • B. L. Ovsievich Memorial Prize, 2009
  • Award for a Best Economist of the Russian Academy of Science, 2002, 2003

Other affiliations and memberships edit

Major publications edit

  • Sonin, Konstantin (December 2003). "Why the rich may favor poor protection of property rights" (PDF). Journal of Comparative Economics. 31 (4): 715–731. doi:10.1016/j.jce.2003.09.005. hdl:2027.42/39929. SSRN 386102. Pdf.
Reprinted as: Sonin, Konstantin (2008), "Why the rich may favor poor protection of property rights", in Henrekson, Magnus; Douhan, Robin (eds.), The political economy of entrepreneurship, The International Library of Entrepreneurship Series, Cheltenham, UK Northampton, Massachusetts: Edward Elgar, ISBN 9781845421878.

References edit

  1. ^ "Home page". hhs.se. Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics.
  2. ^ "Konstantin Sonin Named John Dewey Distinguished Service Professor". University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  3. ^ Gessen, Masha (8 January 2015). "Putin and his New Year's resolutions". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Konstantin Sonin's Homepage". nes.ru. New Economic School. Archived from the original on 2011-05-29. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  5. ^ "Konstantin Sonin (profile)". The Economist. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Russia places economist Konstantin Sonin on federal wanted list". Meduza. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  7. ^ "Moscow court issues arrest warrants for Leonid Gozman and Konstantin Sonin". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Faculty". kellogg.northwestern.edu. Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  9. ^ "Scholars". bfi.uchicago.edu. Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics.
  10. ^ "Konstantin Sonin Joins Chicago Harris Faculty". University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  11. ^ "Home page". cas.hse.ru. Center for Advanced Study at Higher School of Economics.
  12. ^ "Home page". cepr.org. Center for Economic Policy Research. Archived from the original on March 2, 2006.
  13. ^ "Journal of the European Economic Association: editorial board". European Economic Association. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  14. ^ European Journal of Political Economy: editorial board. Elsevier. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Journal of Comparative Economics: editorial board". Elsevier. Retrieved 14 February 2016.