Interview with foreign researcher of the Institute for Industrial and Market Studies
Keiko SUGANUMA, Associate Professor of theCollege of Bioresource Sciences, Department of General Edu
cation,Nihon University (Japan) spoke about her scientific work and life in Russia.
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Keiko SUGANUMA, Associate Professor of theCollege of Bioresource Sciences, Department of General Education,Nihon University (Japan) spoke about her scientific work and life in Russia.
Why did you choose post-Soviet region as a subject of your research and the Higher School of Economics as a place for conducting your research?
I chose HSE because I have researched Russian economy and professors in my graduate school had connections with professors of HSE.
What is currently the subject of your research?
The subject of my current research is “the business of Japanese firms in Russia”.
Why did you choose this topic?
So far, I have researched the subject about the determinants of location choice and the economic effects of the foreign direct investment (FDI) in Russia. Therefore, this time, in the subject of my research I focus only on Japanese companies.
What kind of research to you plan to carry out in the future?
I am going to research the impacts of the world financial crisis on FDI in transition economies as a simultaneous project with current subject.
Does Russia or post-Soviet area have any specific features in scientific sphere that would distinguish this region from others where you make your research?
I can’t compare developed economies or emerging economies in Asia with Russia because I have not researched the former. However, based on the results of my past research about FDI in transition economies I think that obstructive factors of FDI in Russia differ from those in Central European countries.
Do you have practical advice for foreign colleagues who are going to do research in Russia for the first time?
I feel that it is important for researchers of social sciences to stay and gain experience in the environment that they study for better understanding of the subject of their research. Therefore, I can recommend foreign colleagues who are going to do research in Russia to try to participate in events and contact people doing research in the related field.