133 Development of the Tradition of Conferences

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRADITION OF CONFERENCES ON ECONOMIC POLICY IN ESTONIA On 26–28 June 2008 already the sixteenth scientific conference on economic policy will be held in Estonia, with the main venue traditionally at Värska. Why at the above-mentioned venue? The following is a brief explanation of the reason and a description of the development of this long tradition. When this tradition of organising conferences was started in 1984 (looking back in time), it was the turn of the Estonian Planning Institute to organise the conference and the undersigned was working at the Institute as the Head of the Department of Improvement of Management Mechanism at that time (in addition to the job as a member of the academic staff of the Faculty of Economics of the Tallinn University of Technology which involved more contacts). Annual conferences were organised in Estonia during that period on the initiative of the Estonian Club of Young Economists which had been established in the second half of the 1970s. These conferences were organised by turns by almost all Estonian institutions of higher education and research of that time which were engaged in research, teaching students and provision of further training in the field of economics. Organisation of the conference of 1984 was the responsibility of the undersigned in cooperation with his colleagues, and the presentations were made and discussions of the conference were held mainly on board M/S Vanemuine on the way from Tartu to Värska in three working groups (on 24–26 May 1984). The idea of using a ship for conference work came up rather by chance although it had also an indirect reason. Namely, at earlier conferences of young economists (which had usually been held mainly in the two largest Estonian cities – Tallinn and Tartu) it had often happened that there were not enough participants after the plenary meeting and the first break. A number of participants at the conference had gone shopping! Why? There was namely a deficit in the supply with most consumer goods (incl. food products) in the former Soviet Union (and also in Estonia) at that time, i.e. a general lack of goods in the shops. In Tallinn (as the capital of Estonia, which was supplied with goods better than other Estonian cities and towns) people often had an opportunity to find the necessary goods more easily. The participants at the conference (above all some young female researchers) also made use of that opportunity during their stay in Tallinn). Buying essential goods was a natural wish of everybody, including young economists. (NB! It was a very serious and remarkable economic phenomenon – deficit of goods and services – which was characteristic of the whole Soviet Union at that period and also of many other countries subordinated to the so- called Moscow’s ideology and pressure in the Central and Eastern Europe and also in certain other socialist countries in the world). The venue for the conference of 1984 was chosen with the aim to ensure the attendance of as many participants as possible until the end of the conference. The idea was that if the conference took place on a ship on the way from Point A to Point 133 B, it would not be possible to leave in the middle of the conference to go shopping. And generally – a conference on a ship keeps the people together!10 However, during the occupation period it was possible to travel on ship only on inland water bodies in Estonia. Organisation of a conference on a ship at sea was virtually impossible in Estonia in the conditions of the Soviet power. The Soviet Border Guard closely watched for ships going to the sea and required the respective permission. And there was no hope whatsoever to get such a permission! A few ships travelled on inland waterways, however – on Lake Peipsi, Lake Pskov, Lake Võrtsjärv and the Emajõgi River connecting Peipsi and Võrtsjärv. Considering and taking into account several circumstances, we chose M/S Vanemuine, which mainly travelled between Tartu and Värska and offered the best opportunity at that time to organise a conference on a ship. And so it happened! The plenary meeting of the conference was held in the rooms of the History Museum of the University of Tartu on Toomemägi Hill in Tartu. After the joint lunch in a restaurant (the current Atlantis which bore the name Kaunas at that time) on the bank of the Emajõgi River in the centre of Tartu, the participants boarded M/S Vanemuine which went along the Emajõgi River through Lake Peipsi and Lake Pskov to Värska in Southeast Estonia (the trip between Tartu and Värska on a ship was a relatively common tour or holiday trip at that time). The work of the conference started at once on the ship in three sections at the same time. The participants arrived at Värska by the evening (the duration of the trip on the ship was six hours during which presentations were made and discussions held) and spent the night at the former Petseri Northern Camp of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Estonia.11 On the morning of the second day they took the ship to Pskov in Russia and returned to Värska in the afternoon (again with presentations and discussions on the ship). There was sightseeing in Pskov and then lunch. They arrived at Värska by the evening to listen to the Seto concert at our camp site and have a relaxed dinner and spend free time together. On the noon of the third day the conference was closed and the participants returned to Tartu by ship (now free discussions took place on the ship outside the programme). Besides having a more successful conference, we can mention the following improvements and differences in the work of the conference of 1984 (opening of the conference and the plenary meeting in Tartu; work in sections and discussions on board the ship; closing the conference and accommodation at Värska; entertainment at Värska and in Pskov): • the regional aspect was added, i.e. the conference work took place outside the cities which are traditional venues (earlier in the Estonian largest cities Tallinn 10 This position is now advertised also by several large ferry companies (Tallink, Viking Line, etc.). 11 The Northern Camp was established in 1926. With the arrival of the Soviet forces in Estonia, the Northern Camp was liquidated (in 1941). Later, including in 1980s, also in the year 1984 of our conference, the remaining buildings were used for further training organised in summer for teachers of schools of general education of the Ministry of Education of the Estonian S.S.R. 134 and Tartu where also Estonian institutions of higher education and research had been concentrated), in quite a different place – in a rural area and above all – on a ship (which travelled on the route: Emajõgi River, Lake Peipsi, Lake Lämmi- järv, Lake Pskov, Värska Bay, Värska Town, Velikaja River, Pskov City); • support to improvement of regional balance (organisation of a scientific event – a conference – in a periphery in the regional sense also meant moral support and adding value to the life of the inhabitants of the area); • an additional socio-economic aspect (organisation of the conference outside traditional places, in a country town instead of a city, provided additional work to local people engaged in accommodation, catering and other activities); • an additional logistics aspect (use of a ship for conference work and for transportation in changing the venue); • the milieu changed (most of the conference work took place on a ship and not in a lecture room or in a stationary conference hall); • an additional nature programme (being outdoors on rivers, lakes and among wonderful sceneries of Southeast Estonia); • an additional cultural programme (tour in the ancient Russian Pskov city and becoming familiar with its historical churches and other architectural and cultural sights; at Värska many participants had an opportunity for the first time to get acquainted with the Seto folk culture – the Seto folk choir “Leiko” gave a concert to the participants of the conference. The choir singers in Seto folk costumes mainly sang folk songs but also showed the elements of certain folk dances and Seto traditions. These additions meant a new quality in the conduction of conferences of young economists but also additional experience both for participants and organisers. Most of these innovations/additions (except the use of a ship for conference work!) have also been characteristic of subsequent so-called Värska conferences. Certain subsequent conferences of young economists (organised already by other institutions of higher education or research and also on other general subjects) also took place outside traditional venues – cities – in new and different towns and in places with beautiful nature.12 At the end of the 1980s the organisation of conferences of young economists fizzled out, however, and stopped in Estonia. There were several reasons for it: many earlier active participants had crossed the age limit of the so-called young economists (33–35 years). Besides, the so-called Gorbachev’s thaw had started in the Soviet Union which meant new and additional opportunities for development and activities for everyone. The possibilities for increasing economic autonomy and self-management were discussed in Estonia, and there were 12 For instance, a conference of young economists took place at Rannu in South Estonia, on the coast of Lake Võrtsjärv on 28–30 May 1987 (with the University of Tartu as the main organiser); on 9–11 June 1988 the conference took place on the Aegna Island at the mouth of the Tallinn Bay (with the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute, the current Tallinn University of Technol- ogy as the main organiser).

Load more