Moving on: Interview with Tatiana Evdokimova, Departing Senior Economist at the JVI

Tatiana Evdokimova joined the JVI in 2020. She spoke with JVI Newsletter staff about her experience and views on the JVI, her achievements and new challenges. 

Tatiana, what do you remember from when you first joined the JVI five years ago?

I joined the JVI in the middle of COVID. When I was hired, the expectation was that the JVI would move back to the standard operating mode in a couple of months. The reality was different though. I delivered my first face-to-face lecture only in August 2022. It felt very much like starting a totally new job. After all those months in front of the screen, we finally had participants back in the classroom. For someone like me who had not seen the pre-pandemic JVI, greeting participants in person, interacting with them during the course and sharing with them the bittersweet moments of the closing ceremony was a remarkable experience.

Can you give us an overview of your role and key activities during your five years with the JVI? 

My core activity during these five years was teaching general macroeconomic courses. I covered a broad range of topics from standard macroeconomic diagnostics to management of capital flows to macroeconomic policies in resource-rich countries. I was also actively involved in developing the JVI curriculum. Jointly with the JVI colleagues, we created a course on Climate Change that was subsequently used as a core input to the IMF’s new course on Macroeconomics of Climate Change. 

Another component of my work was technical assistance to institutions in Central Asian countries. During these projects we developed macroeconomic forecasting tools and delivered highly customized training to public officials on the ground. This work was very rewarding as we witnessed its direct application in policymaking. I also conducted research in the fields of climate change, economic policy communication, and international capital flows. Looking back, I realize that the time at the JVI was multi-dimensional and professionally very enriching. 

How would you describe your work experience at the JVI? What were your key achievements during this period?

The JVI offers unique learning opportunities not only to the course participants but also to the teaching team. Throughout these years I was very lucky to collaborate with colleagues from the JVI, the IMF, and other international organizations and to meet with public officials from across the region. In this environment you learn something new every day. 

The absolute highlight of these five years was the development of the Applied Economic Policy course. This project lasted for more than one and a half years and was truly transformational for me as an economist. It was then a great pleasure to see how participants attending this course enjoyed the learning process as much as we enjoyed the course development. 

Was there a specific highlight during this period? Any anecdote you would like to share? 

I enjoy traveling and work at the JVI allowed me to discover more about several countries in the region, notably Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Visiting home countries of course participants, interacting with them when they are at their desk dealing with urgent tasks, observing city life, and talking to local taxi drivers bridges classroom theory with real-world realities. I will always cherish the great memories of these trips full of hospitality and productive collaboration.  

Rilind Kabashi, Senior Economist, Joint Vienna Institute