The Past and Prospects of Russian Liberalism: An Interview with Sergey Aleksashenko, former Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation

Abstract

Sergey Aleksashenko is a Russian Economist and former Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation. After graduating from Moscow State University with a PhD in Economics, he was invited to join the Soviet government, where he joined a team that worked toward the liberalization of the Soviet economy. In 1993, Aleksashenko was named Deputy Finance Minister of the newly-independent Russian Federation. From 1995 to 1998, Aleksashenko served as the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia. His extensive experience in government, as well as his subsequent ventures into the private sector as head of Merrill Lynch Russia and as a board member for prominent Russian corporations such as Aeroflot and the United Grain Company, have equipped him with unique insight into Russia’s current economic and political realities.