‘Teaching Is a Learning Experience for Me—Every Question Is an Opportunity to Update My Lecture Material’

Kemal Kivanc Akoz

Photo courtesy of Kemal Kivanc Akoz

Kemal Kivanc Akoz is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Theoretical Economics at the Faculty of Economic Sciences. He has been at HSE University for six years and his current activities include research into marriage market dynamics and information agreements among groups of agents. In this interview with the HSE News Service, Kemal talks about the subjects of his research, the teaching approach that led to him being named one of the university’s Best Teachers, his favourite places to get a coffee in Moscow, and more.

— How has your time at HSE University been so far? What achievements in research and publications would you like to share?

— Working at HSE has been exciting, challenging, and transformative at the same time. I have learned so much about doing research and economic theory. Joint projects with my co-authors, discussions within our amazing faculty, department seminars, and workshops that took place at HSE have all substantially contributed to my self-improvement as a researcher. 

I have developed a diverse research profile on economic theory, political economy, information economics, and matching theory. So far in my research career, I have published eight academic papers, all in internationally recognised journals such as Social Choice and Welfare, The Journal of Industrial Economics, The Journal of Public Economic Theory, and The Journal of Comparative Economics, and others.

My research covers various topics such as the role of information and expectations in political interactions, matching in marriage markets and among lawyers, and identity-based labour market segmentation

— What is in your research pipeline at the moment?

— I have two research projects that I can highlight from my research pipeline. The latest one is related to a model in marriage markets and online platforms. My co-authors and I have found that classes of people, where members of the same class accept only each other as marriage partners, emerge in equilibrium even when there is an online platform. Furthermore, the network externalities for subscription to the platform can generate interesting market dynamics. On another project, I work on ‘information agreements’ among a group of agents who have conflicting interests over the institutions or regulations that generate and regulate information for some public. My co-author and I have found that collusion among various agents might lead to transparent or more informative arrangements. For instance, a regulator who prioritises consumer welfare might agree on a more relaxed privacy regulation allowing a retailer platform to provide more information on consumers to sellers. 

— You've been named one of HSE’s Best Teachers. What is your approach to teaching at the university?

— Teaching has been fun at HSE. I always feel privileged to work with very bright and curious students.

In each of my lectures, I try to follow a single theme. This way I can organise the concepts that I want to discuss around a single, coherent flow

I try to be as available and respondent as I can to the questions and concerns of the students. I give many opportunities to students to ask questions and start discussions in the class. This also makes teaching a learning experience for me. I see every question or comment as an opportunity to revise and update my lecture material. Finally, in some of my classes, the lecture material can be a bit too technical for those with more qualitative backgrounds. For those students, I always offer additional office hours or tutorial sessions. 

— How would you describe the ideal student?

— I would say that an ideal student is a curious one. One who wants to expand their knowledge beyond what is presented in the lectures. One who tries to understand the key concepts and arguments and explore their implications in various contexts. This way, they can find the limitations of the models we discuss during the lectures. Unfortunately, this kind of curiosity requires devoting extra time to the course and the related material. Most students do not have that time due to their course load. Moreover, it is often the case that a significant share of students are working part-time or full-time jobs. This prevents them from devoting any additional mental energy to the courses.

— What are your favourite places to eat in Moscow?

— Moscow has a lot of good restaurant and café options. I sometimes go to coffee places to work on my research. There are places that have good breakfast options, so I sometimes spend my mornings in those places. Bloom-N-Brew and ABC Coffee Roasters are two chains who have good quality coffee and nice breakfast options. My exploration of other coffee places in Moscow continues.

I am a fan of Asian cuisine, and there are many good Korean, Japanese and Chinese restaurants—even around our Pokrovka campus

— What would you show your friends and relatives if they visited you in Moscow? 

— In addition to Moscow’s amazing museums (and especially the art museums) and some of the most famous tourist attractions, I would take my visitors to the parks. I believe Moscow is one of the best cities in the world in terms of its green areas. I would probably start with Gorky Park and VDNH (plus Ostankino Park), and then explore others.