Introduction
Purpose and Goal
The Joint Vienna Institute (JVI), which offered its first seminar in September 1992, was established at the initiative of a number of international organizations and the Austrian authorities. Its role is to provide, through training, support for the national efforts of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, countries that were formerly republics of the USSR, and other countries, making the transition from centrally-planned to market based economies.
To this end, the Institute offers a variety of courses in the areas of administration and economic and financial management. The target group for these courses are primarily the public officials and training officers from ministries of finance, economy, and central banks; economic advisors to governments of participating countries; and some private sector executives, with due regard to the role of the private sector.
The JVI serves its purpose by providing suitable courses to help build basic economic, financial programming, and statistical skills that are the basic building blocks for good macroeconomic management.
Training Program
The JVI's training program has two components, the Main Program and the Seminar Program.
Since 1992, the JVI has trained approximately 10,000 participants from 31 transition economies.
Historical Background
The Institute started providing courses under interim arrangements in September 1992. The Agreement for the establishment of the JVI came into force on August 19, 1994, thereby formally establishing the JVI as a new international organisation.
Five Parties were involved in the original Agreement :
Recently, a sixth international organization became a sponsor of the JVI:
Funding
The JVI donors have included or currently include :
Trust funds are also channelled through the IMF Institute from Japan to support Asian participants. The JVI's own budget is around USD 1,0 million per year, the total budget (allowing for the teaching and other contributions from the sponsoring organisations and the Austrian contribution) is in the region of USD 11 million.
Committees
The Executive Board is responsible for determining the Institute's policies and conducting its business. It is composed of representatives appointed by each Party to the Agreement. There are also two working committees, the Design Committee and the Selection Committee, composed of representatives of the six sponsoring organizations. The Director of the JVI is chief of the operating staff of the Institute, and, under the direction of the Executive Board, conducts the ordinary business of the Institute. The Joint Advisory Council is a forum for discussion of JVI issues between the Austrian authorities and the Institute.
The JVI's 2000 training program has the following components:
Applied Economic Policy Course
This 14-week course covers a broad range of topics, with a focus on policy aspects. It is taught jointly by the sponsoring organizations and the Austrian authorities and is intended primarily for young officials working in the public sector. Participants are chosen through a competitive application process from among participants in the Introductory Course and from among those who apply directly to the JVI. The AEP course is designed for individuals with a good understanding of modern market economics, financial analysis, and practical econometric and other computer-based techniques used in the analysis of complex micro- and macroeconomic situations. The course is delivered in English, and applicants are required to demonstrate their English language proficiency before being accepted into the course. Two AEP courses will be offered in 2000, on the following dates:
February 21 - May 26
September 4 - December 8
Candidates from countries that are not eligible to attend the Introductory Course (see below) and other candidates with a sufficiently good understanding of modern market economics should apply directly to the JVI. Application forms for direct application are available from the JVI or from the JVI's website (www.jvi.org).
Introductory Course
The Introductory Course will be offered in three regional training centers: Kiev, Moscow, and Tashkent. It is designed to give officials from TACIS countries an intensive introduction to the principles of modern market economics and financial analysis. Students who attend the Introductory Course will be tested and interviewed for entry into the JVI's Applied Economic Policy course in Vienna, Austria. This 8-9 week course will be offered on the following dates in 2000:
March 27 - May 23
October 2 - November 28
Application forms for the Introductory Courses are available directly from the JVI.
Seminars
Each of the JVI's sponsoring organizations and the Austrian authorities organize a variety of seminars and workshops on specialized topics that draw on the expertise of each organization. These seminars and workshops are of varying but generally short duration and are designed to provide training to policy advisers, managers, and decision-makers. These seminars are all taught in English, but many provide simultaneous interpretation into Russian.
Application forms for IMF-organized seminars are included in this brochure. Application forms for all other seminars can be obtained by contacting the sponsoring organization at the address provided in the back of this brochure.