Kornai János: “Interview with János Kornai“ conducted by Andras Tilcsik, Harvard Focus Europe, 2002, Issue II, pp. 33-37.
Editor-in-Chief Diana Kudayarova Managing Editors Kalina Manova Octavian Timaru Layout Editor Sergey Trishin Production Manager Fausto Arturo González- Taveras Cover Design Clay Kaminsky András Tilcsik Simona Toporpop Business Manager Eugene Soltes Publicity Manager Anthony Vila Editors András Tilcsik Simona Toporpop Helena Toth Adriana Luciano Academic Advisor Peter Hall Dear Readers, The introduction of the euro on January 1, 2002, marked another step of increasing European integration. The EU’s apparent importance in day-to-day lives of European countries has increased visibly when euro notes and coins appeared in the pockets of their citizens, and the EU’s actual powers have also been receiving more and more attention. In the context of growing integration the question of identity comes to the fore sharper than ever. Is a resident of Rome a European? An Italian? A Roman? This issue of Harvard FOCUS Europe attempts to bring together several viewpoints that elucidate the question of different levels of identity. We open our issue with the article by Linda McAvan, a Member of the European Parliament, who explores the effect of the euro on European’s perception of the EU and their place in it, with a particular emphasis on Great Britain. Providing a philosophical context for the discussion, Christine Teylan explores the development of the idea of selfhood. Bodjar Manov, a film critic and a professor at the National Theater and Film Academy in Bulgaria, writes about the issues of national identity in the context of European film industry and its attempts to penetrate the American market. We then zoom in on specific countries, with the article by Ionut Lazar on regionalism in Italy, an interview with Jugoslavian Ambassador to the United States Dejan Sahovic, and a report on Michel Rocard’s visit to the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard. The issue also features an interview with Janos Kornai on the progress and results of economic transition in Eastern Europe. In this issue, Harvard FOCUS Europe also begins a regular section on the Center for European Studies. We start with the interview with the Center’s new director Peter Hall and a brief overview of its regular seminars and study groups. In future, we hope to report on the most interesting events, visiting faculty, and upcoming conferences. HFE would like to thank the Center for European Studies for its generous support, geniune interest and invaluable intellectual input into our magazine. We hope you enjoy this issue of Harvard FOCUS Europe, and, as usual, welcome your comments and suggestions for improvement. Sincerely, Diana Kudayarova Editor-in-Chief SPRING 2002 3