Professor kirjeldab loengut inglise keeles järgmiselt: „The Estonians and Finns are not only close neighbours, but surprisingly many similarities have been characteristic of their history. Nevertheless, public discussion has frequently been focused on differences between these nations. During the past decades on the both sides of the Gulf of Finland, a lot of attention has been paid on comparing living standards of these nations. The lecture examines standards of living in one of the most debated periods, during four decades before the Second World War when both nations experienced substantial societal upheavals but also periods of economic development."