High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Jonathan Hay is a Harvard-educated lawyer who is widely known for his involvement with the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) and his role in privatizing the Russian economy during the early 1990s. The efforts of the HIID to privatize the Russian economy are some times referred to as the “Harvard Project” or "Harvard Project in Russia". Hay’s involvement in the Harvard Project eventually led to allegations of wrongdoing by the U.S. government, a lawsuit, and a financial settlement. The actions of Hay and his associates have had long term impacts on Russia and its inability "to confront economic and financial challenges" since the economy was privatized.