Joint Seminar of HSE and Hertie School of Governance
On December 14th-16th 2015, a joint seminar between HSE and the Hertie School of Governance was held in Berlin. The staff members of the Laboratory for Political Studies, students, doctoral students and faculty of the Hertie School of Governance as well as researchers from Oxford, Cambridge and Heidelberg Universities took part in the event.
The project ‘Value orientations of Russian elite universities’ students’ is dedicated to the study of political views of students in a comparative perspective. The project focuses on ideological orientations of students and their attitudes towards different political regimes and institutions, as well as their career prospects and expectations.
The student survey was carried out in 2014-2015 in five universities in Russia, USA and Germany. In Russia the students of HSE, MSU and MGIMO were questioned. The survey was also carried out in Princeton University in the USA and Hertie School of Governance and Heidelberg University in Germany. The General project database includes about 2,500 responses.
The first day of the workshop was taken up by discussion of the project’s theoretical basis and design. Mark Urnov, ideological leader of the project, spoke about the start of the project and its main goals. The participants discussed the difficulties that emerged during the survey and conducted the comparative analysis of the questions’ wording in different languages in order to confirm the fundamental comparability of the data.
On the second day of the workshop the participants split into small international teams, formulated several research questions and studied statistical relationships between authoritarian values and uncertainty about the future, between the willingness to work independently and willingness to support the opposition.
The analysis showed that students at Russian elite universities stick to more conservative values than their peers from German and US universities. In particular, Russian students are more likely to respect their parents regardless of their behaviour, which is not typical for students from other countries. In Russia, students of natural and technical sciences are less likely to stick to authoritarian values than students in humanities and social education programmes.
On the last day of the workshop the teams made presentations of their research and discussed further development of the project. Researchers from Cambridge and Oxford universities adapted the questionnaire, tested it with the experts and now plan to conduct a survey among the students of English universities.
In addition to all the active work and discussion at the workshop, staff members of the laboratory managed to learn something about the history of Berlin and went on a walk around the city centre and a cycle ride through the Western and Eastern parts of the city.
See also:
Pivot to the East: A Comprehensive Study of the Cultural and Civilisational Centres of the Non-Western World is the Top Priority
China and the Chinese world, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia and Africa are gaining new significance in Russia’s foreign policy. However, we do not know enough about the Eastern countries. It is necessary to change the priorities in education, starting from grammar school. Prospects for the development of domestic Oriental studies in the context of the new stage in the development of the system of international relations were discussed at a round table at HSE University.
‘I Admire HSE Students’ Eagerness to Learn, to Discuss, to Broaden Their Perspectives’
Robert Romanowski was a ‘Digital Professor’ at HSE University in November 2021. In his interview for the HSE News Service, he talked about the specifics of online teaching, his course on Strategic Branding, and the skills that are essential for marketing professionals today.
Russia and Africa: Time to Expand Cooperation
There is major potential for economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and African countries. Particularly, Russian organisations and universities can help transfer competencies and knowledge in the fields of agriculture, energy, industrial production, environmental management, climate change, and public administration. Experts and representatives of African embassies in Russia discussed these issues at the round table ‘Russia-Africa Sharing Knowledge’ hosted by HSE University.
The Brain in Space: Investigating the Effects of Long Spaceflights on Space Travellers
As part of an international project conducted with the participation of Roscosmos and the European Space Agency, a team of researchers used differential tractography to analyse dMRI scans ofcosmonauts’ brains and found significant changes in brain connectivity, with some of the changes persisting after seven months back on Earth. The paper is published in Frontiers in Neural Circuits.
HSE University-Perm and the Training Centre of the Uzbek Ministry of Finance Sign Cooperation Agreement
HSE University in Perm has become the first academic partner of the Training Centre under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The parties have signed a cooperation agreement in education and research.
HSE University Strengthens Ties with Netherlands in Agricultural Research and Education
On November 9, 2021, HSE University signed a memorandum of understanding with Wageningen University & Research, a major university in the Netherlands and one of the leading agricultural research institutes in the world. Participants of the signing ceremony included HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov, President of the Wageningen University & Research Executive Board Professor Louise Fresco, and Dutch Ambassador to Russia Gilles Beschoor Plug.
The Majority of Russians Do Not Support Microchip Implants
The majority of Russians would not agree to being fitted with microchip implants for any purposes—medical or otherwise. A joint study conducted by HSE University’s International Laboratory for Applied Network Research and Aventica found that respondents believe the risks of personal data leaks and misuse to be too high.
‘We Can Now Say That the Finance Conference Is Global’
The 10th International Moscow Finance Conference, organized by HSE ICEF, took place on October 29–30 online. Vladimir Sokolov, Head of the International Laboratory of Financial Economics, which hosted the conference, talks about the participants, the key presentation topics and how they will impact the global economy.
HSE University Scholars Study Green Transition Risks and Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulation
The UN Climate Change Conference is taking place from October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow. The conference focuses on preventive measures against the catastrophic and irreversible consequences of rising average global air temperatures. Igor Makarov, Head of the HSE Laboratory for Economics of Climate Change, will be taking part in the Glasgow conference. In the following interview, he speaks about the pressing problems Russia and the world are facing, and the research HSE scholars are doing on climate change.
Applications to Speak at eSTARS 2021 Conference Accepted Until November 15
HSE University and Coursera are bringing together the world’s leading researchers, professionals, education and technology leaders, and business community representatives for the fourth international research conference eLearning Stakeholders and Researchers Summit 2021 (eSTARS). This topic of this year’s summit, which will run from December 1–2, 2021,is ‘Digital Transformation: Global Challenges to the Education System’.