Andrey Shevchuk

Ambivalence and a combination of contradictory principles are vividly manifested in the actions of government, its individual agents and institutions, as well as the everyday practices of economic subjects and citizens. The participants of the HSE Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology seminar discussed the book The Ambivalence of Power in the Twenty-First Century Economy: Cases from Russia and Beyond, recently published in the UK. Prepared by researchers from HSE University and foreign universities, the book focuses on the study of ambivalence in Russia and beyond.

Gadgets have been gaining strong, and different, influence over the daily tasks of Russians: on the one hand, they reinforce our connectedness to the world during the harshest lockdown, on the other — the contact between real individuals or even generations is getting weaker. Robots help automate routine tasks, as well as learn how to make rather autonomous decisions, and yet it is unclear, who should be responsible for those decisions. The XI International Academic Conference ‘Foresight and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy’, conducted online on October 15–25, 2021, started with a comprehensive analysis studying the social effects of digitalisation.

Due to a longstanding lack of evidence-based information about freelancers, Andrey Shevchuk and Denis Strebkov, senior research fellows at the HSE Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology, have endeavoured to dispel misconceptions about this growing class of workers. Though remote work has become particularly relevant during the pandemic, the researchers identify several trends that have determined the direction of the remote job market even before the coronavirus outbreak.

The Pain and Price of Freelance Work

The danger of nonstandard working schedules

On January 18, several university staff members were awarded HSE medals and notes of acknowledgement from the Rector.