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Older Russians are generally less healthy that their peers in Europe, the US, and other BRICS countries. Poor health is one of the barriers to remaining active and enjoying a well-deserved rest after retirement age. The second most common problem affecting elderly Russians is having to share a home with children and grandchildren, while a lack of social engagement and limited social connections come third on the list of barriers to active aging in Russia. According to researchers, the Russian elderly have social potential, but rarely use it. 

In October, the international seminar ‘Creative Labour Revisited: Cultural Production in Distinct Institutional Environments’ took place at the Experimental Sound Museum in St. Petersburg. The event was supported by the HSE campus in St. Petersburg and the Centre for German and European Studies. The seminar was initiated by Margarita Kuleva, lecturer at HSE’s Department of Sociology in St. Petersburg, and attracted Russian scholars, including HSE researchers and international academics.

On October 8-22, Thibaut Le Gouic, Associate Professor at Ecole Centrale Marseille, delivered a series of lectures on ‘Metric Geometry and Optimal Transport’ at HSE. This event was organized by the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences and Laboratory of Stochastic Analysis and its Applications . During the visit, Professor Le Gouic shared his research plans with colleagues from the laboratory, including Quentin Paris, Assistant Professor at the Department of Statistics and Data Analysis and Senior Research Fellow.

On October 21 Peter Maassen, Professor in Higher Education Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University of Oslo, gave a presentation at the 7th International Conference held in Moscow by the Russian Association of Higher Education Researchers. Professor Maassen’s presentation was entitled ‘The University’s Governance Paradox’, in which he spoke about the contradiction between the development of university leadership and the realities of exercising control in universities.

On October 28, the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) held a meeting to announce the results of elections of new members: 176 scholars were selected as academicians, and 323 scholars as corresponding members. HSE researchers are among the new RAS members.

Social scientists from National Research University Higher School of Economics (NRU HSE) measured scientific capital of 39 physics institutions of Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). More detailed information about research results can be found in the journal Scientometrics.

From October 21st – 22nd, 2016, an international workshop on ‘Technology, natural resources and crises in the past and present of Europe and beyond’ took place at HSE in St. Petersburg. The event was organized by the HSE Centre for Historical Research, Aarhus Univerisity (Denmark), and Tensions of Europe (TOE), an international scientific network.

In their new book, Foresight for Science, Technology and Innovation (Springer, 2016), Ian Miles, Ozcan Saritas and Alexander Sokolov introduce the term ForSTI to describe future-oriented analyses, informed by participative processes (to assess evidence, articulate possibilities, and propose actions), that are designed  to feed into STI decision-making. The future considered is usually a long-term one; the issues examined go beyond the purely technical ones; the stakeholders involved reflect the wide spectrum of experience and knowledge relevant to these issues, and the actors whose mobilisation may be required to effect change. The book was presented during recent conference Foresight and STI conference at HSE.

Better nutrition can have a lot to do with the transition to democracy: the more protein-rich, high-quality foods appear in a society's diet, the higher the likelihood of democratic reforms. Apparently, a richer diet is associated with an increase in the middle class, which tends towards economic and political independence and democracy-fostering values. Andrey Shcherbak has found, based on a cross-country comparative study using data on 157 countries, that a change in people's eating habits can serve as a predictor of impending political change. His findings are published in the paper 'A Recipe for the Democracy? The Spread of the European Diet and Political Change'.

From October 20-22, 2016, the Russian Association of Higher Education Researchers held its 7th International Conference ‘University between Global Challenges and Local Commitments’ at HSE Moscow. This annual event brings together researchers and educators who are interested in higher education development to discuss challenges and goals facing universities and their stakeholders (students, faculty, administrators, graduates etc.).