Institutional Performance of Reforms in Russian Science

Abstract

Reform theory and other concepts have accumulated a rich experience in studying the institutional environment of the R&D sector, including the identification of specific parameters of performance or non-performance of individual managerial decisions or entire areas of reforms. At the same time, assessments of institutional performance are usually based on expert analysis and detection of institutional traps, and do not deal with other facets of this performance, including the achievement of those goals or benchmark indicators. Measuring the institutional efficiency of achieving the "digital" goals laid down in the reform of Russian science has revealed significant problems at the design stage of the reform. The study of the indicators whose thresholds formed the vectors of transformation of Russian science led to the following conclusions. Most of the key indicators, even taking into account the failure to meet the deadlines, remained unachieved. And in the case of meeting the "digital" targets, there are signs of either managerial opportunism or other special circumstances of an accidental nature or negative externalities. Two conclusions can be drawn from this very depressing picture. Either the reforms have failed, and institutional efficiency according to the "digital" criterion has been unsatisfactory. Or the chosen set of indicators is invalid.