Higher School Of Economics Research Articles

Labour market status and depression in Russia: A longitudinal study, 2011-2017.

This is the first longitudinal study to examine the relationship between depression and the labour market in Russia. Using data from 2011 to 2017, we identify the impact that not being in employment has on mental distress, and we explore the mechanism underlying the observed association. Using data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey - Higher School of Economics, we employ random-effects regression models to estimate the impact of employment conditions on the likelihood of reporting mental distress in Russia. This method allows us to distinguish between the selection effect associated with mental distress and direct causation. Controlling for a range of socio-economic and demographic characteristics, we find that unemployment and labour market inactivity are strong predictors of the likelihood of reporting depression and serious nervous breakdown. However, we find that rather than negative labour market events giving rise to mental distress, the selection effect actually dominates, and the direction of causality therefore operates in reverse. Knowledge of the underlying mechanism that links unfavourable labour market outcomes with mental distress is crucial for designing policies that can address this link. We argue that our findings provide grounds for the initiation of anti-stigma campaigns among employers, policymakers, health practitioners and politicians as well as the general population. Eradication of the perception that mental disorders are somehow different to 'real' illnesses will not only prevent Russians from self-selection into unemployment but may also transform outdated approaches to mental health care in Russia.

Private and public transfers: substitute or complement?

The paper analyzes the relationship between private and public social transfers in Russia. The research relies on the data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) carried out by the Higher School of Economics in 1994–2018. The household is the unit of the analysis, the method of logistic regression is applied. The study has shown that when a household receives public social transfers, it is less likely to receive private transfers. So, the findings appear to bear out the hypothesis that public transfers crowd out private transfers in Russia.

Building Competitive Advantages Within the Frames of Different Approaches to Competitiveness Management (illustrated by the company ‘Belgorod Plant RITM’)

Serious changes that took place lately in business environment form new challenges to processes of enterprise management. The article studies specific features of current management aiming at shaping and retaining competitive advantages of the organization. The author reviewed different approaches to the interpretation of the notions ‘competitive enterprise’ and ‘competitive advantages’. Processes of shaping competitive advantages on the basis of identifying strong and weak sides of the organization were discussed. The empiric base of the research was made by data of Rosstat, the Federal Customs Service, the Institute of Statistic Research and Economy of Knowledge of the Higher School of Economics and the company ‘Belgorod Plant RITM’. The competitive environment on market of seeding-machines was investigated. Special attention was paid to measures of state support to market of agricultural equipment. At the result of the research a conclusion was drawn that market of seeding-machines is fast growing with high competition. External and internal factors affecting the competitive potential of the enterprise were studied and specific features of enterprise management in conditions of competitive environment were systematized. It was shown that the company ‘Belgorod Plant RITM’ has a number of competitive advantages, among which the availability of own technological developments and no dependence on imported components. Recommendations were prepared aimed at improving competitiveness of the company ‘Belgorod Plant RITM’.

GENDER FACTOR OF INTERNET ACTIVITY AND CONSUMPTION OF DIGITAL SERVICES

The article analyzes the gender factor of differences in Internet activity and use of digital services. The information base includes data from a survey on Russia conducted by the Higher School of Economics and Rosstat, and the results of a sociological survey conducted in the Vologda Oblast in 2020. A comparison is made of the goals of visiting the Internet, the availability and level of development of digital skills, the use of state and municipal services in an online format for men and women using the methods of system-structural and cross-tabulation analysis. Shown that at the everyday level there are elements of the digital gender divide, largely due to gender stereotypes formed in society.

More Money — More Births? Estimating Effects of 2007 Family Policy Changes on Probability of Second and Subsequent Births in Russia

From 2007 to 2015 total fertility rate in Russia increased from 1.42 to 1.78, following a long period of decline in 1990-1999 and stagnation in 2000-2006. Politicians attribute this growth to a package of pro-natalist policy measures introduced in 2007 and particularly to the maternity (family) capital program, the most well-known innovation of the 2007 reform. Existing studies, although sparse, have not actually proven this point of view clearly yet. This paper aims to reveal whether the pro-natalist measures of 2007 have influenced probability of second and consequent births in Russia. Since in 2007 several family policy measures were introduced simultaneously, and the authors estimate their cumulative effect applying a set of binary logistic regressions on the panel of Russian Generations and Gender Survey data collected in 2004, 2007, and 2011. The study reveals that the probability of second and subsequent births before the introduction of policy measures does not differ significantly from that observed after it. The authors find no effect of 2007 family policy changes on probability of second and consequent births in Russia. The data shows some signs of selective influence of the 2007 policy changes on women with lower human capital and incomes, however, further studies on bigger samples are needed to prove this fact. The study extends the academic discussion and adds to the pool of empirical evidence on the pro-natalist policy effects on fertility. By demonstrating no significant effects of Russian 2007 family policy measures the paper contributes to the overcoming of existing publication bias in the field.
 Acknowledgements. The authors are grateful for the support granted to the research within the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE).

What makes youth become NEET? Evidence from Russia

ABSTRACT This article addresses the issue of socio-demographic attributes of NEET status (dropping out of employment, education or training for young people between 15 and 24 years old) in Russia, and presents an investigation of the impact of education on falling into NEET for the first time. Whilst existing studies on Russian NEETs provide a general descriptive insight into NEET status, little is known about the role of education in NEET-types formation. The empirical analysis was based on the micro-data of the Russian Labour Force Survey (LFS) by the Federal State Statistics Service for 1995–2017, and the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) for 2000–2017. Gender-specific multinomial logit analyses and dynamic multinomial logit panel regressions empirically support the heterogeneous nature of Russian NEETs confirming the human capital framework. They show that higher education does not provide a universal safety net from NEET status in Russia. While risks of NEET-inactivity are mainly concentrated among those who have primary or vocational education, NEET-unemployment in Russia is associated with higher education. Results contribute to the ongoing discussion about the changing rates of return for higher education and the saturation of the Russian labour market with university graduates.

Contributors

Contributors

Transformation of the reproduction of human capital in the context of the digital economy

The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the processes of reproduction of human capital with the most recent quality characteristics, skills, and competencies are actively evolving in the context of the digital transformation of the economy. The goal of the article is to study transformation processes and to identify the main characteristics of the reproduction of human capital in the context of digital and technological transformation. The empirical base of the study is represented by the data from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, as well as from reports and statistical books of the National Research University Higher School of Economics on the development of human capital and digital economy in Russia. The methodological basis of the study includes a systemic and holistic approach, retrospective, evolutionary, monographic, and comparative logical analysis, content analysis of scientific literature and empirical sources, as well as methods of generalization and systematization. The stages of the evolution of human capital have been identified and described in the course of the study; a model of the evolution of the human capital structure in the digital economy has been formed, including its traditional and new characteristics; the physical, intellectual, socioindustrial, and digital (technological) components of the reproduction of human capital in the Russian Federation and the Central Federal District have been analyzed. The conclusion has been drawn of the need to transform the mechanisms of the reproduction of human capital for the formation of new digital and technological competencies and for overcoming the divergence of technogenesis and anthropogenesis.

Sistem Pakar pada Sistem Pembayaran Uang Kuliah Cicilan Menggunakan Metode Weighted Product (Studi Kasus Universitas Dharma Andalas)

Dharma Andalas University is a change in form from the Dharma Andalas Higher School of Economics (STIE). Dharma Andalas University is one of the private universities in the city of Padang which is under the auspices of the Andalas Dharma Education Foundation (YPDA) which is directly fostered by the Andalas University alumni association. Dharma Andalas University is a private university so operational costs come from student tuition fees. Payment of tuition fees is an obligation of every student, considering that tuition fees are quite expensive, Dharma Andalas University provides relief for students to make tuition payments in installments. The purpose of this study is to assist the leadership in making a decision to pay installments using the Weighted Product method. In this study, the data processed is the data of students who apply for installment tuition payments at Dharma Andalas University. The data processing is to determine the criteria for each alternative by multiplying for attribute match reting, then rank with the attribute weight value which results in the vector value V, then the vector value V is ranked from the highest value to the lowest value where the highest value will be prioritized. Furthermore compared to the manual calculation method with a system that has been made, the results are the same with an accuracy rate of 97%, so that it can be recommended to the leadership to help make decisions about the payment of tuition installments.

Review of the Report on the Public Service Reform by the National Research University Higher School of Economics

After proving to be highly effective in technical fields, digital transformation is now making its way into the social field as well. The digital transformation of routine procedures is developing most successfully; the sheer scale of operations makes the results of digital transformation very obvious, which inspires hopes for similar success in applying the same methods to the activities of public authorities. This review covers the concept of the digital transformation of the government, as suggested by the Higher School of Economics. The creators of the concept believe that digital transformation will not only help meet the goals of bureaucratic reform but also improve the quality of governance. They cite the experience of businesses that have extensively integrated digital transformation into their operations as proof of this claim. This review, however, highlights the dangers of applying digital transformation methods to public governance at a superficial level, without analysing the issue's legal background or predicting possible consequences beforehand. We demonstrate that similar attempts at optimising the management of the national economy without changing the underlying economic mechanism, as undertaken in the Soviet period, were ultimately unsuccessful. Each area of economic activity has its own theoretical guidelines and its own unique experience, as reflected in the legal regulations. We do not believe it possible to solve issues in one area of knowledge and activity by using methods that were meant for other areas. Therefore, the HSE's concept, which relies on experience in big data processing, raises some serious questions, some of which are voiced in the review.

Preface

V Mkhitarian, D Pavlyuk and S Sidorov This volume contains the papers presented at CMDM 2020: The Fifth Workshop on Computer Modelling in Decision Making which was a big success by holding via online platform on November 26-27, 2020. The CMDM 2020 workshop brought together researchers, postgraduate students and academics interested in computer and mathematical modelling in decision making in different areas. The CMDM 2020 workshop’s main topics were computer and mathematical modeling for decision support in solving problems arising in industry, engineering, finance, insurance, as well as decision support methods and tools for data analysis, machine learning, forecasting, analytics, and their applications.The workshop was co-organized by Saratov State University (Saratov, Russia), the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the Department of Statistics and Data Analysis of Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia). The CMDM 2020 workshop was held online due to the pandemic of COVID-19 and was co-located with the IX International Research and Practice Conference on Mathematical and Computer Modelling in Economics, Insurance and Risk Management, Saratov, Russia, November 25-28, 2020. The virtual format of the workshop was a first and novel attempt in this difficult year, but we are very satisfied that we have made it a success.Thirty two papers were submitted and twelve papers were accepted for presentation at the workshop after a careful peer reviewing process with discussions among reviewers and members of the program committee. All papers published in this volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series have been peer reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing. Each paper was reviewed by at least two reviewers or members of the program committee. We would like to thank all reviewers for their helpful efforts.The Editors, Vladimir Mkhitarian, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia Dmitry Pavlyuk, Transport and Telecommunication Institute, Riga, Latvia Sergei Sidorov, Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia Program committee: Vladimir Mkhitarian, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia – Co-chair Dmitry Pavlyuk, Transport and Telecommunication Institute, Riga, Latvia – Co-chair Sergei Sidorov, Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia – Co-chair Abraham Althonayan, Brunel University London, London, UK Vladimir Balash, Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia Tatiana Belkina, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia Sergei Dudov, Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia Boris Mirkin, Professor, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia Yuri Blinkov, Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia

Comparison of innovative development indexes in the space of regional differentiation characteristics

Currently, one of the priorities of the country's development is the transition of the economy to an innovative path of development. Analysis and evaluation of innovative development at the regional and national levels, quantitative assessment of regional innovation activity, and development of methods for evaluating the effectiveness of interaction between science and business that allow choosing the right strategies for solving management problems are of particular relevance. The subject of the research is the indexes of innovative development of regions. The purpose of the study is to compare the indexes of innovative development of regions and identify indexes that do not have significant differences. Eight indexes describing the innovative development of Russian regions are compared. We use four of the author's indexes, published earlier: the index of technical efficiency innovative space for international patent applications TEMPZ, the index of technical efficiency innovative space for patent applications TEPZ, the index of technical efficiency innovative space issued patents TEPV and the index of technical efficiency innovative space developed for new technologies TETECH. Along with the author's indexes, four other indexes with a similar applied focus are considered, published by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) in National Research University — Higher School of Economics (HSE), RIA rating, and Association of Innovative Regions of Russia (AIRR). In the course of the study, a comparative analysis of the indexes of innovative development in the space of expert-defined characteristics of regional differentiation was made. Analysis of the cosines of the angles between the indexes constructed using the beta coefficients of the regressions of these indexes on the differentiation characteristics allows us to refine the results of correlation analysis and identify a subset of indexes that are not distinguishable when solving control problems parameterized using the differentiation characteristics.

Возможности и угрозы цифровизации для развития человеческого капитала на индивидуальном и региональном уровнях

In the context of digital transformation of the economy, human capital development depends on differences in earnings. Previous studies examined the relationship between wage differentiation and employee competencies without considering the regional digitalisation. The present research tests a hypothesis of the dependence of wage differentiation on individual digital competencies, likelihood of job computerisation and digital development of a region. Linear regression method based on Mincer equations was utilised. The empirical basis comprises data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) and statistics of the Federal State Statistics Service on the digitalisation of Russian regions in the period from 2003 to 2018. Development opportunities and threats have been conceptually identified in terms of substitution and supplementation of labour, distribution of entrepreneurial risks, the use of digital competencies and the influence of regional digitalisation on differences in individual earnings. The revealed professional polarisation of the Russian labour market due to digitalisation creates unequal opportunities for income growth and professional development in the mid-term. In contrast to previous studies, this research analysed how the likelihood of computerisation affects wages, showing that while, in general, digitalisation creates an advantage for human capital, an increase in computerisation reduces earnings by almost a quarter. High level of digitalisation of certain regions supports human capital, yielding a wage increase of 5–10 % on average. The study results can be practically applied to support strategic decisions for the development of digitalisation at the local and regional levels. Moreover, the necessity to monitor professions under the threat of digital automation in regions is shown.

How Schoolmates Affect Your Chances of Getting into College: School Socioeconomic Composition and Inequality in Access to Higher Education

The problem of socioeconomic inequalities in Russian education takes on particular significance in the context of massification and increasingly differential quality of higher education. Relevant research is mostly focused on individual student characteristics and regional aspects. Less often, researchers’ attention is attracted to school factors, such as school socioeconomic composition (SEC) — one of the most powerful school predictors of student achievement. The effect of school composition on students’ educational trajectories remains underinvestigated, although higher education is more important for life chances than school achievement. In the present study, Russian data (the Higher School of Economics’ project Trajectories in Education and Careers) is used for the first time to measure the effect of school SEC on educational choices and chances of getting into college. This effect is analyzed successively for key decisions and outcomes at every stage of long-term educational trajectories. Analysis is performed with due regard to the specifics of Russian education and the sorting of students into the academic and hybrid tracks in pursuit for college degrees. School composition is found to be positively associated with proceeding from middle to high school, obtaining a college degree, and pursuing a Master’s degree. The largest influence of school SEC on college enrollment is observed for students who enroll in vocational studies after middle school. The compositional effect is extremely robust and persists even when student achievement and family characteristics are controlled for. Adding school SEC to the model offsets the effect of individual socioeconomic status on the likelihood of going to college, which means that exclusion of SEC from analysis may lead to invalid inferences in educational research. The effects detected cannot be explained by differences in achievement, so it would be reasonable to explore the social mechanisms behind the compositional effect in further research. School desegregation measures suggested on the basis of prior findings may turn out to be hasty and overly drastic in practice.

МОТИВАЦИЯ СТУДЕНТОВ К ВЫПОЛНЕНИЮ НАУЧНО-ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКОЙ РАБОТЫ И ЕЕ СВЯЗЬ С УСТАНОВКОЙ НА ПОСТРОЕНИЕ АКАДЕМИЧЕСКОЙ КАРЬЕРЫ В ВУЗЕ

The requirements for university graduates include the possession of research skills, which implies the inclu-sion of this type of activity in the curriculum. Research work of students is included in both compulsory types of work and those performed at will of the student himself (over and above the curriculum), the latter being associated with a high level of students’ motivation. The article aims to analyze the structure of students’ motivation for carrying out research work at university and to identify its connection with the orienta-tion of young people to building an academic career at university after graduation. The methodology is based on Talcott Parsons’ model of reference variables. It allowed us to describe the motivation of students at the theoretical level. Some of the selected theoretical positions (affective neutrality, self-orientation) were tested using empirical material collected through a survey of students of Perm national research universities (Perm State University, Perm National Research Politechnic University, Higher School of Economics – Perm). Based on the ideas of T.V. Razina and other researchers of motivation, we developed and tested a methodology for identifying the structure of students’ motivation to conducting research work at university. The following were identified as the most pronounced motives of the interviewed students: firstly, they car-ry out research work for self-development in the broad sense of the word; secondly, the process itself pro-vides them with interest. Cluster analysis made it possible to classify respondents into 4 groups, based on the specifics of their motivation: strategists, enthusiasts, dependents, and and random people. A connection was revealed between the specifics of students’ motivation and their determination to build an academic ca-reer at university after graduation. As a result, we were able to identify and describe the group of students who are more determined to devote themselves to research work in the future. The paper proposes a number of recommendations for scientific supervisors and managing personnel of universities, which can be helpful in building the personnel policy of universities.

Социальные протесты в Латинской Америке в фокусе региональных интернет-СМИ и соцсетей

Received 10.03.2020. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the information on current social protests, which was published in the leading Latin American news websites and actively discussed on the social media platforms to identify the main causes of public discontent and the main problems discussed by Latin Americans. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the materials on the social movements of the fall of 2019, which were published in the news websites, which are the most popular in Latin America, and have the greatest influence, and the biggest Internet traffic volume. The second part is devoted to an overview of hashtags on the topic of mass protests that have gained huge popularity among Latin American users on the biggest social media platforms. A review of informational articles on the autumn social movements, which were published in the leading Latin American newspapers, revealed the main points of view on the factors and causes of these events, and the main problems discussed by Latin Americans. An appeal to various sources, both the countries in which the protests took place and the states that have passed such a crisis, will help readers to see the current socio-political situation in a new way. Acknowledgements. Support from the Individual Research Program of the School of World economy and International Affairs at National Research University – Higher School of Economics is gratefully acknowledged.

Вторая волна ливийской гражданской войны: факторы и акторы

The first wave of the civil war in Libya, which ended after the assassination of Muammar Qaddafi in the fall of 2011, did not put an end to the civil conflict in the country. It is shown that in many respects the second wave of the civil war in Libya (the beginning of the active phase of which can be dated May 16, 2014) was a direct continuation of the first wave (February–October 2011). By 2014, it became clear that the Libyan crisis could not be resolved solely through a change in political regime. The revolutionary processes in the case of Libya proved to be fatal for the entire political system, marking the almost complete dismantling of state institutions. Thus, the overthrow of the dictator in Libya did not ultimately solve anything, and the military-political forces that fought in the first wave of civil conflict against Muammar Qaddafi launched an open full-scale armed struggle with each other in May 2014, marking the beginning of the second wave of civil war. This article analyzes the logic and course of the second wave of the civil war in Libya, as well as explores the genesis of key military and political forces in Libya after 2011. The authors conclude that at present time a stalemate has developed in the country. And the impossibility of a military victory for either side of the Libyan conflict allows us to hope for a new agreement between all its parties. Acknowledgements. This article is an output of a research project implemented as part of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in 2021 with support by the Russian Science Foundation (Project Number 19-18-00155).

Прозрения Блеза Паскаля (о монографии «Франция и Россия: вокруг Блеза Паскаля»)

The monograph edited by K.Yu. Kashlyavik contains contributions of the speakers at the international conference “France and Russia: around Blaise Pascal,” held at the Department of Humanities of the Higher School of Economics — Nizhny Novgorod in 2018. This is the first collective monograph in national philology dedicated to the French writer and thinker of the 17 th century, which includes studies of Pascal’s legacy in French, English, and Russian cultures.

СОВЕТСКОЕ БЫТИЕ: КОЛЛЕКТИВНАЯ РЕФЛЕКСИЯ ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ ГРАНТА РНФ

The article systematizes the results of the work carried out at YSPU named after K. D. Ushinsky under the grant of the Russian Scientific Foundation «Philosophical and Anthropological Analysis of Soviet Life. Prerequisites, dynamics, influence on modernity». The grant implementation period is from 2020 to 2022, the analysis was done based on the results of half of the completed path. Information is provided on publications (more than 30 publications from the lists of the Higher Attestation Commission and the ID), on scientific events held from May 2020 to March 2021.: the seminar-discussion «Soviet existence on the eve of the formation of totalitarian and authoritarian framework», the school of young researchers «Soviet existence as it is: aspects of analysis», a round table with the involvement of researchers and practitioners from Russian regions «Soviet existence: from rooting to overcoming», a socio-cultural survey on the topic «Soviet existence-the rejected past or the origins of the present?». Information is given about 10 members of the research team – Doctors of Philosophical Sciences S. A. Nikolsky (Moscow, Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences), G. L. Tulchinsky (St. Petersburg, Higher School of Economics), Doctors of Sciences and young participants of the project (Yaroslavl, YSPU). The materials of the seminar-discussion with the participation of colleagues from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Ulyanovsk, Vologda, and other cities of Russia are analyzed. The analysis of scientific publications and reports made under the grant, scientific reflection allows us to believe that the initial hypothesis of the grant is confirmed. The unflagging interest in the Soviet life on the part of people of different generations was established, manifestations of nostalgia among the young were found, signs of forgetting certain phenomena were revealed, the presence of an emotionally acute sense of the events of the Soviet past. We believe that the awakening and consolidation of a respectful and devoid of ideological rigidity attitude to the complex phenomena of the cultural and historical past is being carried out in society.

POLITICAL CRISES AS CHALLENGES TO DEMOCRACY: WILL IT BE POSSIBLE TO AVOID “CONFIDENCE TRAPS” AGAIN? Book Review: Runciman D. The Confidence Trap. A History of Democracy in Crisis from World War I to the Present. Moscow, Higher School of Economics Publ., 2019. 400 p. (In Russian)

The development of democratic political systems inevitably presupposes dealing with crises. The challenges of democracy are both external factors associated with the activity of other political regimes, changes in the world order, and internal factors determined by a combination of socio-economic and political aspects. Often, such internal factors become critical and can determine a dangerous state - the “confidence trap”. The article discusses the concept of the Cambridge political scientist David Runcimen, which expresses firm confidence in the ability of democracies to overcome the crisis with dignity and preparedness for new tests. The seven main crises of democracy of the twentieth century highlighted by Runcimen are events that influenced the nature of the functioning of democratic systems. In addition, overcoming these crises has demonstrated the presence of a serious resource for the strength of political and social institutions, the formation of survival and reflection skills in the state system. The most important challenges to democracy are: war (the tendency of democracies to be drawn into military confrontation, which can result in serious costs), finance (irrational use of public funds), environmental threat (climate change due to vigorous economic activity, depletion of resources), rivals (activities of those states, which can seriously limit the expansion of democracy). Special attention is paid to assessing the role of China and Russia in the formation of the “confidence trap” of modern democracies.