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The Western-style internationalisation of Russian universities, which guided the evolution of the country's higher education sector for over three decades, has been challenged by Western sanctions following the 2022 Russian 'Special military operation in Ukraine'. The authors show through the prism of constructivist theory how the norm on the internationalisation of higher education characterised by the strive for Westernised world-class universities was adopted and then came to unravel in Russia. A qualitative case study based on 42 expert interviews and an analysis of political discourse and legal documents reveals how the key features of the internationalisation of Russian universities are being challenged. The authors contribute to the expert literature the notion of 'norm reversal', defined as the process whereby an institutionalised and internalised international norm is 'cancelled' in a specific country. The paper shows that the reversal in Russian higher education, which was initially 'circumstantial' is becoming 'intentional', with legal documents being drawn up to accelerate and claim ownership of it.

This paper explores integrity dilemmas experienced by Russian academics in the context of building a world-class university. Interviews with professors and managers of major research universities in Moscow provide critical insights into the organisational and attitudinal incongruities generated by a coercive state--a challenge that Russia has been unable to rise above following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Scepticism as to the "master model" of competitive performance is evident in relation to the Russian 5-100-2020 excellence scheme, the overseers of which prioritise "reputation management" over integrity in governance and performance. In addition to exposing the consequences of deficient institutional autonomy, which prevail in the context of a post-totalitarian society, this paper calls for enhanced critical inquiry into university excellence programmes imposed by performativist and vanity-driven governments.

The purpose of this work is to develop models of resilient schools, both positive and negative. This study is based on the methodological principles of interdisciplinarity and consistency. The process of identifying models of resilient schools took place in two stages: 1) searching databases for examples confirming the existence of "successful" schools in difficult socio-economic conditions, and 2) analysis of interviews and survey results of teachers, students, and parents. Results show that the proposed classification of models of resilient schools was clarified. The remaining uncertainty regarding the issue of the existence of resilient schools is resolved through the inclusion into the sphere of pedagogical analysis of non-social objects such as actors of educational interaction. It is shown that adverse social conditions (from the standpoint of the school and universal values) in reality seem to be the most likely life futurity for children from dysfunctional families. Changing this futurity to a more positive one requires a specific education in a resilient school, which differs from other schools in its educational strategy. The paper defines the school strategies determining qualitatively different models of resilient educational organizations. Five such models are proposed, based on the principles of resonant interaction oriented to supporting positive and blocking negative educational fluctuations of schoolchildren, compensatory interactions, calling for the creation in the school of specific conditions neutralizing the effects of the adverse environment, development of personal resilience of pupils as a meta-competency, and integration of all previous models into a single educational system. The integrative model can be considered as the highest level of school resilience, achieved by the gradual development of the previous models.

So-called 'world-class universities' emerged on the global higher education scene following the Second World War. Their development in countries around the world, particularly since the early 2000s, has evolved into an international norm, although not without debate and contestation. This paper applies Constructivist theory to reflect on how local contestation affected the implementation of this norm of world-class universities in Russia, at a time when the internationalization of higher education was a national priority (i.e. before the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine). The authors employ process tracing to follow the norm from its emergence on the international stage to its contemporary adoption by Russia with Project 5-100, drawing on a case study based on 22 targeted expert interviews to identify the types and roots of resistance in Russian universities. The findings indicate that Russian contestation reflects in most cases difficulties adapting to new requirements and the fear of being left behind rather than an overall rejection of the international norm of world-class universities. The study reveals that international actors are essential not only to norm diffusion on the international stage, but also during domestic norm implementation as they are instrumental in overcoming contestation.

Summary: This ethnographic story explores fiction‐making in the context of audit cultures and accountability regimes. Based on a critical multi‐sited ethnography conducted between 2011 and 2015 in the Russian Federation, this composite narrative draws on eighty interviews, casual conversations, and observations at several universities. It documents how educators at higher education institutions responded to audit reviews by constructing paper façades of reports and curriculum documents that obscured what they were doing or how their departments were run. When an inspection took place, the reviewers focused on paperwork to infer the quality of educational services. The fictions and paper façades created to convince the state that institutions were functioning well also sheltered the illicit practices and corruption that operated at various levels of the institutional hierarchy. In this audit theater, faculty participated in producing fakery, dupery, and swagger that protected them from immediate punishment, but they ended up feeling cheated by their own production. As educators navigated new reporting requirements, they also made sense of the state's own fakery, hypocrisy, and duplicity. New relationships among educators, institutions, and the state created by accountability regimes produced a politics of disposability to sustain state fictions of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses issues of reforming the system of higher professional education in Russia. The authors state that the main goals of organizing the European zone of higher education were alien to the Russian educational tradition and were not implemented in Russia over the past two decades. Moreover, these efforts have led to the destruction of the unified educational space of the country, a decline in the quality and accessibility of education, and the loss of value-based worldviews. Analyzing the situation, the authors of the article reveal the underlying causes of failure in the fundamental incompatibility of the socio-cultural paradigms of European and Russian education. A comparative analysis of the activities of European and Russian universities formed the basis for the statement about the necessary and reasonable formation of a national education system capable of a productive dialogue with the Euro-American civilization. The authors speak in favor of the approach would meet the Russian national features and ensure the sustainable development of the Russian educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of education quality are currently a matter of particular relevance and importance. It would seem that the quality of education should interest the scientific community in different periods (historical periods) of time, however, as practice shows, these studies have been carried out mainly in recent times. The article describes some arguments on the quality of education based on the available historical data on the development of education in Russia. Given that it is not possible to consider in detail all historical periods in different countries within the framework of one article, a summary of the key points influencing the development of education in Russia before the revolutionary events (during a certain period of the reign of the Imperial House of Romanov) was made in a small comparison with the modern perception of the quality of education. Some factors influencing the quality of education in the period from the late 19th to early 20th centuries have been identified. The conclusion is made on changing/unchanging factors affecting the quality of education in modern reality in comparison with past experience in the development of the education system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the relationship between the indicators of higher education quality and the salaries of university graduates in Russia. Based on the data from the longitudinal study 'Trajectories in Education and Careers', it is shown that graduates of highly selective universities, higher education institutions which participate in the excellence initiatives, or those awarded a special status (for example, participants of the '5–100′ project and National Research Universities) receive a higher wage premium for education compared to other graduates. This conclusion is consistent with the human capital theory and signaling theory. Differences in wages depending on the field of study were also found. Graduate salaries have a gender gap and are also positively associated with family income and school background. Thus, inequality in the labor market has roots both in the variation of the quality of higher education, and before university entry – in family and high school. The findings can substantiate the policy aimed at smoothing educational inequality and differences in wages. • Graduates of highly selective universities receive a higher wage premium for education compared to other graduates. • Graduates of HEIs participating in the excellence initiatives, or having a special status receive a positive wage premium. • Differences in wages depending on the field of study were found. • Graduate salaries have a gender gap and are also positively associated with family income and school background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education plays a significant role in the development of economies. This study empirically contributes to the literature by examining the impacts of higher education on CO2 emissions of BRICS economies over the period 1998–2020. For empirical analysis, we used the ARDL bound testing approach. The findings of the study show that higher education significantly and negatively contributed to the CO2 emissions of China and confirm the education-CO2-led hypothesis in the long run. The results of the study also reveal that higher education in Russia, India, and South Africa exerts a positive impact on CO2 emissions in the long run and rejects the education-CO2-led hypothesis. Moreover, financial inclusion has a negative impact on CO2 emissions in China, Russia, and South Africa, while financial inclusion positively affects CO2 emissions in only India in the long run. Based on findings, authorities should extend financial and social support for higher academic activities aimed at the mitigation of environmental pollution. Policymakers should also consider the synergy influence of financial inclusion in designing carbon mitigation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes positive experience of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), which has risen significantly in QS World University Rankings, both in the overall assessment and in the subject ranking. The authors provide factual material and give recommendations for a step-by-step strategy for reorganising educational and scientific activities of the university with a view to increasing the quality of education services, which include the allocation of priority areas; application of new forms of work; development of image strategies in the field of scientific activity and cooperation with employers. The study is based on the analysis of the methodology of the world's leading rankings. It also focuses on the implementation of the road map of RUDN University and other Russian universities. To reveal best practices, the authors break down the activities of RUDN University while implementing the 5-100 programme and other activities with a view to promoting the university in international university rankings and enhancing its reputation. Study results suggest that the most important steps in determining the direction in the development of the university are the selection of priority areas of activity, organisation of new forms of work, the attraction of leading international and Russian scientists in a certain field of activity for cooperation, the support and development of scientific projects, cooperation with scientific, educational, practical and industrial organisations in Russia and the world, development and implementation of a number of image strategies in the field of scientific activity, and working with employers to organise internships and further employment of university graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the possibility of online education to ensure the quality of higher education. A review of scientific literature led to the conclusion that in the Russian scientific discourse, the potential of online education to ensure the quality of higher education through the resource potential has not been studied. The goal is formulated as follows: to determine the sufficiency of online learning resources to ensure the expected quality of education in a social institution of higher education in Russia. The neo-institutional approach is the methodological basis. Before the empirical research, the basic concepts were operationalized: the quality of higher education, online education, quality resources of higher education. The operationalization resulted in the identification of two empirical indicators: 1) resources of students for obtaining quality education in the context of online education; 2) resources of professors to ensure the quality of education in environment of online education. They formed the basis for structuring the questionnaire. The same indicators are used to analyze the data obtained. The study found that the overwhelming majority of professors indicated a sharp decline in the effectiveness of their educational activities on the Teams or Zoom platforms. This includes a decrease in professional motivation and interest in the end result of work, mental detachment from students and indifference to them, increased anxiety due to fears of deteriorating health, indifference to professional development, loss of visual and non-verbal control over students, etc. The opinion of professors on the main positions is correlated with the point of view of students. However, there is a stable group of about 25% among learners that is focused on online education and demonstrates the belief that in the context of e-learning, resources for obtaining quality of education are increasing. We have formulated a proposal according to which this group of students should study in special online (digital) schools according to an abbreviated program, where accelerated vocational training is a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]