Politik
News vom 07.11.2022
- Experiments in Political and Social Sciences – Alexander Libman
One of the key transitions experienced by modern social and political sciences was the departure from using primarily observational data and move towards more active use of experiments - an approach, which social sciences originally believed to be inappropriate for their subject matter. Meanwhile, experimental research constitutes the core of modern quantitative social science methodology, receiving a lot of acclaim, but also a lot of criticism. The goal of the seminar is to review the existing approaches to experimental research (lab experiments, field experiments, survey experiments and natural experiments), their advantages and disadvantages. We will pay a particular attention to limits, alternatives to, and possible avenues of future development of experimental research. -
Gulag and the Legacy of Political Repressions – Anna Abalkina
Political repressions have long-term economic, political and economic consequences for society. In this course, we’ll study the history of repressive camps GULAG in the Soviet Union and their legacy. In this course, we’ll address the following questions. Did Gulag and repressions influence political preferences in post-Soviet countries? If yes, what were the channels of such impact? What were the social consequences of political repressions and for how long the intergenerational trauma can be traced? We also discuss the system of prisons as a repressive mechanism in modern Russia. Special emphasis will be given to the memory of GULAG in modern Russian society and how it differs from the memory of political violence in other countries. -
Corruption in Higher Education in Russia: Challenges and Responses – Anna Abalkina
Today there is a rising concern about corruption in universities at the global and national levels. Corruption in higher education as a social phenomenon has a negative impact on economic development and violates academic ethics and the rule of law. The goal of the class is twofold. In the first section, we’ll address the general questions about corruption in higher education. Why do students and faculty members are subject to corruption and is higher education in some countries more corrupt and is it related to the countries’ perception of corruption? What are non-monetary forms of corruption and violation of academic ethics by students and faculty members? What are the social costs and consequences of corruption in universities? In the second section of the course, a special emphasis will be given to the experience of Russia. Russia is an exceptionally interesting case to study because, on one hand, the corruption is widespread, on the other, this is one of few countries, if not the only one, where there are systematic checks on selected forms of corruption (for example, studies on academic misconduct). We also discuss top-down and grassroots anti-corruption policies and initiatives in Russia and their effectiveness.