Research & Expertise news at HSE University

Values have a great influence in our life. They play a constant role in economics, politics and societies or in disciplines like philosophy, psychology, religion, and sociology. They are fundamental in the construction of a good life for every individual, for achieving quality of life, and for finding meaning.

International Laboratory for the Study of Russian and European Intellectual Dialogue was established at HSE in 2017 with the purpose of showcasing the Russian philosophy, literature and art, and focusing on its universal spiritual significance for the fate of Europe and Russia. HSE News Service has talked to Leonid Luks, Academic Supervisor of the laboratory, about the place of Russian culture in the world and the research the laboratory is undertaking.

Kristian Behrens serves as Leading Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Market Studies and Spatial Economics (CMSSE) and Academic Supervisor at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Basic Research at HSE St. Petersburg. Professor Behrens focuses primarily on regional and urban economics, new economic geography, international and interregional trade, multiregional spatial and urban systems, and monopolistic competition. He recently spoke with the HSE New Service about the work currently being undertaken by CMSSE, his broader research interests, and his impressions of working in St. Petersburg.

Experts from the HSE Centre for Business Tendency Studies (CBTS) analysed for the first time the growth of the manufacturing industry in CIS countries between 2004 and 2016. It was conducted within the framework of a regional project of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) “Improvement of industrial statistics and development of indicators of industrial performance for policy-relevant analysis in CIS countries”.

In September, the Research Centre for Contemporary Culture, an interdisciplinary unit inside the HSE Poletayev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities, held a seminar on ‘Analysing “informal” practices in (digital) cultural economies’. Delivered by Dr Ellen Rutten, Professor of Literature at the University of Amsterdam, the seminar focused on terms that allow us to more consciously talk about modern cultural economies. In an interview with the HSE News Service following her seminar, Dr Rutten spoke about Sublime Imperfections project, her other current research work, and ongoing collaboration with HSE.

The 7^th Moscow International Forum ‘Open Innovations.’ which took place from October 15 – 17 in Skolkovo, included an exhibition on the results of research carried out by academic institutions, small enterprises and leading universities, including HSE.

Researchers from the Higher School of Economics and KU Leuven have developed a method of measuring growth in students’ proficiency in digital learning environments. It helps to see the progress of online course participants in dynamics, i.e., to understand how students study and how the course works. The results of the study have been published in the journal Behaviour Research Methods.

On October 11-12, the HSE St. Petersburg campus hosted the first ever international Kochubey Readings, devoted to the study of private collections in Russia and around the world. The conference took place under the patronage of the Kochubey family, members of which travelled to Russia from France, Belgium, and the U.S.