Russia’s Tech Hubs: What are Russia’s ‘Technocities’ Producing?
Over half of inventions patented in Russia over the last decade have been created only in 11 cities. A study by HSE ISSEK experts calls these tech hubs ‘technograds’. Here is what they are and what they do.
An Everyday Evil: The Spread of Adolescent Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a fact of life for many teens today. Psychologists have found that with age, people become inured to acts of aggression. However, cyber harassment is one of the most dangerous forms of bullying. Cyberbullying victims have nowhere to hide, while their parents often have no idea that something bad is happening to their kids, since the bullying occurs in adolescent online communities. Researchers studied cyberbullying among teenagers.
The Museum on Your Fridge: Take the Gift Shop Quiz and Find out How Souvenirs Shape St. Petersburg’s Image
Whether it’s a magnet, a bookmark, or a postcard with a picture of a beloved artist – any kind of souvenir influences a museum’s image in the eyes of visitors and is considered to be an important marketing tool. Souvenirs, which tourists bring home as keepsakes of their travels, play an even bigger role in shaping the brand of a city as whole.
Fear of Violence: Why It Haunts Women in Big Cities
The greatest fear of young women living in big cities is that of sexual violence. It is not necessarily based on the actual crime rate in the city but often instilled by family and society. As a result, women tend to carefully pre-plan their behaviour and movements in 'suspicious' places based on safety concerns. HSE researchers interviewed a group of young women about certain aspects of their fears and strategies they use to deal with it.
Beyond Normal: How Society Judges Large Families
Couples with three or more children often feel that others judge or refuse to understand them. Their decision to have many children seems to annoy their extended family, neighbours, colleagues, health professionals and government bureaucrats. Very often, other large families are the only one who offer them support. Based on findings from in-depth interviews, HSE researchers describe the effect that social interactions can have on fertility.
Illegal Smoking: Russians Who Smoke Where They Should Not
In 2013, Russia banned smoking in public places such as cafes, restaurants and nightclubs, as well as on trains, in playgrounds, etc. Statistical analysis has revealed, however, that 26% of male and 28% of female smokers do not always comply with these smoking bans. A full report from a study by Ludmila Zasimova, Assistant Professor at the HSE Department of Applied Economics, has been published in the International Journal of Public Health.
Defending Personal Boundaries: How Birth Order Affects Children’s Psychological Sovereignty
HSE psychologists have studied how the presence or absence of siblings, as well as birth order, affect children’s ability to maintainpersonal boundaries. The results showed that only children and second-born children have the strongest sense of personal boundaries, while first-born children have the least. However, as children become adults, their ability to balance between their own needs and those of others becomes determined more by gender.
Relatively Unhappy: How Strict Labour Laws Reduce Workers’ Happiness
Temporary or informally employed people are less satisfied with their lives than those with a permanent job. The most apparent differences can be seen in countries with strict labour laws. Tatiana Karabchuk and Natalia Soboleva investigated the legislative impact on the social well-being of employed populations in European countries and Russia.
Underground Capitalist in Soviet Russia
Nikolai Pavlenko, a shadow entrepreneur and creator of a successful business in Stalin’s USSR, was executed by firing squad in 1955. Running a successful commercial enterprise right under the dictator’s nose in a strictly planned economy was a striking but not so uncommon case in the Soviet Union at the time, according to HSE professor Oleg Khlevniuk who made a number of unexpected findings having studied newly accessible archival documents. Below, IQ.HSE offers a summary of what his study reveals.
Ghost of Recession: Why It Is Haunting Russia's Economy
This year, a slowdown is expected in the Russian economy. According to some forecasts, the country will enter recession in 2021 or possibly even earlier. However, according to the HSE Centre for Business Tendencies Studies (CBTS), there are no noticeable signs of recession at the moment. This article looks at what keeps Russia's economy from picking up pace and why slowdowns are a possibility, according to the HSE CBTS.