Youth at risk in the Russian Federation: reasons for social protection

The article analyses the main reasons as to why children and teenagers are at risk and are committing crimes. The most serious reasons are related to crises in family relations due to the growth in poverty rates, the decrease in living standards, the deterioration in moral values and the educative potential of families. So-called ‘exterior’ reasons; namely, ineffective youth offence prevention, the general growth in crime, the influence of TV and advertising, the influence of a child’s mates or ‘bad street children’ are important as well, although their influence is less intensive as compared to problems which exist within individual families. The analysis shows that in contrast to general trends, regions and municipalities have certain specific characteristics. In some regions the most common problems are drug addiction, youth unemployment, child neglect and homelessness and juvenile delinquency. The negative general trends and regional characteristics require the creation of a multi-level system of social support and protection for young people at risk and their families

ПРОЕКТ «5-100»: НЕКОТОРЫЕ ПРОМЕЖУТОЧНЫЕ ИТОГИ

The tasks of modernization and development of education and science are of a key importance for the Russian Federation. Despite a number of significant changes in the Russian system of education and science over the last 10—15 years, the best Russian universities still cannot compete with the world leading universities. In 2013, to change this situation the state started one of its most ambitious projects to increase the international competitiveness of Russian universities, which is the project “5—100”. Though the need for such projects for the development of science and education is widely acknowledged, the “5—100” has received contradictory estimates of different stakeholders and experts. By 2017, the project approached its half-time line and spent a significant part of its resources, thus, it is time to consider its interim results. Moreover, the today’s close attention to the project determined numerous speculations not only in the media but also in scientific articles aiming to assess the project’s impact on the Russian system of education and science based on ideological and political judgments. The authors understand and accept all informed judgments but emphasize the importance of evaluating both reasons for such large-scale projects and factors affecting their implementations. A superficial estimate of the project “5—100” leads to the emphasis on its minor disadvantages, which usually hides its less obvious positive sides. Thus, the article focuses on the role of the project “5—100” in the modernization of the Russian system of education and science, considers its different aspects, and identifies possible approaches to assess its efficiency at the final stages of its implementation (or to develop new projects to increase the international competitiveness of Russian universities). © G.A. Kliucharev, A.V. Neverov, 2017.Задачи модернизации и развития имеют важнейшее значение для российского образования и науки. Несмотря на ряд значительных изменений, которым за последние 10-15 лет подверглась система образования и науки, лучшие университеты России все еще не могут на равных конкурировать с ведущими мировыми вузами. Для решения данной задачи в 2013 году был запущен один самых масштабных и амбициозных государственных проектов по повышению международной конкурентоспособности российских университетов, получивший наименование «5-100». Несмотря на необходимость крупных проектов развития науки и образования, «5-100» получил неоднозначные оценки вузовской общественности и экспертов. К 2017 году прошла половина срока его реализации и была израсходована значительная часть ресурсов, выделенных на проект, что требует промежуточной оценки его эффективности. При этом пристальное внимание к проекту стало причиной значительного количества спекуляций, имеющих место не только в публицистике, но и в аналитических статьях, в рамках которых предпринимаются попытки оценить «5-100», основываясь во многом не на объективном анализе влияния проекта на систему образования и науки, а исходя из субъективных суждений. Понимая возможность и важность любых обоснованных точек зрения, авторы отмечают, что при оценке проектов подобного масштаба требуется анализ причин, обусловливающих его появление, и факторов, влияющих на его реализацию. Поверхностная оценка «5-100» приводит к выдвижению на передний план часто не самых значительных недостатков и отвлекает внимание от менее очевидных, но, как правило, более весомых и позитивных особенностей проекта. В связи с этим в статье предпринимается попытка проанализировать место и роль «5-100» в процессе модернизации российского образования и науки, рассмотреть различные стороны проекта, выделить возможные подходы к оценке его эффективности и высказать рекомендации по совершенствованию проекта на завершающих его этапах (или при реализации новых проектов повышения международной конкурентоспособности российских вузов)

Partnership of Research Institutions and Manufacturing Companies: Russian Experience

State policy should at all times offer full support to the innovative development of all sectors of the economy. To accomplish this objective, the state needs to augment the scientific potential of universities and assist in transforming this potential into actual production. It is a two-in-one task: on the one hand, to make sure that universities are adequately preparing specialists capable of performing creative tasks in both production and management; and, on the other hand, to see that universities are attractive for innovative production companies involved in the core sectors of the economy and whose cooperation in scientific areas can strengthen their position in the international market. This article provides a structural analysis of the main principles of state policy in the area of science and an evaluation of its potential to enhance cooperation between universities and production companies. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s4p40

Nuclear Reaction Network for Primordial Nucleosynthesis: a detailed analysis of rates, uncertainties and light nuclei yields

We analyze in details the standard Primordial Nucleosynthesis scenario. In particular we discuss the key theoretical issues which are involved in a detailed prediction of light nuclide abundances, as the weak reaction rates, neutrino decoupling and nuclear rate modeling. We also perform a new analysis of available data on the main nuclear processes entering the nucleosynthesis reaction network, with particular stress on their uncertainties as well as on their role in determining the corresponding uncertainties on light nuclide theoretical estimates. The current status of theoretical versus experimental results for 2H, 3He, 4He and 7Li is then discussed using the determination of the baryon density as obtained from Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies.Comment: LaTeX, 83 pages, 30 .pdf figures. Some typos in the units of R-functions in appendix D and relative plots fixe

Knowledge transmission patterns at the border: ethnobotany of Hutsuls living in the Carpathian Mountains of Bukovina (SW Ukraine and NE Romania)

Background Cross-border research is a novel and important tool for detecting variability of ecological knowledge. This is especially evident in regions recently divided and annexed to different political regimes. Therefore, we conducted a study among Hutsuls, a cultural and linguistic minority group living in Northern and Southern Bukovina (Ukraine and Romania, respectively). Indeed, in the 1940s, a border was created: Northern Bukovina was annexed by the USSR while Southern Bukovina remained part of the Kingdom of Romania. In this research, we aim to document uses of plants for food and medicinal preparations, discussing the different dynamics of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) transmission among Hutsuls living in Ukraine and Romania. Methods Field research was conducted using convenience and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 31 Hutsuls in Ukraine and 30 in Romania for participation in semi-structured interviews regarding the use of plants for medicinal and food preparation purposes and the sources of such knowledge. Results The interviews revealed that, despite a common cultural and linguistic background, ethnobotanical knowledge transmission occurs in different ways on each side of the border. Family is a primary source of ethnobotanical knowledge transmission on both sides of the border; however, in Romania, knowledge from other sources is very limited, whereas in Ukraine interviewees reported several other sources including books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet and television. This is especially evident when analysing the wild plants used for medicinal purposes as we found 53 taxa that were common to both, 47 used only in Ukraine and 11 used only in Romania. While Romanian Hutsuls used almost exclusively locally available plants, Ukrainian Hutsuls often reported novel plants such as Aloe vera, Aronia melanocarpa and Elaeagnus rhamnoides. Knowledge related to these plants was transferred by sources of knowledge other than oral transmission among members of the same family. Therefore, this may imply hybridization of the local body of knowledge with foreign elements originating in the Soviet context which has enriched the corpus of ethnobotanical knowledge held by Ukrainian Hutsuls. Conclusions While ethnobotanical knowledge among Romanian Hutsuls is mainly traditional and vertically transmitted, among Ukrainian Hutsuls there is a considerable proportion of LEK that is transmitted from other (written and visual) sources of knowledge. This cross-border research reveals that despite a common cultural background, socio-political scenarios have impacted Hutsul ethnobotanical knowledge and its transmission patterns

Project “5—100”: Some interim results

The tasks of modernization and development of education and science are of a key importance for the Russian Federation. Despite a number of significant changes in the Russian system of education and science over the last 10—15 years, the best Russian universities still cannot compete with the world leading universities. In 2013, to change this situation the state started one of its most ambitious projects to increase the international competitiveness of Russian universities, which is the project “5—100”. Though the need for such projects for the development of science and education is widely acknowledged, the “5—100” has received contradictory estimates of different stakeholders and experts. By 2017, the project approached its half-time line and spent a significant part of its resources, thus, it is time to consider its interim results. Moreover, the today’s close attention to the project determined numerous speculations not only in the media but also in scientific articles aiming to assess the project’s impact on the Russian system of education and science based on ideological and political judgments. The authors understand and accept all informed judgments but emphasize the importance of evaluating both reasons for such large-scale projects and factors affecting their implementations. A superficial estimate of the project “5—100” leads to the emphasis on its minor disadvantages, which usually hides its less obvious positive sides. Thus, the article focuses on the role of the project “5—100” in the modernization of the Russian system of education and science, considers its different aspects, and identifies possible approaches to assess its efficiency at the final stages of its implementation (or to develop new projects to increase the international competitiveness of Russian universities). © G.A. Kliucharev, A.V. Neverov, 2017

PROJECT “5-100”: SOME INTERIM RESULTS

The tasks of modernization and development of education and science are of a key im-portance for the Russian Federation. Despite a number of significant changes in the Russian system of education and science over the last 10-15 years, the best Russian universities still cannot compete with the world leading universities. In 2013, to change this situation the state started one of its most ambitious projects to increase the international competitiveness of Russian universities, which is the project “5-100”. Though the need for such projects for the development of science and education is widely acknowledged, the “5-100” has received contradictory estimates of different stakeholders and experts. By 2017, the project approached its half-time line and spent a significant part of its resources, thus, it is time to consider its interim results. Moreover, the today’s close attention to the project determined numerous speculations not only in the media but also in scientific articles aiming to assess the project’s impact on the Russian system of education and science based on ideological and political judgments. The authors understand and accept all informed judgments but emphasize the importance of evaluating both reasons for such large-scale projects and factors affecting their implementations. A superficial estimate of the project “5-100” leads to the em-phasis on its minor disadvantages, which usually hides its less obvious positive sides. Thus, the article focuses on the role of the project “5-100” in the modernization of the Russian system of education and science, considers its different aspects, and identifies possible approaches to assess its efficiency at the final stages of its implementation (or to develop new projects to increase the international competitiveness of Russian universities)

Civil society, social change, and a new popular education in Russia

Civil Society, Social Change and a New Popular Education in Russia is a detailed account of contemporary issues that draws upon recent survey research conducted by the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as from secondary published work in both Russian and English. The book explores how social change and developments in civil society are occurring in Russia and the role played by a new popular education. The right to lifelong learning is guaranteed by the Russian state, as it was by the Soviet Union, where formal education, based on communist ideology, emphasised the needs of the state over those of individuals. In practice a wide range of educational needs, many of which relate to coping with changing economic, social and technological circumstances, are being met by non-governmental providers, including commercial companies, self-help groups, and community and neighbourhood clubs. This book discusses how this new popular education is both an example of developing civil society and stimulates its further development. However, as the book points out, it is also part of a growing educational divide, where motivated, articulate people take advantage of new opportunities, while disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed and the rural poor continue to be excluded

INSTITUTIONS AND PRACTICES FOR INNOVATION INCENTIVES: EXPERTS’ OPINION

The relevance of the study is determined by the Russia’s technological backwardness from developed and dynamically developing countries and by insufficient knowledge of mechanisms and tools to stimulate innovations in a particular social-economic environment. The authors focus on the issues of patents regulation as a key link in the transfer of innovations from science to production. The article aims at identifying features of stimulating innovation through the regulation of patent laws and practices in Russia and the United States, and possibilities of using the US experience to enhance inventive activity in Russia. The main research method was a survey of the experts representing main participants of all types of innovation activities - from design to regulation and commercialization. The theoretical base of the research consists of conceptual findings on the issues of intellectual property as a key mechanism of regulating innovative modernization. The authors also considered official documents reflecting trends in the development of patent law and practices. The intellectual property institution in today’s Russia does not ensure effectiveness of patents due to inconsistency of the state and market mechanisms for stimulating innovations. In the US, the emphasis is made on the balance between protection of property and market competition under the global technological trends. Thus, the effective innovative policy is based not on directive management and planning but on stimulating the interaction of all participants of innovation activities, which gives them the opportunity to realize their interests and opportunities both now and in the future. According to the experts, such an approach can ensure the advancement of innovations from development to commercial use, interconnection of economic sectors and, ultimately, technological modernization of the country

Civil society, social change, and a new popular education in Russia

Civil Society, Social Change and a New Popular Education in Russia is a detailed account of contemporary issues that draws upon recent survey research conducted by the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as from secondary published work in both Russian and English. The book explores how social change and developments in civil society are occurring in Russia and the role played by a new popular education. The right to lifelong learning is guaranteed by the Russian state, as it was by the Soviet Union, where formal education, based on communist ideology, emphasised the needs of the state over those of individuals. In practice a wide range of educational needs, many of which relate to coping with changing economic, social and technological circumstances, are being met by non-governmental providers, including commercial companies, self-help groups, and community and neighbourhood clubs. This book discusses how this new popular education is both an example of developing civil society and stimulates its further development. However, as the book points out, it is also part of a growing educational divide, where motivated, articulate people take advantage of new opportunities, while disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed and the rural poor continue to be excluded