In an attempt to improve the life of Russian universities, the government and the ministry of education are creating more and more new projects and programmes, issuing more orders, introducing additional rules and releasing new grants. Just two or three more government decisions, it seems, and we will find ourselves on target: Russian universities and scientific institutions will break into the international rankings, and attract the world’s leading professors and students.
But something is going wrong. Experts usually say that underfunding is the main problem for science and education in Russia. As UNESCO recently noted, the share of Russian state spending on science has declined in recent years: it was 1.07% of Russia’s GDP in 2014, but 0.99% in 2018. While there are plans to raise spending (to 1.2% of GDP by 2024), Russia’s state audit chamber notes that countries with developed scientific and technological capacities spend more than 3%.
But there is another problem that is fundamentally hampering Russian science, and it is barely mentioned. A serious lack of freedom of speech hampers the work of Russian researchers and university staff. Gripped by permanent fear, they are rapidly turning from an elite into a precariat – a politically disorganised social class that is completely dependent on the will of their employers.
