Tag "IQ"

Experts have noticed declining Chinese cooperation with Western partners in higher education. Students from the world’s leading exporter of students now have a preference for their national universities. But many Western universities depend on the inflow of Chinese students, and a decrease in numbers may slow their development. In a recent paper, Philip G. Altbach offered his reflections on U.S. universities’ ‘Chinese crisis.’

Little is known to science about the origins of dementia, except in cases stemming from such external causes as traumatic brain injuries and infections. At present, the dominant theory points to a link with Alzheimer’s — itself a disease whose causes have not been explained and that lacks reliable diagnostic criteria. Professor Vasily Vlasov of the Health Care Administration and Economics Department of the Social Sciences Faculty at HSE University explains what science currently knows about dementia.

Sometimes, minor errors take on major importance and actuallyinfluence how we perceive literaryclassics. A new collection of verse by Marina Tsvetaeva from Azbuka publishers provides a perfect example of this. The cover bears a photo of another woman that was taken from the Internet. Svetlana Saltanova, IQ.HSE portal editor and author of a book on Tsvetaeva, explains how the ‘fake’ came to be, and why readers no longer recognize or understand the real poet.

The cold war not only influenced the ideology and military sector of the Soviet Union, but served as an engine that jumpstarted its consumer economy — in particular, the food industry. In an article published in the journal Russian History, HSE historian Elena Kochetkova traces the development of the Soviet dairy industry and the production of dairy packaging in the post-war period. Her article recounts how milk became a staple of state propaganda and how Tetra Pak packaging came to be used in the USSR.

A mother’s intense involvement in her children’s lives is perceived as a social norm by many. However, intensive mothering is not always a voluntary choice. School and broader society often pressurise women into making this decision. Whether or not this parental practice always benefits children remains a question. The following is a brief account of related issues based on a new paper by Olga Isupova and other research into this field.

The subject of bilingualism, with its attendant pros and cons, has been surrounded by myths. This Card File is based on a series of lectures by Irina Dubinina, Associate Professor at Brandeis University, discussing the phenomenon of bilingualism, its impact on the human brain, and whether it is possible to raise a bilingual child in the Russian context.

A survey showed the 48% of Russians live their lives from day to day, focusing only on immediate tasks and concerns, without planning for the distant future. The remainder of society, meanwhile, works on carrying out short-term and long-term plans. In a survey data analysis, HSE researchers concluded that Russians’ main goals and desires generally reflect Russia’s unresolved social and domestic problems.A survey showed the 48% of Russians live their lives from day to day, focusing only on immediate tasks and concerns, without planning for the distant future. 

International trade is an area of conflict and changing standards. Economic leaders give way to new players, and digital technologies rewrite industry rules. The status of world trade and Russia's prospects are covered in a report prepared by experts from the HSE University'sCentre for Structural Policy Research and Institute for Trade Policy.

Basic education as a social elevator, school management stereotypes, student achievement and teacher prejudice — these are just some of the topics covered in the new book (Un)common Schools: Diversity and Inequality. Its authors, researchers of HSE's  International Laboratory for Educational Policy Analysis,examine the subject from various perspectives reflecting on a school’s paradoxes and charms, excellent intentions, struggles and challenges.

Russia is one of the world's top countries in terms of wealth concentration in the hands of the richest few: more than 70% of the country's financial and non-financial assets are owned by 5% of its citizens. At the HSE's 20th April International Conference in Moscow, Svetlana Mareeva and Ekaterina Slobodenyuk presented their findings from a study of inequalities in Russia in the global context.