Building a vertical of power in higher education

Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. 2022. Vol. 30. No. 1. P. 107–133.

Gerashchenko D.

Modernization reforms in Russian universities over the past 20 years have, among other things, led to the replacement of university leader elections with direct appointment. Although over half of the public universities in Russia still elect their academic leaders, electoral competitiveness is debatable. Given the vast diversity of universities, it is expected that the government will differentiate its policy depending on university type. This paper seeks to shed some light on whether the remaining rector elections are competitive. Using a sample of Russian universities, it is showed that the remaining elections are not competitive, and that the government differentiates its policy toward universities by more often appointing rectors at leading institutions to have more control over them.

Keywords: Russian universities, academic freedom, rector, university governance, university leader