Political Factors of Increasing the Universities Competitiveness: the Case of Russia and China

To increase university competitiveness is a significant policy object. To study this issue, we took the Russia and China cases (“Program 5-100” in Russia and “Projects 211” and “985” in China). These countries were chosen because among the BRICS countries they have also totalitarian-communist legacy and an authoritarian present in common. The paper uses a combination of frameworks such as advocacy coalition and multiple streams, because the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) gains from the incorporation of some concepts from the multiple streams framework (MSF). According to the results of the research, advocacy coalition were identified, the presence of policy windows, as well as common beliefs among coalition members were identified, and, based on a literature analysis and political actors statements, the role of advocacy coalition affiliated with the government looks significant in the process of higher education reform.