News

Couples with three or more children often feel that others judge or refuse to understand them. Their decision to have many children seems to annoy their extended family, neighbours, colleagues, health professionals and government bureaucrats. Very often, other large families are the only one who offer them support. Based on findings from in-depth interviews, HSE researchers describe the effect that social interactions can have on fertility.

Initiated in 2013, the Russian federal initiative, Academic Excellence Project 5-100, aims to maximize the competitive position of leading Russian universities in the global research and education market. On October 26, the Project Council concluded its seventh annual meeting in Moscow. At the meeting, delegations from participating universities presented reports of their progress in improving their international competitive edge.

What is wrong with today’s global political market? How can a spam letter change your life? Why do Russians consider New Zealand nothing but boring pastureland, and how can you conduct business there without once setting foot in a tax office? Valeria Kuznetsova, a graduate of the School of Political Science (now the Faculty of Social Sciences) who organizes tourism to New Zealand, told our correspondent this and more.

In 2013, Russia banned smoking in public places such as cafes, restaurants and nightclubs, as well as on trains, in playgrounds, etc. Statistical analysis has revealed, however, that 26% of male and 28% of female smokers do not always comply with these smoking bans. A full report from a study by Ludmila Zasimova, Assistant Professor at the HSE Department of Applied Economics, has been published in the International Journal of Public Health.

The tenth International Russian Higher Education Conference (RHEC) has commenced in Moscow this week and will last until October 25. This year’s conference focuses on ‘Contributions of Higher Education to Society and Economy: Global, National and Local Perspectives.’

HSE University, together with Intexpertise LLС, Russian foreign economy research centre, will create a Centre for African Studies. The Centre will be based at the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs and will be a leading analytical platform in support of Russian-African relations. The founding of the Centre will be announced at the Russia-Africa Economic Forum, which begins in Sochi on October 23.

HSE University has improved its standing in the general U.S. News Best Global Universities ranking. Today, the agency published its 2019 global rankings. HSE University appeared in the Economics and Business ranking for the first time, placing 235^th. We are also the only Russian institution to make the cut.

The HSE Art and Design School is opening a new master’s track in Sound Art & Sound Studies as part of its Master’s programme ‘Practice of Contemporary Art’. Classes will begin in Fall 2020. The language of instruction is Russian.