The HSE Effect: Q1 Journal Publications and a PhD at the University of Sydney
Last year, Stephen Sodoke, a master's student on the Population and Development programme at the Vishnevsky Institute of Demography, HSE University, won the Student Research Paper Competition. This year, as a recent HSE graduate, he has published two articles in first-quartile journals and secured a PhD position at the University of Sydney. In this article, Stephen Sodoke discusses his research and the role HSE played in shaping his academic career.
Stephen Sodoke's research focuses on energy poverty as a public policy challenge and demonstrates that simply connecting households to the electricity grid is not enough to overcome it.
The project that won first place in the 2025 Student Research Paper Competition (NIRS) in the Public and Municipal Administration category was based on Stephen's master's dissertation. Using Q methodology, the study engaged 40 stakeholders in the city of Kumasi, Ghana. Drawing on the Capability Approach and Cultural-Ecological Theory, the research identified four distinct perspectives on energy poverty: economic hardship and basic needs trade-offs; infrastructure reliability and preferences for traditional energy sources; gender equality and environmental awareness; and service quality alongside modern energy preferences.
The study revealed the reality of ‘hidden energy poverty,’ whereby even grid-connected households face severe consumption limits driven by affordability pressures, cultural attachments, and unreliable infrastructure.
This award-winning research paper subsequently formed the basis of two articles published in Scopus Q1 journals. The first, published in Energy Research & Social Science, foregrounded the culturally embedded, subjective experiences of energy constraints that conventional metrics overlook. The second, published recently in Energy Policy, reframed the four viewpoints as interrelated policy-failure clusters and offered consensus-driven strategies to address them simultaneously.
‘My research is unique because it combines interdisciplinary perspectives from social sciences, development studies, and energy research to understand energy poverty, energy transition, and energy justice, particularly in developing countries. I am interested in how energy policies affect people's everyday lives and how inclusive and equitable energy transitions can be achieved,’ said the researcher.
According to Stephen Sodoke, although he had already received previous training in research methods from both social science and engineering backgrounds in Ghana, his studies at HSE transformed the way he thought about research. ‘Through seminars and mentorship, I developed a deeper understanding of qualitative research methods and how they can be applied to produce high-quality academic work. I am especially grateful to Associate Professor Ilya Ermolin, who introduced me to innovative methods such as Q-methodology and cultural consensus analysis in our Medical Anthropology course. Inspired by these approaches, I independently learnt and applied Q-methodology in my master's thesis,’ Stephen explained.
Landing a master’s project in such outlets is exceptional: each journal rejects over 80% of submissions and helps set the global research agenda, noted Ilya Ermolin, Stephen's academic supervisor and Associate Professor in the Department of Demography at the HSE Institute of Demography. He believes that the greatest reward for any supervisor is to watch your student grow into an independent, world-class researcher.
Ilya Ermolin
‘Our focus on energy poverty in Ghana, examined through the lenses of public administration and stakeholder analysis, has proved that the Population and Development programme gives students the panoramic vision and methodological grounding they need to compete for places in the best PhD programmes worldwide and to set the global research agenda,’ said Ilya Ermolin.
Alexander Larionov
‘Stephen Sodoke is an example of a student who fully embraced the Population and Development programme. He actively studied statistics and Python programming, diving deep into anthropology, demography, and public administration,’ added Alexander Larionov, Academic Supervisor of the Population and Development programme. ‘This solid theoretical and practical foundation, combined with his personal drive for professional growth, made him competitive internationally. As a result, he was admitted to a doctoral programme abroad. I am confident that Stephen will become a world-renowned scholar, and I am pleased that his journey began in our Population and Development programme. His success is a shining example for future generations of students in our programme.’
A strong publication track record and the SRPC victory opened doors for Stephen Sodoke to secure a fully funded PhD place at the University of Sydney. His doctoral project continues to explore energy poverty and inclusive governance in developing countries, building on the methodological foundations he acquired at HSE.
‘The skills and knowledge I gained at HSE contributed significantly to my academic achievements. For me, the greatest gift of studying Population and Development at HSE was gaining a strong foundation in research design, academic writing, and scientific publication. HSE gave me the confidence and skills to publish in leading international journals and prepared me for my current role as a PhD student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney, where I continue to research energy poverty, energy transition, and energy justice,’ the HSE graduate emphasised.
