• A
  • A
  • A
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
Regular version of the site

Political Scientists at an International Roundtable in the Public Policy Department, Put Public Protest under the Microscope

The Department of Public Policy at the Higher School of Economics organised a roundtable on "Problems of Global Governance in Modern Political Science" at the VI Congress of Russian Political Science, held at Moscow State University of Foreign Affairs on 22-24th of November. The round table was co-chaired by D.G. Zaytsev, Associate Professor of the Public Policy Department and A.N.Potsar, Associate Professor of the Public Policy Department.

The Department of Public Policy at the Higher School of Economics organised a roundtable on "Problems of Global Governance in Modern Political Science" at the VI Congress of Russian Political Science, held at Moscow State University of Foreign Affairs on 22-24th of November. The round table was co-chaired by D.G. Zaytsev, Associate Professor of the Public Policy Department and A.N. Potsar, Associate Professor of the Public Policy Department.

Speakers were Jenni Rinne with a presentation entitled; “Deliberation in  Representative Democracy”, D.G.Zaytsev who delivered a paper “An Actors-centered approach in social sciences”, A.N.Potsar who delivered “The Rhetoric of Russian Protest in a Global Context” and J. Dgibladze, a Master’s student  at the Public Policy Department, who presented his research on the "public" as a "social actor" vs the "public" as a "target audience", under the academic supervision of N.J. Belyaeva, head of the department.

7 Master’s and PhD students at the Public Policy Department participated in the discussion.

Prof. Jenni Rinne (Finland)
Prof. Jenni Rinne (Finland)
Guy Lachapelle (Canada), Secretary General of IPSA, Ilter Turan (Turkey), Professor of Bilgi University in Istanbul, Giorgio Dominese (Italy), Professor and Coordinator of Transition Studies World Research and Richard Sakwa (UK), Head of School, Rutherford College, University of Kent also made valuable contributions to the general discussion.

While Jenni Rinne explained the concept of deliberation in representative democracy based on the case of Finland, participants from the Public Policy Department focused mostly on the contemporaneity of Russian public policy in general and the Russian protest movement in particular.

D.G. Zaytsev presented an interdisciplinary research project “Global Participation and Global Governance”, conducted by a group of academics, Master’s and PhD Students from different HSE faculties (economics, sociology and public policy). The research combined the tools of economics, political science and sociology to create the most adequate and convincing model of global governance and global participation based on an actors-centered approach. The point was that we can combine the views of economists, sociologists and political scientists on actors, institutes and institutions. The synthetic approach provides us with three necessary dimensions for the actor: the level of actors' consolidation; the degree in which actors are independent and influential; the capability for actors to build and create institutions and institutes.

Jonny Dgibladze, PPD master student making presentation
Jonny Dgibladze, PPD master student making presentation
J. Dgibladze focused on “re-defining the public” interpreting this key notion of public policy and describing the difference between two possible approaches to the public - as a passive audience or as an actor and equal participant in  public dialogue. Starting with a view of the “public sphere”, that was formulated in the middle of the 20-th century, observing “the public of the 19-th century”, J.Dgibladze claims that by the end of the 20-th century public space and the public itself had changed dramatically – together with changes in society from “modernity” to post-modernism, driven by the mass media and dominated by mass culture, turning the “responsible public” into the “target audience”. But nowadays, the public sphere is changing rapidly due to the development of modern communicative technologies. Recent events in Russia totally transformed the public space of a seemingly-controlling political regime. Looking into the specific case of the“White Revolution” in Russia, J. Dgibladze demonstrated the behaviour of a “protesting public” and its major characteristics.

A.N. Potsar delivered the results of a rhetorical approach to understanding  the Russian protest movement, mostly focusing on protest slogans all over the world, which are considered to be the signifying components of a world-wide public debate. While Russian “Occupy Abai”, “White Revolution” and the various rallies of discontent of  2011-2012 have been categorised as a continuation of the global process, their slogans speak for themselves, pointing out the differences. Russian protesters (not leaders of the so-called non-systematic opposition, but ordinary “people in a crowd”) also aim to restore fairness, as well as their American, or Spanish, or Arabic colleagues, but the concept of fairness has a different meaning in different languages, thus shaping the minds of speakers and forcing them to think and express themselves within the limits of their native language. So, western protesters mostly appeal to law and justice, according to a traditional sense of the concept of fairness, while Russian protesters appeal to morality and emotions, being ironical and sarcastic at the same time. Suggested understanding was arguable but still supported by Guy Lachapelle, who confirmed this rhetorical analysis by his personal impressions of expressions of discontent in Spain, Great Britain and other countries he visited during the rise of global protest movements.

The questions posed during a free exchange of opinions mostly brought the discussion back to the latest incidents of public protest activity, which showed that the phenomenon of protest movements is still topical for many countries around the world.

See also:

Political Analysis and Public Policy Programme Leads to Exciting International Career

After graduating two years ago from HSE’s Master’s programme in Political Analysis and Public Policy, Svetlana Kosmakova took a job with the International Committee of the Red Cross as a Migration Program Officer. She recently spoke with Sanjay Rajhans of the HSE News Service about her studies at HSE, the trajectory of her career, and what advice she would offer prospective students in Political Analysis and Public Policy.

Educational Experience in Russia

Matthew Boadi-Ampong from Ghana is a first-year student of Master’s programme in Political Analysis and Public Policy. He has shared his impressions of studying at HSE and living in Russia.

HSE Graduate Applies Lessons to Work in Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs

Since 2008, Indra Prasetya has been working as Chief of Protocol at the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs. A graduate of Gadjah Mada University with a degree in Social and Political Science, the 33-year old native of Kebumen, Indonesia went on to spend two years in the HSE Public Policy Department studying Political Analysis and Public Policy.

Student from Morocco: from Winter School to HSE Master's Program

Hamid Ait-El-Kaid is a second-year student from Morocco of the Master's programme in Political Analysis and Public Policy. His first exposure to HSE took place during a Winter School for prospective students in February 2014. After learning about the Public Policy programme, he decided to apply to HSE.

Migration Expert Stresses Importance of Diversity Ahead of Panel on European Refugee Crisis

On October 22, the HSE Public Policy Department and the Course on Comparative Migration Policy will hold a panel discussion on the European refugee crisis. Dr. Mahama Tawat, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences and a specialist in comparative migration policy, will serve as one of the panel members. Dr. Tawat recently spoke with the HSE news service about his research interests, what attracted him to HSE and his views on tolerance and diversity.

Policymakers Are Like Modern Sisyphuses

On April 13-17, the HSE Public Policy Department will host aseries of lectures by Professor Philippe Zittoun, an internationally recognized expert in policymaking and policy research. He is currently Research Professor in Political Science, University of Lyon (LET-ENTPE); Research Fellow at PACTE, Science Po Grenoble; and Vice-Chair of the Research Committee "Public Policy and Administration" of IPSA. He was a Visiting Professor at Yale University in 2010.

Is Increased Democratization Domestically Linked to Improved Government Performance in Eastern Europe after the Cold War?

Thomas J. Volgy, Professor at the School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona USA and Executive Director of the International Studies Association is a political scientist specialising in international politics, democratic processes and domestic public policy. At the XV International April Conference this year Professor Volgy will be delivering two papers, one on his own and one with two fellow academics. We asked him to tell the English News service  more about them and about his work with HSE.

Winter Lessons at HSE

On 31st January to 2nd February 2015 HSE held its annual International Winter School. The Department of Public Policy and Master Programme in Political Analysis and Public Policy headed by professor Nina Belyaeva took part in the event. The Winter School welcomed participants from Germany, France, China, Japan and other countries.

HSE Winter School: The Whole World in Miniature

From January 24 to February 4, HSE's Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs hosted an international winter school. Sixty students from across the globe (Korea, Japan, China, Germany, Italy, Poland, Egypt, Morocco, to name but a few) came together for 12 days and were plunged into the hustle and bustle of daily life in Russia.

CIS Countries' Education Quality Assessment Systems Have a Lot in Common

On November 7-9, Astana hosted the third International Conference of the Eurasian Association for Educational Assessment (EAOKO), one of the organizers of which was HSE's Institute of Education.