Moscow, Moscow, Russian Federation
VAK Russia 5.2.3
In the context of the transition to a knowledge economy, higher education is becoming a key factor in realizing economic potential. However, Russia faces a contradiction between the high percentage of the population with university degrees and its relatively low positions in international innovation rankings, indicating the presence of structural imbalances. The study aims to analyze the role of higher education in Russia’s economic development and identify systemic disparities. To achieve this, the study set out to assess the alignment of graduate training with labor market demands and to conduct a comparative analysis of Russia’s indicators with those of leading countries. The methodology includes a theoretical analysis of economic potential concepts, a comparative analysis of positions in the Global Innovation Index (2017–2024) and the Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings (2024–2025), as well as a statistical analysis of data from Rosstat and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on unemployment and public expenditure on education. The results demonstrate that the core problem lies in the low quality of the labor force and the weak connection between universities and the real sector of the economy. The personnel shortage most acutely affects competitive enterprises, becoming a macroeconomic constraint. A significant lag of Russia in student funding and the commercialization of research was identified. As a solution, a «state – industry – science – education» tetrad model is proposed, along with specific mechanisms for its implementation: end-to-end technology programs, network-based learning, and university-based engineering centers. The conclusions can be used by government bodies to shape educational and innovation policy, as well as by universities and businesses to implement partnerships. A limitation of the work is its focus on the macro level, which defines the perspective for future research at the sectoral and regional levels to assess the effectiveness of the proposed measures.
higher education, economic potential, structural imbalances, innovation development, labor force, technological sovereignty, labor market
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