HSE University Shapes Global Chain of Foresight
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated our swift adaptation to big challenges and strengthened cooperation ties between researchers, politicians, and entrepreneurs on national and global levels. The accumulated life and goal setting practices in the new reality will be discussed on October 15–26, 2021 by participants of the XI International Academic Conference ‘Foresight and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy’ organised by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK).
‘There Is Only One Solution to the Problem of Social Inequality: Information’
This September, work was in full swing at HSE University’s Laboratory for Psychology of Social Inequality. The laboratory, which was established in spring 2021, is the first research centre in Russia devoted to researching perceptions of inequality in various fields. IQ.HSE spoke to Elena Agadullina, head of the laboratory, about the research projects underway at the lab, the psychological mechanisms that support and maintain inequality, and Russia-specific trends in the field.
HSE University Researchers Explain Behaviour of Chaotic Systems
Researchers of the Laboratory of Complex Systems Modeling and Control have proposed a missing component of the mechanism of self-organized criticality, which will enable the reproduction of power-law patterns observed in the real world. According to the researchers, this can be used to improve our understanding of the the processes leading to strong earthquakes, forest fires, financial market crashes, and a sudden synchronization of social networks. The results of the research were published in the Scientific Reports journal.
Statistical Physics Can Help Uncover the Impact of Media on Decision Making
Students and researchers from HSE University and the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics have examined the widely known ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’ game using methods from statistical physics. They used the mean-field concept, a common tool for studying the physics of many-particle systems, to describe human decision-making processes. Researchers suggest that this model may be helpful for understanding systems with many participants. The results of the study are published in the September issue of the Physics Review Research journal.
Higher Education Protects Women from Gender-based ‘Penalties’
Women typically earn 18%-20% less than men do with the same education, profession and personal characteristics, researchers from the Higher School of Economics found using data from an employment survey of young personnel. What’s more, this income gap has a cumulative effect, growing wider the longer a woman works. Education, however, significantly compensates for this ‘penalty’. IQ.HSE examined this issue with the help of a study by Margarita Kiryushina and Victor Rudakova.
‘The Expertise of Members of IAC Will Be Instrumental in the Continuing Development of the University’
On October 5, HSE University’s International Advisory Committee held an online session. Yaroslav Kuzminov, HSE University Academic Supervisor, introduced the new leadership structure of the University and Rector Nikita Anisimov spoke about his vision for HSE University’s development. Meeting participants discussed various aspects of the University strategy.
HSE University Receives Government Grant to Create AI Research Centre
A competition of research centres looking to receive grants through the Artificial Intelligence federal project has concluded, and HSE University is among the winners. Winning centres will focus on developing new AI technologies that expand its application, overcoming existing limitations for solving applied problems and optimizing AI models.
‘ICEF Is Doing Everything to Ensure That Scientists Are Engaged in Research, Not Paperwork’
Tatiana Mayskaya, a graduate of Moscow State University (MSU) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), began working at HSE University in 2017. She currently teaches courses at ICEF and FES and researches behavioural economics and information economics. In this interview, Ms Mayskaya explains how throwing darts can help in the choice of a PhD programme, how the ‘multi-armed bandit’ phenomenon is useful for business and why HSE is the ideal place to do research.
Why Politicians Don't Listen to Economists: First Meeting of Economic Policy Club Takes Place at HSE University
Participants of the HSE Economic Policy Club discussed why politics often serves the interests of a small group of people to the detriment of the welfare of the majority of citizens, and also why the government ignores recommendations from economists. At the same time, economic policy always redistributes resources, and it isn’t possible to achieve the optimal solutions suggested by economic theory.
‘We Want to Become a Centre for Generating Ideas and Sharing Experience’
On September 28, the HSE Centre for Cultural Sociology held the first session of the Moscow Culture Workshop 2021–2022 – a series of meetings where participants have an opportunity to discuss research papers prepared by prominent scholars. Jeffrey C. Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology at Yale University, delivered the first lecture, entitled ‘Nature as Iconic Object: Its Performative Creation’. Dmitry Kurakin, Director of the Centre for Cultural Sociology, spoke to the HSE News Service about the purpose and setup of the workshop.