Fear of Brain Drain: Russian Academic Community on Internationalization of Education

Abstract

Emigration of skilled and able from Russia markedly increased in mid-2010s, thus pushing multiple Russian scholars to reassess the phenomenon, its definition, scope, consequences, and causes. This article found that the nexus between brain drain and internationalization of education plays an important role in the debate. By means of analysis of the texts of scholarly articles in Russian academic journals and of the transcripts of interviews with Russian educators directly involved in internationalization of education, this study found that despite most representatives of Russian academic community perceive emigration as a concern for the nation, they simultaneously view it as a perfect choice for an individual, who is skilled and able. The ambivalent perception of brain drain creates the situation, when some Russian academics justify their resistance to internationalization with assumption that it causes brain drain, whereas some others by word and deed support internationalization as a means to curb emigration. In the context of controversial educational reforms underway in Russia since 1990s, such perception helped internationalization survive as a target of the reforms, despite their overall course reversed in 2010s compared with 1990s.

World-class Universities in Russia: A Contested Norm and its Implementation

“…Reactive contestation criticizing the values underlying the new norm and aimed at returning to a purely national education system presents greater risks, especially if it is extensive. The contestation experienced in Russia, but also in Taiwan (Lo & Hou, 2019), China (Lin & Wang, 2021) appears to be proactive, as it has largely translated into new governmental policies focused on the improvement of previous internationalization projects rather than their rejection. Resistance has also been described as an unavoidable stage in the transition of a university to excellence (Jiang et al, 2018).…”

“…It reduced the potential number of detractors by facilitating the process of change and helping academics and university management meet the new requirements. International networks may also, by helping the internationalization of higher education succeed, contribute to reducing the brain drain of Russian academic community, with faculty members less likely to emigrate if they work for universities with a global reputation (Lanko, 2021). The Russian case study shows that local contestation is an ongoing process that goes hand-in-hand with the localization of a universal norm, and which, under the right circumstances and with the support of transnational networks, does not threaten the implementation process.…”

Science at Stake – Russia and the Arctic Council

“…Russia already struggled with the external outflow of knowledge before February 24, 2022, as the brain drain has been increasing over the past five years. 77 Many Russian scientists are reported to have fled the country after the war started because of the isolation of Russian academia, and later because of the risk of being drafted. However, there are no authoritative figures on the number of academics who have emigrated.…”