Main problems of reforming the Russian higher education system: regulations and the view of the professional community

Objective : to identify the features of the current institutional environment of the higher education system in Russia; in particular, to determine the level of trust both in society and within the education system, as well as the existing level of information asymmetry regarding upcoming changes due to the exit from the Bologna system and the main actors’ expectations from the ongoing reform. It is necessary to identify the existing narratives in the professional environment in order to promote the upcoming introduction of new formal norms and reduce the likelihood of incentives for opportunistic behavior, which is possible if “internal relations are not in accordance with external ones”. Methods : when solving the research problem, the methods of narrative analysis and discourse analysis were mainly used, as well as in-depth interviews with university professors. Results : the research revealed that Russia faces a low level of trust in society, fluctuations in which correlate with ongoing changes in the economic and social spheres. Another feature is a low level of awareness among the population and direct actors of the higher education system about upcoming changes. The interviews showed a cautious attitude of the teaching staff towards any changes (including current ones), which, in their opinion, may lead to an increased bureaucratization rather than to solving the existing problems, such as low funding of education and science and high workload of professors. The author also noted students’ behavioral patterns, such as low involvement in extracurricular activities at university, a relatively low opinion about the prestige of academic profession, and intergenerational differences affecting the incentives for higher education. Scientific novelty : the author substantiates the importance of analyzing and monitoring the existing level of trust among actors in the higher education system in order to increase the effectiveness of its reform. Practical significance : the provisions and conclusions can be used in the future to study the impact of ongoing reforms on the higher education system.