The impact of family, including its cultural aspects, on a pupil’s idea of his or her future work is significantly weaker than the influence of the student’s own personal qualities, such as dedication, perseverance and desire to learn, Alexandra Yuzhaninova concluded in an article published in HSE’s Journal of Educational Studies.

The family meal, a tradition which has for centuries helped strengthen family ties, is becoming a rare phenomenon, increasingly replaced by a fast food culture and various individual dietary strategies, according to Irina Sokhan, Associate Professor at the HSE's Department of Applied Political Science (St. Petersburg)

Education and professional experience in reaching success are not as important for Russians as useful connections. It is specifically connections in the majority of people’s perception that play the main role in climbing the social ladder. Such mind-sets of the population do not allow for the national economy to grow or develop, the head of the Institute of Humanitarian Development of the Megapolis’ Center for Scientific Research and Education, Elena Avraamova, concluded during a research study presented at the HSE

Immigrants from Central Asia are only partially integrated into life in Moscow and are not using many of the city’s resources and opportunities. Their way of life and living standards differ drastically from those Russians who live and work in the Russian capital. Immigrants from former Soviet republics work on weekdays and do household chores or socialise among themselves on weekends, and thus have difficulty adjusting to life in a big city, according to a study by Ekaterina Demintseva and Vera Peshkova published in the HSE's Demoscope Weekly

The number of foreign specialists working in Russia has been declining rapidly over the last several years. These specialists often perceive Russian capitalism as something temporary that depends on oil prices. Under such conditions, expats are not likely able to make a serious contribution to the modernization of the Russian economy, but their view of local realities is nonetheless valuable for understanding the processes that hinder economic development, researchers from HSE’s Laboratory for Comparative Analysis of Post-Socialist Development Vladimir Karacharovskiy, Ovsey Shkaratan and Gordey Yastrebov concluded from a research study

The number of foreign specialists working in Russia has been declining rapidly over the last several years. These specialists often perceive Russian capitalism as something temporary that depends on oil prices. Under such conditions, expats are not likely able to make a serious contribution to the modernization of the Russian economy, but their view of local realities is nonetheless valuable for understanding the processes that hinder economic development, researchers from HSE’s Laboratory for Comparative Analysis of Post-Socialist Development Vladimir Karacharovskiy, Ovsey Shkaratan and Gordey Yastrebov concluded from a research study

Parental social and occupational status plays a significant role in children's career success. This is mainly due to the help that children get from their parents in pursuing opportunities to become highly paid professionals in Russia, argues Alexey Bessudnov, Research Fellow at the HSE's Centre for Advanced Studies

Despite the wide income gap between the rich and poor in Russia, their basic values and attitudes are not dissimilar. However, there are indications of an impending rift, says Svetlana Mareeva, Associate Professor of the HSE's Sub-department of Socio-Economic Systems and Social Policy, based on her findings from a survey of poor Russians

The younger a lawyer is the more cynical his attitude towards his profession. In legal circles a readiness to sacrifice ethical and moral standards for financial gain is not uncommon. A report by the HSE Institute for Industrial and Market Studies (IIMS) suggests that change requires active engagement from lawyers’ associations and regular research investigations of the legal community

To ensure high rates of economic growth, countries should adopt effective policies for human capital accumulation and promote an institutional environment for it to be translated into technological innovation, said Isaac Ehrlich, Distinguished Professor of Economics at the State University of New York at Buffalo and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Human Capital, addressing the HSE's XV April XV Conference

The income and satisfaction freelancers get from their work depends largely on their professional self-worth. Education and experience are rewarded financially but these don’t determine an individual’s sense of job satisfaction. Researchers Denis Strebkov and Andrey Shevchuk presented these findings in a paper at the HSE XV April International Conference on Economic and Social Development – ‘How does Human Capital Influence the Income and Job Satisfaction of Self-employed Professionals?’

A crisis of trust in Russian society keeps people from enjoying their lives to the full, said Anna Mironova, Research Intern of the HSE’s International Laboratory of Socio-Cultural Research and postgraduate student at the HSE Department of Demography in her presentation at the XV April International Conference