Www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto «Servant of Two Masters»: An Experience of Being a Russian - Finnish Professor Vladimir Gel’man (European University at St.Petersburg

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

«Servant of Two Masters»:An Experience of Being

a Russian - Finnish Professor

Vladimir Gel’man(European University at St.Petersburg / University of Helsinki)

FiDiPro network event, 18 September 2013

18.04.23Aleksanteri Institute / Vladimir Gel’man / FiDiPro 1


Vladimir Gel’man (b.1965);

Self-educated (no training in social science); first degree in

engineering, dissertation in political science (1998);

Since 1996 taught in the department of political science and

Sociology, European University at St.Petersburg (EUSP);

Author and/or editor of twenty books, authored about 120

scholarly articles in Russian and in English;

Most cited Russian political scientist (2069 reference entries

at Google Scholar; h-index 24); several professional awards;

The only FiDiPro professor from Russia (as of yet)

18.04.23 2Aleksanteri Institute / Vladimir Gel’man / FiDiPro

The background


Field of interest: Russian and post-Soviet politics in

theoretical and comparative perspective (with an emphasis

on regional and local politics and government, electoral and

party politics);

FiDiPro project: «Regime, Institutions, and Change: Politics

and Governance in Russia in a Comparative Perspective»

Project’s period: 2012-2017 (second try of the application;

initial proposal in 2010 placed on the reserve list)


The background


The key questions for the project:

Why democracy, good governance and the rule of law have

failed in contemporary Russia?

What are the sources of short-term stability and possible

political and policy changes in the medium and long term?

What the alternative paths of future developments are in

Russian politics and governance?

To answer these questions, the project focuses on the role of

agency as a factor of continuity and change of politics and

governance in Russia.


The research project


Why to conduct this research project in Finland?

A major interest to Russia – a top priority of both research

and policy agenda;

An excellent host institution – the Aleksanteri Institute of the

University of Helsinki;

A very friendly environment for life and work;

An opportunity for a medium-term commitment (5-years-long

FiDiPro professorship);

A close proximity to Russia and especially to St.Petersburg


The research venue


Major interest to research on Russia:

Russia as the key partner of Finland in economic, social,

and cultural terms – opportunities and risks;

Strong tradition of research on Russia in Finland – history,

sociology, economic and cultural studies;

Center of Excellence «Choices of Russian Modernization»

(funded by the Academy of Finland for 2012-2017);

Lack of previous focus on Russian domestic politics (the

legacy of the Cold War period);

FiDiPro professorship – filling the gap?


The research venue


Aleksanteri Institute: a great host institution

Established 1996, now is the largest center for Russian and

East European Studies in Europe;

About 50 experts/researchers (including doctoral students);

Annual 2012 budget = 3.7 mil. Euro (37% - external funding);

MA-level and doctoral-level study programs;

High international visibility (annual Aleksanteri conferences,

international research fellowships, and other events and

projects)


The host institution


Generous co-funding from the University of Helsinki helped

to establish a research team of two post-doctoral scholars;

Competition in 2012 – 27 applications from eight countries:

Since 2013, two post-docs are hired:

Jussi Lassila (Finland) – research project on populism as

ideas and practices in Russian politics;

Andrey Starodubtsev (Russia) – research project on

federalism and practices of policy-making in Russia


The research team


The book on regime change in post-Soviet Russia is on the way

(the Russian edition appeared in 2013; the version in English

should be submitted to the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2014);

The co-authored book on impact of generation changes and

ideational path-dependency on Russia’s economic and political

reforms is under translation into English: should be submitted to

Lexington Books in 2014;

The article, The Rise and Decline of Electoral Authoritarianism in

Russia, is under review;

Two further journal articles are commissioned in 2014;

Post-docs are working on their articles and monographs.


Conducting the project

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto 18.04.23 10Aleksanteri Institute / Vladimir Gel’man / FiDiPro



The class on Contemporary Russian Politics will be delivered

to MA-level students in the Department of Political Science and

Russian and East European Studies program at the University of

Helsinki;

The annual Aleksanteri Conference will be organized in 2014 by

FiDiPro team members and other scholars under the topic

«Restructuring State and Society in Russia»;

Cluster (working group) of the Center of Excellence project

involved several scholars (including FiDiPro team) and working on a

common topic, «Authoritarian Market Society as a Challenge»;

… and several other activities




Avoiding risks of too narrow focus (e.g., current events analysis)

and of too broad focus (e.g., macro-level theories) through the

lenses of comparative analysis;

(1) cross-national comparisons; (2) within-nation comparison of

varieties of politics and patterns of governance on the sub-national

level across Russia; (3) comparing politics and governance of

post-Soviet Russia with those in the pre- and late-Soviet periods.

The problem of «moving target» - research of an ever-changing

object of study;

The problem of expectations of forecasting from scholars


Challenges for the project


Challenges of responsibility before the home institution (EUSP is a

small-size graduate school): teaching can be rescheduled, but not

many other duties (in fact, I retained a full-time job in EUSP and

have to work there even more than before FiDiPro);

Challenges of private life – commuting back and forth between St.

Petersburg and Helsinki (proximity as both an asset and liability);

Challenges of the end of the project – what I have to do after 2017,

when FiDiPro project (and funding) will be finished?


Challenges for the professor


FiDiPro – unique and useful experience for myself and

(hopefully) for the Finnish scholarship;

Bridging Finnish and Russian research on politics and

governance, politics and governance as such, and everyday

life in two countries (a la Goldoni’s play?);

…and special thanks goes to the Academy of Finland, to the

University of Helsinki, and to the Aleksanteri Institute.


In Lieu of Conclusions


… and thanks for your interest!

Comments are very welcome ([email protected])


In Lieu of Conclusions

Documents

Www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto «Servant of Two Masters»: An Experience of Being a Russian - Finnish Professor Vladimir Gel’man (European University at St.Petersburg