Informal Academic Entrepreneurship: Current State and Development Trends

The concept of academic capitalism appeared in the international sociological discourse in the 1990s. However, Russian academic capitalism has taken unconventional forms as it develops in the shadow informal environment of the academic labor market. It covers a wide range of academic activities, e.g. tutorship, extra classes, ghost-writing of essays, theses and graduation papers, etc. Quite often, federal universities and research centers order grant reports, state assignments papers, and manuscripts for top peer-reviewed journals from provincial academics. The Russian market of shadow academic entrepreneurship is closed, secretive, tough, and highly competitive. The COVID-19 pandemic gave it a new rise: it increased three times in 2020–2021. New forms of digital employment and shadow academic capitalism lead to new social trends, e.g. new priorities appear in the subject of scientific research as academic institutions lose their profile in favor of their shadow academic employers. New flexible informal academic structures demonstrate faceted over-connectivity, non-market mechanisms of academic competition, and new forms of digital and traditional academic exploitation. Other trends include shadow branding of universities, proletarization and feudalization of academic labor, conflict of interests in science and education, formation of demand for low-quality higher education, monopolization in the academic market, etc. As a result, the academic community in Russia is transforming into a closed estate with its digital academic elite, middle class of academic entrepreneurs, and digital academic proletarians.

Conceptualizing capitalist transformations: Marx’s relevance for higher education research

This article opens a space for dialogue between Marxism and the field of higher education research. First, it demonstrates to what extent Marx is present in the theoretical and methodological discussions within the field and it examines the reasons behind his absence, i.e., the development of two perspectives regarding capitalist transformations, namely academic capitalism and exceptionalism. Second, it introduces Marx’s method of critique, conceived as the integrity of three different analytical moments and it further explicates how those moments can be translated into the general research program. It does so in reference to a) ontological assumptions; b) sector’s political economy; c) students and academic protests; d) ideas about the alternative. Finally, it uses those four areas to reflect on the key differences between Marx’s critique and the two perspectives discussed. By doing so it opens up paths for further dialogue between Marxism and higher education research.

ACADEMIC CAPITALISM AS A DRIVER OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN THE COMPLEX SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

The purpose of the work is to study the complex essence of higher education as an integral part of the anthroposphere (technosphere); to define the main fundamental tasks of innovative academic (university) entrepreneurship; to study the main types of innovations initiated by academic capitalism in the higher education system, which can lead to innovative changes and its classification; to determine the main objects of innovation activity in the field of higher education and science and expedient directions of further innovative development of higher education in Ukraine; to study the types of innovations in the higher education system. Innovative transformations in the sphere of higher education and science are considered by the authors as objectively conditioned transformational changes caused by the environment of academic capitalism. The core of the study is academic or university entrepreneurship based on the market relations spread by academic capitalism in the sphere of scientific and educational activities of universities, research institutes and other institutions and organizations of this field. An important basis of scientific work is the application to national conditions of the Triple helix model of innovation of N. Etzkowitz on the innovative development of society. Scientific novelty consists of the following: the world experience of innovative transformations in the sphere of higher education and science occurring under conditions of academic capitalism is studied; theoretical data for new approaches in understanding of innovative transformations in the sphere of higher education and science which are economic categories and occur under market laws are formulated and offered; new approaches for further innovative reformation of higher education and science under conditions of academic capitalism are offered. A new scientific term of “innovatics of higher education” has been put into circulation. Provisions on the uniqueness of the essence of higher education, the main fundamental tasks of innovative academic (university) entrepreneurship, the types of innovations initiated by academic capitalism in higher education that can lead to innovative changes, and their classification of both theoretical and practical importance for the development of domestic science and higher education are proposed. The main objects of innovative activity in the sphere of higher education and science, the corresponding directions of further innovative development of higher education in Ukraine, as well as the types of innovations in higher education that can lead to innovative changes are also defined.

How the World Economy revolves round Entrepreneurial University Model: Cases from India

Academic capitalism is quite different in perspective when speaking about the triple helix model or the entrepreneurial dimensions of University-Industry-academic nexus which gained prominence quite late in few countries as other so called developed countries had such a build up quite early when it left the gilded innovation structure to a more liberal perspective of academics and knowledge management. Research has shown that crisis and disasters have made innovation thoughts easier with greater transition potential across borders in the form of tacit knowledge via trade exchanges. Previously earlier to the 1980s emerging or the underdeveloped countries rarely witnessed autonomy in state owned academic institutions where universities were merely a place for teaching. With greater liberalization and moving towards free markets, emerging economies like India realized the importance of autonomy in institutions and got rid of the license raj which was destroying the foundations of economy. This paper scrutinizes the research gap in Entrepreneurial university concept applications in India firstly which can be applied to other developing countries were the nexus between industry and academic pursuits are gaining momentum and very little literature is available which can put forth policy grounds for government and national agenda holders to create sustainable paths leading to successful innovation products which can contribute to economic growth and development of society at large. The paper primarily is build on case studies which analyses and answers global thoughts hovered around Why Academic Capitalism was late in developing countries? Can the world too learn from Triple Helix applied to innovation system nationally in relatively poor country like India which is still a agrarian economy at large?

COMMERCIALIZATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE AND THE CONCEPT OF «ACADEMIC CAPITALISM»

Статья посвящена рассмотрению особенностей появления и распространения в мире феноменов «академический капитализм», «университетское предпринимательство», нового типа организации деятельности университетов, ориентированных на предпринимательство в сфере образования. Целью статьи является исследование теоретико-методологических основ инновационного развития системы образования на базе анализа феномена университетского (академического) предпринимательства, оценки его роли в инновационном развитии общества и на основе изучения исторических причинно-следственных связей - рассмотрение причин возникновения «академического капитализма» и развития университетского предпринимательства. В статье определено, что «академический капитализм» является интеллектуально-знаниевой предпринимательской составляющей капиталистической экономической системы, которая непосредственно влияет на его подсистемы - производительные силы, технико-экономические и производственные отношения, хозяйственный механизм. Научная новизна полученных результатов заключается в обосновании такого феномена как «академический капитализм», позволяющего эффективное использование его технологии и получение выгоды от академического (университетского) предпринимательства образовательным организациям России для достижения научно-технических, технологических и финансовых успехов. The article is devoted to the consideration of the peculiarities of the emergence and spread of the phenomena of «academic capitalism», «university entrepreneurship» in the world, a new type of organization of the activities of universities focused on entrepreneurship in the field of education. The purpose of the article is to study the theoretical and methodological foundations of the innovative development of the education system based on the analysis of the phenomenon of university (academic) entrepreneurship, assessment of its role in the innovative development of society and based on the study of historical causal relationships - consideration of the causes of the emergence of «academic capitalism» and the development of university entrepreneurship ... It is determined that «academic capitalism» is the intellectual and knowledge entrepreneurial component of the capitalist economic system, which directly affects its subsystems - productive forces, technical, economic and production relations, economic mechanism. The scientific novelty of the results obtained lies in the justification of such a phenomenon as «academic capitalism», which allows the effective use of its technology and benefits from academic (university) entrepreneurship to educational organizations in Russia to achieve scientific, technical, technological and financial success.

La igualdad de género en la universidad. Capitalismo académico y rankings globales

Purpose. This article proposes to reflect on how universities are committed to gender equality. Methodology. After a theoretical reflection that introduces the current reality of universities and the framework of academic capitalism that surrounds them, I investigate the global university rankings (GURs), specifically The High Education (THE) World University Rankings. Results and Discussion. The analysis of the rankings shows us the need to rethink how, in the current reality of university practices imposed by academic capitalism, we can carry out the university equality policies that laws and regulations impose on academia. Conclusion. As a conclusion and contribution, I point out the urgency of a new conception, which puts the commitments of sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda at the center and adjusts the standards and methodologies to these objectives, and not vice versa, the objectives to the methodologies.

Possibilities of the Mixed Research Methods Application in the Management of a Modern University (On the Materials of Sociological Research)

The paper discusses the possibilities of using mixed methods research in the management of a modern university. The goal of the study is to substantiate the heuristic potential of mixed methods research to identify effective approaches to managing the faculty in modern conditions.The study describes iterative data analysis within the framework of a mixed strategy:1) standard quantitative analysis; 2) quantitative triangulation, including the use of several methods, such as the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA); 3) standard qualitative analysis; 4) mixed triangulation, which ultimately led to a synergistic effect.The research results lie in different ways, including methodological and content related. The methodological results include the identification of the special heuristic potential of mixed methods during exploratory research; in the substantive part, a situation of social maladjustment of faculty was diagnosed in the context of developing “academic capitalism”, when the academic community, taking into account both economic and increasing social deprivation, is demotivated for effective labor activity.