SFeDu
of.211, Gorgoko St., 88 
Rostov-on-Don
Russia
344002
+7 (863) 250-59-54
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
te@sfedu.ru

TERRA ECONOMICUS

WHY DO NOT PHD STUDENTS CHOOSE JOB IN UNIVERSITIES?

TERRA ECONOMICUS, , Vol. 16 (no. 4),

In recent years, data on the total number of research workers and degree-seeking candidates show sharp drop in Russia. The same trend characterizes the data on the number of students who completed and presented their dissertations, the average age of the researchers in Russia is growing at that. The new format of PhD studies, which implies the need to defend a thesis and inappropriate financial incentives, contribute to the outflow of potential young researchers to commercial and government organizations. This paper deals with unattractiveness of the academic labor market for PhD students. The authors present a comprehensive review of the issues of reproduction of human capital in higher education. Empirical evidence is based on the analysis of the opinions of 176 experts from 20 leading universities in the South of Russia, as well as on materials from a wide range of papers that examine the behavior of PhD students in academic and non-academic labor markets. Particular attention is paid to the motives for admission to PhD study programs, the reasons for decision-making by young researchers regarding their professional and personal development. The study of career strategies for PhD students emphasizes peculiarities of the development of the academic environment in regional and federal universities, as well as factors affecting the quality of study programs for highly qualified specialists. The authors put forward a hypothesis that an academic career is influenced by certain institutional norms that ensure the retention and development of young professionals in the internal and external academic labor market. Such norms include new motivating environment (grants for study, a differentiated approach to pay, infrastructure for research projects, etc.), regulation of barriers to entry into the field of research and teaching in higher education, development of institutions to strengthen interaction with the science supervisors, information institutions to search for vacancies for PhD students, institutes of professional mobility for young researchers.


Keywords: reproduction of the human capital; academic labor market; higher education; education economy; economy of knowledge; career strategy of PhD students; labor market of PhD students

References:
  • Alipova, O. and Lovakov, A. (2018). Academic inbreeding and publication activities of Russian faculty. Tertiary Education and Management, 24(1), 66–82.
  • Becker, G. (1962). Investment in human capital: A theoretical approach. J. Political Econom., 79(5), 9–49.
  • Bednyy, B. I., Rybakov, N. V. and Sapunov, M. B. (2017). Russian postgraduate education in the educational field: interdisciplinary discourse. Sociological studies, (9), 125– 134. (In Russian.)
  • Bekova, S. K., Gruzdev, I. A., Jafarova, Z. I., Maloshonok, N. G. and Terentyev, E. A. (2017). Portrait of a Modern Russian Graduate Student. Moscow: NRU HSE Publ. (In Russian.)
  • Ben-Porath, Y. (1967). The production of human capital and the life cycle of earnings. J. Political Econom., 75(4), 352–365.
  • Bourner, T., Bowden, R. and Laing, S. (2001). Professional doctorates in England. Studies in Higher Education, 26(1), 65–83.
  • Brailsford, I. (2010). Motives and aspirations for doctoral study: Career, personal, and inter-personal factors in the decision to embark on a history PhD. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 5(1), 16–27.
  • Churchill, H. and Sanders, T. (2007). Getting your PhD: An insiders’ guide. London: Sage Publications.
  • Dasgupta, P. and David, P. (1994). Toward a new economics of science and technology. Research Policy, 23(5), 487–521
  • Finkelstein, M., Iglesias, K., Panova A. A. and Yudkevich, M. M. (2014). Prospects of young professionals in the academic labor market. Education, (2), 20–43. (In Russian.)
  • Gill, T. and Hoppe, U. (2009). The business professional doctorate as an informing channel: A survey and analysis. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 4, 27–57.
  • Golde, C. M. (2005). The role of the department and discipline in doctoral attrition: Lessons from four departments. Journal of Higher Education, 76(6), 669–700.
  • Gorelova, O. and Lovakov, A. (2016). Academic Inbreeding and Research Productivity of Russian Faculty Members. NRU Higher School of Economics, Series: Education. WP BRP 32/EDU/2016.
  • Gouldner, A. W. (1957). Cosmopolitans and Locals: Toward an Analysis of Latent Social Roles-I. Administrative Science Quarterly, 2, 281–303.
  • Gruzdev, I. and Terentev, E. (2016). Life after PhD: What Careers Do PhD Students in Russia Consider? Higher Education in Russia and Beyond, 3(9), 20–23.
  • Hawlery, P. (2003). Being bright is not enough. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
  • Horta, H. and Yudkevich, M. M. (2016). The role of academic inbreeding in developing higher education systems: Challenges and possible solutions. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, (113), Part B, 363–372.
  • Lee, H., Miozzo, M. and Laredo, P. (2010). Career patterns and competences of PhDs in science and engineering in the knowledge economy: The case of graduates from a UK research-based university. Research Policy, 39(7), 869–881.
  • Leonard, D., Becker, R. and Coate, K. (2005). To prove myself at the highest level: The benefits of doctoral study. Higher Education Research & Development, 24(2), 135–149.
  • Lewis, C. W., Ginsberg, R., Davies, T. and Smith, K. (2004). The experiences of African American Ph.D. students at a predominantly white Carnegie I – research institution. College Student Journal, 38(2), 231–245.
  • Lovitts, B. E. (2001). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Lovitts, B. E. and Nelson, C. (2000). The hidden crisis in graduate education: Attrition from Ph. D. programs. Academe, 86(6), 44–50.
  • Nerad, M. (2006). Globalization and its impact on research education: Trends and emerging best practices for the doctorate of the future (pp. 5–12) / In: M. Kiley and G. Mullins (eds.) Quality in postgraduate research: Knowledge creation in testing times. Canberra: ANU.
  • Osipov, G. V. and Savinkov, V. I. (2014). Dynamics and prospects of postgraduate studies until 2030: Statistical and sociological analysis. Moscow: Center for Social Forecasting and Marketing Publ. (In Russian.)
  • Powell, S. and Green, H. (eds.) (2007). The doctorate worldwide. Maidenhead: Open University Press
  • Sizykh, A. D. (2014). Analysis of the academic environment as a place to study and work. Educational Issues, (1), 92–109
  • Soler, M. (2001). How Inbreeding Affects Productivity in Europe. Nature, (411).
  • Soler, M. (2001). How Inbreeding Affects Productivity in Europe. Nature, (411).
  • Voinylov, Y. L., Gorodnikova, N. V., Gokhberg, L. M. et al. (2017). Indicators of science: 2017: statistical compendium. Moscow: HSE Publ. (In Russian.)
  • Volchik, V. V., Filonenko, Y. V. and Krivosheeva-Medyantseva, D. D. (2015). Adaptive Rationality, Adaptive Behavior and Institutions. Journal of Institutional Studies, 7(4), 138–155. DOI:10.17835/2076-6297.2015.7.4.138-155. (In Russian.)
  • Wissema, J. G. (2016). University of the third generation: University management in transition. Moscow: Olimp-Business Publishing House. (In Russian.)
  • Yudkevich, M. M., Altbach, F. J. and Rumble, L. (2016). Academic inbreeding and mobility in higher education: Global perspectives. Moscow: HSE Publ. (In Russian.)
Publisher: Southern Federal University
Founder: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606