2008. vol. 3. No. 7-8

M.Larionova, Director of the International Organizations Research Institute, State University – Higher School of Economics, Y.Zaitsev, Researcher of the International Organizations Research Institute, State University – Higher School of Economics, M.Rakchmangulov, Researcher of the International Organizations Research Institute, State University – Higher School of Economics

The paper presents an analysis of the first G20 summit outcomes. It examines the G8 members’ positions on the summit’s agenda with a focus on the EU as a collective member of both institutions. Assessment of the participants’ contribution towards the summit decisions is based on the G20 members’ documents and speeches of their leaders and other high-level officials. The authors look into the G20 future and possible patterns of its coexistence and engagement with the G8 in the short- and medium-term perspective.

M.Larionova, Director of the International Organizations Research Institute, State University – Higher School of Economics

The paper presents propositions on a draft text of the Article on Cooperation in Education for the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the Russian Federation and the European Union, as well as the draft agreement on EU – Russia cooperation in education. The author draws on the analysis of the EU member states collaboration in education, EU cooperation with the industrialized countries and EU – Russia experience in the field. The material includes recommendations on strengthening coordination between the Russian authorities and the EU bodies, responsible for education programmes development and implementation as well as actions aimed at building EU- Russia common space in education, research and cultural aspects.

E.Gorbunova, Director of the G8 Research Centre of the International Organizations Research Institute, State University – Higher School of Economics, M.Larionova, Director of the International Organizations Research Institute, State University – Higher School of Economics

The paper presents outcomes of the project “External evaluation of the Bologna process implementation by Russian universities”. The research aimed to monitor and assess effectiveness of the universities’ integration into the common European higher education area. The analysis has been based on a comprehensive external and self - evaluation methodology. The findings contribute towards assessing effectiveness of the Bologna process implementation management in the Russian universities, identify main approaches, single out key difficulties, and highlight the main success factors and opportunities for enhancing effectiveness of the Russian universities participation in shaping the common European higher education area.

S. Medvedev, Professor of the Public Policy Department, State University – Higher School of Economics, I. Tomashov, BA Student of the Public Policy Department, State University – Higher School of Economics

The growing role of Russia on the world stage makes us reassess and suggest new mechanisms of development of Russia’s so-called “Soft Power”. Cooperation in the field of higher education is one of the ways of improving Russia’s image abroad. Nowadays Russia has enough will and resources to change its position on the international education market from the supplier of students and specialists to the provider of education services. Promoting “Russian Dimension” in European education may become the first step on the way of internationalization of education in Russia.

The experience of individual European countries and of the EU shows that, first of all, Russian government has to ensure that foreign students and specialists coming to Russia are supported both financially and logistically. Secondly, it is necessary to create a special federal agency for promoting Russian education abroad and the network of its offices in different European countries. Finally, Russia has to adopt a strategy of internationalization of its education and to launch a variety of programs designed for foreign students interested in Russian studies.

A. Melikyan, Specialist of the Faculty of Management, Lecturer of the Faculty of Business Informatics, Doctoral student of the Faculty of Management, State University - Higher School of Economics

The results of four-year OECD project “Thematic review of tertiary education”, in which took part 24 countries, including the Russian Federation, were published on September 2008. The outcome of the project was publication of the review “Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society” which represents a full-scale and combined research of the key tendencies and directions of tertiary education policy in the member and partner countries of OECD. The publication of the project’s results is per se “international encyclopedia of tertiary education”, because it covers all the fundamental directions of the tertiary education policy and summarizes the experience of countries which have not only different levels of socio-economic development, but also different approaches to educational policy. The particular interest for specialists responsible for elaboration and realization of educational policy, represent the practical recommendations, worked out by OECD experts on the basis of conducted comparative international research and revelation of the most successful political practices, which permit countries to respond effectively to the contemporary challenges faced by their educational systems.

In the same time, while representing the project’s results, the OECD experts emphasize, that the use of the entire set of proposed recommendations as well as the specific instruments of their realization on the national level, requires the careful analysis and discussion with the involvement of different stakeholders: national and regional government authorities, quality assurance agencies, TEIs, employers and students associations, - taking into account the features of national context, traditions and peculiarities of country’s education system development.

The analysis of priorities and national case-studies of OECD countries’ educational policy and the estimation of possibilities of their usage for Russian education development was one of the main objectives of the project «Analytical review of the OECD member states education policy and analysis of the Education policy committee strategic priorities to respond to the Roadmap for the Russian Federation accession to the OECD Convention requirements», realized by International Organizations Research Institute in 2008 by request of the Federal Agency of Education.

We present to our readers first analytical article form the series of materials, prepared in the framework of the Project on the basis of the OECD project results analysis. It is no coincidence that this article is devoted to the theme of educational quality, as far as the educational quality assurance, including tertiary education, on different levels (international, national, institutional) today becomes one of the main directions of the current analytical work of OECD Directorate on Education, which is conditioned by the growing scale and diversification of higher education systems and increasing concurrence on the educational services market. In the published material is also presented the estimation of the possibilities to use the OECD recommendations on the tertiary education quality assurance for the development of education in the Russian Federation.

N.Zlokazova, PhD in Economics, Assistant Professor of the Chair of the International Economic Organizations and European Integration of the World Economics and International Affairs Department, State University – Higher School of Economics

In article actual questions of tourism service's personnel training for carrying out of Olympic games and large sports actions are considered. The considerable attention is given to preparation of volunteers. The international experience of the tourism service's personnel training for carrying out of the Olympic Games is analyzed, in particular, experience of the USA, Italy, Korea, China and some other countries-organizers of Olympic games. On the basis of the international experience and the Russian specificity, the author makes recommendations about the tourism service's personnel training for the organisation and carrying out of winter Olympic games "Sochi-2014".