2.3.2 Institutions as Factors of Accumulation and Preservation of Human Capital: Contemporary and Historical Evidence

Research Area 2. Demography and Active Ageing  → Research Program 2.3 Social and Human capital of the Older Generation

Project period

2020-2025

Context of Research Project within a Subject of Human Capital

Institutions influence socio-economic development by having an impact on the use and accumulation of development resources, primarily human potential.

The research project Institutions as Factors of Accumulation and Preservation of Human Capital: Contemporary and Historical Evidence will generate new theoretical and empirical knowledge and recommendations on improving the institutional conditions for the accumulation and realization of human potential as a factor in the development of the Russian economy and society.

Project Aim

Studying the influence of the institutional environment on the accumulation and conservation of human capital in modern realities and historical perspective

Project Objectives:

1. Developing the theory of outsourcing of social services to commercial and non-profit enterprises, considering the motivation of employees and management, as well as the possibilities of state regulation and public control, developing recommendations on outsourcing of social services to organizations of various forms of management and ownership, considering the comparative advantages and disadvantages of such organizations
2. Creating a database of international statistics for the analysis of morbidity and mortality in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic, depending on institutional factors, including the form of ownership
3. Studying the division of labor between the state, the private sector and civil society in the conservation, reproduction and accumulation of human capital
4. Studying the impact of institutional reforms on the provision of public goods and services of key importance for the accumulation of human capital

Key Findings

2020

The research project has been implemented since 2021

2021

The theory of outsourcing of social services to commercial and non-profit enterprises has been developed, considering the motivation of employees and management, as well as the possibilities of state regulation and public control, the conclusions of the theory have been interpreted in relation to nursing homes and other institutions of long-term care for the elderly

A database has been created to analyze the role of zemstvo reform in the accumulation of human capital in Russia, a pilot econometric analysis of institutional factors of human capital accumulation in the historical perspective and convergence factors in the provision of primary schools in the period from 1860-1913 has been carried out.

2022

A comparative analysis of healthcare for the elderly in various countries of the world, as well as quality control systems for services in this industry and the ratio of quality in organizations of various forms of ownership has been carried out.

Econometric analysis of the influence of zemstvo on human capital in Russia in the period from 1860 to 1913 has been carried out: the influence of zemstvo institute on the literacy rate, the proportion of children receiving primary education, and convergence in the provision of schools between regions has been shown.

2023

The data on the number of primary schools in two groups of provinces of European Russia are analyzed – 34 provinces in which zemstvo institutions of local self-government were introduced in 1864, and 35 provinces in which this institution did not exist. At the beginning of the period, from 1860 to 1871, the non-Zemstvo provinces were ahead of the rest in terms of the number of primary schools. However, starting in 1864, the growth rate of the number of schools in the zemstvo provinces increased, and by 1871 they began to outpace the rest of the provinces in the provision of primary schools. By 1893, the last year for which detailed data are available at the county level, the zemstvo provinces were ahead of the rest of the provinces in terms of the number of primary schools by about 30%. Thus, the role of administrative and civil institutions in the accumulation of human capital in post-reform Russia of the late 19th-early 20th century has been confirmed.

Publications

1. Zobernius N., Polishchuk L., Shagalov I.. Outsourcing of Social Services to the Non-Profit Sector: Economic Analysis // Voprosy ekonomiki, 2022, No. 2b pp. 95-119.
2. Tarasenko G. K. Dynamics of electoral preferences of residents of closed cities (1995-2003). – The policy. Political research. 2024. No. 1. pp. 120-133. DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2024.01.09

Conferences

18th scientific seminar Institutional Care for the Elderly in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic from the cycle Active Longevity Policy and Pension Reforms: Russian and International experience (Moscow, Russia, October 28, 2021)

Polishchuk L. Who Should Be Entrusted with the Care of the Elderly – NGOs or Private Business? (RU)

Seminar on Mathematical Economics of the CEMI RAS (Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2022)

Seminar of the HSE Center for Institutional Research (Moscow, Russia, April 21, 2022)