Research & Expertise News at HSE University

The Ronald F. Inglehart Laboratory for Comparative Social Research (LCSR) has been holding academic seminars for 15 years, bringing together scholars from various countries and offering early-career researchers a platform to present their work. Anna Almakaeva, Head of the Laboratory, spoke to the HSE News Service about how exchanging ideas contributes to academic work, what topics are discussed at the seminars, and the laboratory’s plans for the upcoming academic season.

Eduard Tunkevichus enjoys working with data and learning new things, particularly innovative research and analysis methods. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he discusses the insights he gained while writing his dissertation, the difference between applied and academic research in marketing, and how AI helped him salvage his mandarin houseplant.

Researchers from the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences have examined the key factors behind lasting marriages. The findings show that having children is the primary factor contributing to marital stability, while for couples without children, a greater income gap between spouses is associated with a stronger union. This is the conclusion reported in Applied Econometrics.

Researchers from HSE University and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences analysed three major Russian cities to assess their alignment with the '15-minute city' concept—an urban design that ensures residents can easily access essential services and facilities within walking distance. Naberezhnye Chelny, where most residents live in Soviet-era microdistricts, demonstrated the highest levels of accessibility. In Krasnodar, fewer than half of residents can easily reach essential facilities on foot, and in Saratov, just over a third can. The article has been published in Regional Research of Russia.

Virtual knives, custom-painted machine guns, and gloves are common collectible items in videogames. A new study by scientists from HSE University suggests that digital skins from the popular video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) rank among the most profitable types of alternative investments, with average annual returns exceeding 40%. The study has been published in the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), a free-access online repository.

Chiara Naccarato, Research Fellow at the HSE Linguistic Convergence Laboratory, graduated from university in Italy and came to Russia to study the languages of Dahgestan and the speech patterns of bilingual speakers. She notes the friendly atmosphere of the laboratory and the hospitality of the people of Daghestan.

The International Linguistic Convergence Laboratory at the HSE Faculty of Humanities studies the processes of convergence among languages spoken in regions with mixed, multiethnic populations. Research conducted by linguists at HSE University contributes to understanding the history of language development and explores how languages are perceived and used in multilingual environments. George Moroz, head of the laboratory, shares more details in an interview with the HSE News Service.

Overweight Russians tend to earn significantly less than their slimmer counterparts, with a 10% increase in body mass index (BMI) associated with a 9% decrease in wages. These are the findings made by Anastasiia Deeva, lecturer at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences and intern researcher in Laboratory of Economic Research in Public Sector. The article has been published in Voprosy Statistiki.