The Neo-Institutional Approach in the Sociological Analysis of the Higher Education System: The Russian Context

I. A. Sarankin ()

Administrative Consulting, 2026, issue 5

Abstract: The article examines the application of the neo-institutional approach to the analysis of transformations in Russian higher education.Aim — to apply the concepts of institutional isomorphism and organizational fields to the reform process of the national higher education system. The mechanisms of coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphism are analysed in the context of the creation of federal and flagship universities, the implementation of Project “5-100†, the National Project “Education†, and the phased transition to a new higher education model starting in 2026.Methods. To achieve the stated aim, the article employs the following methods: theoretical and methodological analysis to establish the conceptual framework; qualitative analysis of regulatory legal documents to identify formal rules that set the vectors of coercive isomorphism; institutional analysis; the comparative method; and others.Results. The effects of university mergers generated by neo-institutional mechanisms are demonstrated, including rising transaction costs, coordination problems, and the growing role of performance indicators and quality assessment systems. It is also revealed that the state currently retains a dominant role as a source of rules, resources, and legitimacy, which rein-forces coercive isomorphism. Particular attention is paid to how neo-institutionalism transforms the cultural-cognitive schemes of Russian higher education through isomorphism mechanisms: coercive isomorphism shapes new cognitive models of the “proper†university through state standards and assessment systems; mimetic isomorphism operates through the diffusion of successful organisational templates; normative isomorphism acts through the professionalization of academic management and professional community standards.Conclusions. Drawing on contemporary international research, the article substantiates the thesis that institutional changes in higher education should be analysed not only through formal managerial decisions, but also through the dynamics of trust, organisational culture, professional identity, digital indicators, and evidence-based management systems. Furthermore, based on international research, it is emphasised that the effectiveness of reforms depends on trust, organisational culture, and the engagement of the academic community. The heuristic potential of neo-institutionalism for studying Russian institutional changes in higher education is demonstrated.

Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.acjournal.ru/jour/article/viewFile/3079/2188 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:acf:journl:y:2026:id:3079

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Administrative Consulting from Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. North-West Institute of Management.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().