Inferior Goods. The Doubtful Benefits of Russian Education

Abstract

A comparison of education systems in the USA, Western Europe, China, and modern Russia, shows that urgent reform of Russian universities is necessary. Based on the well-known theory of inferior goods, the author concludes that a large segment of Russian higher education either offers services of doubtful quality, or simply sells diplomas not substantiated by any real education. The article considers the consequences of this state of affairs for the job market and the education system itself.