Changes

The quality of higher education, including the PhD level, has also dropped. Thus, from 2010 to 2021, the number of colleges offering postgraduate programs dropped by 3.4 times; the number of available Ph.D. positions decreased by 1.9 times; the Ph.D. graduation rate plunged by 2.4 times, and the number of Ph.D. students who graduated by defending a thesis fell even lower, by 6.4 times.<ref>[https://theins.ru/en/opinion/igor-lipsitz/267664 The “no human” factor: How Russia’s workforce shortage rolls back its economic development]</ref>}}

The quality of higher education, including the PhD level, has also dropped. Thus, from 2010 to 2021, the number of colleges offering postgraduate programs dropped by 3.4 times; the number of available Ph.D. positions decreased by 1.9 times; the Ph.D. graduation rate plunged by 2.4 times, and the number of Ph.D. students who graduated by defending a thesis fell even lower, by 6.4 times.<ref>[https://theins.ru/en/opinion/igor-lipsitz/267664 The “no human” factor: How Russia’s workforce shortage rolls back its economic development]</ref>}}

== ==

=== Low labor productivity is one of the most acute and important problems facing Russia ===

''See also:''  

''See also:'' [[Essay: Low labor productivity is one of the most acute and important problems facing Russia|Low labor productivity is one of the most acute and important problems facing Russia]]

[[File:Putin 2023.jpg|thumbnail|right|225px|During his annual phone-in with the public in 2019, President [[Essay: Vladimir Putin is a corrupt kleptocrat and an authoritarian|Vladimir Putin]] described low productivity as “one of the most acute and important” problems facing Russia.<ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/23/why-is-russia-so-unproductive-a67397 Why Is Russia So Unproductive?], Moscow Times, 2019</ref>]]

[[File:Putin 2023.jpg|thumbnail|right|225px|During his annual phone-in with the public in 2019, President [[Essay: Vladimir Putin is a corrupt kleptocrat and an authoritarian|Vladimir Putin]] described low productivity as “one of the most acute and important” problems facing Russia.<ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/23/why-is-russia-so-unproductive-a67397 Why Is Russia So Unproductive?], Moscow Times, 2019</ref>]]