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| 09 апреля, 2013

Vyacheslav Volodin Speaks out in an Academic Role

'Kommersant Daily' publication

By Irina Nagornikh

Vyacheslav Volodin, the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration (PA), gave a speech yesterday at a Scientific Conference organised for Russian social science teachers by the Foundation for Civil Society Development (FCSD). Kommersant has learnt that the curator of domestic policy gave a talk on key trends in the development of the modern political system. Experts believe that the Kremlin is planning to raise its profile in the academic community.

The two day conference which the FCSD has been organised jointly with the Russian Association of Political Science and is being attended by 70 social science teachers from 24 Institutes of higher education in 18 regions. The organisers say that various themes which are in need of development and research will emerge by the end of the conference along with the need for certain teaching and learning aids.

The first deputy head of the AP spoke behind doors to the conference participants for three and a half hours instead of the planned one and a half hours. Eyewitness said that he touched on virtually all aspects of modern politics. He talked at length for example on the creation of a mixed electoral system in the State Duma. Mr Volodin explained that the new principle is related to the reform of political parties whose numbers will continue to grow. It is also aimed in general at recruiting elite cadres as the existing system are inadequate. A new structure ‘The All Russian National Front” (RNF) aims to attract a new segment of the population into the political process.

Conference participants said that, as a long time member of the United Russia Party Mr Volodin ‘was inclined to put forward the Party line’ and was vague about the need to transform it. He was however interested to hear the opinion of the audience with regard to the anti-corruption measures and was assured that the measures are indeed ‘working’.But Mr Volodin failed to address the only ‘political construction’ on the agenda – the dissolution of the State Duma.

Other speakers at the conference included Olga Vasilieva, Deputy Head of the President’s Public Projects. She said that a new Department created several months ago and headed by Pavel Zenkovich will focus on patriotic education and youth policy as well as cooperation with civil society. She promised that this Department would concentrate on supporting historic projects such as the ‘Znaniye’ Society headed by Lyudmilla Shvetsova, a State Duma deputy and member of the Popular Front. The ‘Znaniye’ Society has previously acted as an intermediary for the distribution of grants to NGOs and is now looking to do so again – and possibly even take on the role of a ‘partner in outreach activities’.

Konstantin Kostin, the former head of the Kremlin’s Department of Internal Policy and now head of the FCSD also answered questions by the teachers. He claimed that what was lacking in politics was a profession analysis of the situation with conclusions and consequent recommendations which can be then practically applied. He added that such an analysis would soon be needed during the coming election period. He went on to criticize the electoral programme of the Russian Republican Party (RPR-PARNAS) in the regional elections in the Autumn of 2012, saying that it was ‘scribbled down on someone’s knee’ and was a classic example of what NOT to do since a political manifesto should be based on sociological surveys.

The Kremlin is interested in starting a dialogue with representatives of the social sciences as it sees them as potential agents of State ideology. Kommersant has learnt that the Presidential Administration has started a programme in the regions to form a pool of experts who will work closely with two pro-Kremlin institutions, the FCSD and ISEPI (The Institute of Socio-economic and Political Research). In addition, the Presidential Department of Public Projects is in the process of actively forming ties with students in higher education).

Political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov believes that in doing so the Kremlin is making a sort of ‘inventory of a new resource – academia.’ He adds that ‘at the moment the academic community and the political establishment are separate from each other. The Social Sciences are either overly theoretical or engage in crass propaganda and neither approach is working. Thus far, the academics and the politicians have been unable to find a common language. There is no real interaction between them and they exist in two different worlds.’