ABSTRACT
Internationalization processes have become one of the most popular topics of public discourse in Russia, in which internationalization is perceived as a part of globalization processes and a tool to achieve competitiveness with universities throughout the world. There are two main centers that study internationalization of higher education in Russia, both funded by the government: the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and the non-profit organization established by the government, the National Training Foundation. The research themes covered by these institutions and a range of other scholars include the competitiveness of the Russian educational system, models of export of education services, problems and prospects of participation in the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) and the Bologna Process (Baidenko, 2009; Kupriyanova-Ashina & Chang Zhu, 2013; Larionova et al., 2010; Nikolaev & Suslova, 2010; Sheregi et al., 2006). At the same time, an obvious gap in the analysis of internationalization processes within the Russian political and economic context after the end of the USSR provoked a deep transformation of education policy and the system of higher education itself. This chapter aims at filling this gap and examining the transformation of the rationales and roles of internationalization stakeholders (the state and higher education institutions (HEIs)) induced by the changing political and economic environment from 1991 to 2015.
