معرفی
Elena Denisova Schmidt serves as a Privatdozent (equivalent to Associate Professor) and Research Associate at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, where she maintains an active research profile through the university's CRIS system. Her work focuses on corruption mechanisms across multiple domains in post-Soviet contexts, particularly examining electoral processes, academic institutions, and everyday informal practices in Russia and neighboring countries.
Her primary research interests include Corruption Studies, Russian Politics, Higher Education Systems, Academic Integrity, and Informal Practices. Through extensive fieldwork and analysis, she investigates how administrative resources are deployed in Russian electoral processes, regional variations in corruption perception, and historical patterns of academic dishonesty. Her methodological approach frequently employs qualitative techniques including in-depth interviews with political strategists, officials, and students across multiple Russian regions.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a significant shift toward comparative international research, particularly examining academic integrity challenges across China, Russia, and Ukraine. Her 2023-2025 work demonstrates increasing attention to how geopolitical changes following February 2022 have impacted corruption research in Russia, with her noting that "after three decades of courage and innovation, the topic is now on hold" in the Russian context. This evolving research trajectory reflects both scholarly adaptation to changing political realities and expansion into new geographical contexts.
Dr. Denisova Schmidt has led significant research projects including "Forming Values and Stereotypes in the Perception of Corruption by Students in Russia" (with 13 associated publications) and has collaborated extensively with researchers including Yaroslav Prytula, Elvira Leontyeva, and Stanislav Shekshnia. Her scholarly output is substantial, with 229 research items spanning from 2003 to 2025, including 70 journal articles, 42 book sections, and 17 books. Her work appears in journals such as Journal of Eurasian Studies, Demokratizatsiya, and Mir Rossii, demonstrating interdisciplinary reach across political science, education, and sociology.
