Change and razdatok in the field of higher education

This article falls under the conceptual category. The aim of the article is to show specific features of higher education in the Western class society and the Russian community society. Modern Russian theoretical researchers in the field of education demonstrate insufficient understanding of the fact that higher education in Russia and in the West performs different social functions and is based on different principles. This misunderstanding leads to inadequate description of processes in the Russian higher education; inability to understand and predict development trends; making wrong recommendations for reforming Russian educational system by the state authorities. The article uses the concept of «economic razdatok» by O. E. Bessonova and communities theory by S. G. Kordonsky which form theoretical basis of this research. During the research we discovered that Western universities are engaged in class socialization whereas Russian ones are engaged in community socialization. In the West education is a status provided by the university in exchange for students' efforts. This status does not guarantee winning positions in labor market competition but provides additional opportunities. The study at a Western university teaches to be independent, initiative and competitive and these qualities are to be achieved even at the expense of training level. Russian higher education is a status provided by the state and guarantees a position in a certain social strata. Education at a Russian university goes according to a common plan which students and lecturers should follow. The point is to learn to be obedient, accurate and team oriented which is necessary for specialists working for state or becoming civil servants. Russian universities do not only provide status bringing certain privileges on behalf of the state but also disseminate knowledge approved by the state. Limitations of this approach are related to the fact that both Russian and Western universities demonstrate educational exchange and razdatok not only in their pure form but in a combination of both. This should be understood by future researchers of this topic. The novelty of the article is that it develops an original concept of «educational razdatok».