The conference was organized by the Department of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vologda Regional Public Organization of the VEO of Russia, VolRC RAS, and the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences (China).
The program included a meeting between the Chinese delegation – consisting of Xiao Hongbo, President of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences; Yi Waigeng, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the Academy; and Lu Xiaoqi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Economics and Research Fellow of the Academy – and representatives of the Vologda Region Government and the Vologda City Administration: A.V. Ozerov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Industry, and Trade of the Vologda Region; M.I. Gilyazov, Representative of the Vologda Region to the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in the People's Republic of China; and S.Yu. Pakhnina, Deputy Mayor of Vologda and Head of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of the Vologda City Administration.
Greetings to the Center and to the conference participants were received from V.A. Ilyin, Scientific Director of VolRC RAS, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation; B.N. Porfiriev, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Deputy Academician-Secretary – Head of the Economics Section of the United Nations RAS; I.N. Chugueva, Acting Director of the Department for the Coordination of Scientific Organizations of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education; and S.D. Bodrunov, President of the Free Economic Society of Russia, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Sciences (Economics), Professor.
During the conference, a diploma and a commemorative sign were awarded as the winner in the "Best Scientific Publication" category of the "Vologda Book of the Year-2025" competition for the joint monograph by VolRC RAS and the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences (China), “China–Russia Cooperation in Tourism Development: Practice and Prospects”. The awards were presented to Xiao Hongbo, President of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, by I.N. Salnikova, Deputy Director for Library Activities of the I.V. Babushkin Vologda Regional Universal Research Library.
The main part of the event featured reports by the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences and VolRC RAS, devoted to pressing issues in the development of education: from national strategies and the economic efficiency of investments to specific programs for supporting rural schools and the role of education as a social elevator for young people.
A comprehensive assessment of the development of higher education in Jiangxi Province and of its contribution to the region's economic development was presented in a report by Xiao Hongbo, President of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences. In recent years, a large-scale education system has been created in the province: 117 educational institutions have been opened, including 49 higher education institutions and 68 vocational institutions. The higher education enrollment rate has reached 60.44% of the population, and the higher education institutions have trained 2.11 million specialists.
The issue of education as a strategic priority for the scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation and its regions was explored in a report by A.A. Shabunova, Doctor of Sciences (Economics), Director of VolRC RAS. The study showed that, under present-day conditions, education is becoming a decisive factor in the country's competitiveness, one that shapes its technological sovereignty. Under the national projects, a large-scale educational infrastructure has been created in Russia: 50 advanced engineering schools and 27 centers for supporting talented youth are now in operation, and more than 5,000 "Growth Point" centers are up and running.
A report by Yi Waigeng, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, presented an analysis of the two decades of the implementation of the Special Teaching Staff Program in rural areas of China, which demonstrates effective approaches to the development of education in the regions. Launched in 2006, the project has become one of the largest initiatives for attracting teachers to rural areas, providing more than 1.18 million teaching staff to 30,000 schools in 22 provinces.
The specific features of the implementation of the "Zemsky Teacher" program, as assessed by teachers in the Vologda Region, were explored in a report by G.V. Leonidova, Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Leading Researcher and Deputy Head of the Center for Socio-Demographic Studies of VolRC RAS. According to the findings of the study, 80 vacancies were filled under this program in the region from 2020 to 2024. The competition for participation in the program in the region ranged from 1.8 to 4.1 applicants per place. The analysis revealed a predominantly positive attitude toward the program among both urban (46.3%) and rural (57.5%) teachers in the region, with 45.1% of those surveyed expressing confidence in the program's ability to solve the problem of the shortage of personnel in rural schools.
A report by Lu Xiaoqi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Economics and Research Fellow of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, examined public investment in education as a factor in China's economic growth. The report spoke of a steady growth in public investment: in 2024, the volume of budgetary funds allocated to education reached 5.4 trillion yuan, with an annual increase of 7.38%. The main achievements of the education system are impressive: 470,000 educational institutions of all levels have been created, the higher education enrollment rate has reached 60.8%, and 92% of children receive pre-school education.
The multiplier effects of investment in education, using the example of the Vologda Region, were described in a report by E.V. Lukin, Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Leading Researcher and Head of the Center for Structural Studies and Territorial Development Forecasting of VolRC RAS. The study showed that education in the Vologda Region produces one of the highest multiplier effects in the regional economy. Every ruble invested in education generates 1.54 rubles in the region's GRP – a figure that exceeds the indicators for construction (1.20) and for trade (1.17). At the same time, about 8% of the region's working population is employed in the education sector.
A report by L.V. Babich, Candidate of Sciences (Economics), First Deputy Director of VolRC RAS, presented a model of a research and education center as an effective tool for social mobility. She explored this topic using the example of the VolRC RAS Research and Education Center, founded in 2003, which implements a comprehensive system for training specialists along a "from school pupil to researcher" trajectory. The center unites master's and doctoral programs, work with schoolchildren, and interaction with the region's higher education institutions. Of particular importance is the practical realization of the model: more than 50% of VolRC RAS staff are graduates of the Research and Education Center who have continued their scholarly work.
The conference featured the presentation of the Russian-Chinese monograph “Non-Economic Drivers of Economic Development (the Case of Russia and China)”. The book was prepared under the scientific supervision of Xiao Hongbo, President of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, and V.A. Ilyin, Doctor of Sciences (Economics), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Director of VolRC RAS.
The conference concluded with the traditional signing of a memorandum of intent.
