Shadow economy in higher education: theoretical and methodological research approaches[Теневая Экономика В Высшем Образовании: Теоретические И Методологические Подходы К Исследованию]

The article describes researchers’ theoretical perceptions about shadow economic phenomena in the higher education system. The research relevance referrs to the hidden economic activity not only in the Russian higher education, but also in the educational systems of other countries in the world; the desire to counteract the education shadowization in the absence of the adequate theoretical explanations of these processes. Definitions of the shadow economy in higher education, formulated by representatives of various scientific schools, are considered. Shadow phenomena are shown as destructively affecting the society and nation, with their consequences having a definitely adverse impact on the well-being, development and opportunities of both individuals and the society as a whole. A retrospective review of the shadow economic phenomena in higher education provides for the conclusion that quite a number of criminal activities have existed since this level of education emerged. The research shows that the current scale of the shadow phenomena – the scope of distribution in the countries of the world, the measure of penetration into public relations – makes it possible to conclude that the influence of the shadow economic phenomena on individual, social and national security is quite serious. Subsequently, the conclusion is made on the lack of the unified and integral approaches to identification of the emergency causes of shadow economic phenomena. Owing to this, the need to generalize and systematize the theoretical concepts in the form of a unified explanation of shadow economic activity is actualized. The results obtained in the article explain the need for scientific research of the shadow economic phenomena in higher education. In particular, overcoming ideas fragmentation – through systematizing theoretical knowledge, developing a relevant research methodology – reviewing the existing methods and procedures of measuring and estimating the shadow phenomena.