ANR-Lab Fundamental Project for 2025-2027

We are pleased to announce that the laboratory's work has been extended for three years. In 2025-2027 the International Laboratory of Applied Network Research is participating in a collective fundamental project of four laboratories 'The diversity of forms, effects and barriers to integration of modern Russian society in synchronic and diachronic dimensions'.

The project will be implemented jointly with the Center for Youth Studies (St. Petersburg), the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research (Moscow) and the Scientific and Educational Laboratory for the Psychology of Social Inequality (Moscow).

Based on previous experience in analyzing Russian social networks, the project adapts and applies network analysis tools taking into account our specifics. This will allow us to study integration in social groups by analyzing the structure of network interactions both statically and dynamically. The project will also systematize theoretical approaches to network analysis, adapting them to the Russian context and using both quantitative (big data, surveys) and qualitative (ego-network analysis) methods. The project will use advanced network data analysis algorithms, including modeling, clustering, and blockmodeling, as well as text data analysis to study integration in various social groups.

More information about the study

The aim of the project is a comprehensive analysis of the diversity of forms, effects and barriers to integration of modern Russian society in synchronic and diachronic dimensions, including:

• analysis of the risks and potential of horizontal and vertical integration of Russian society in the context of socio-economic, political and cultural turbulence;
• comprehensive analysis of intra- and intergenerational integration of Russian youth into modern society in the context of growing individualization and new challenges;
• analysis of individual, group and situational predictors and consequences of maintaining attitudes that legitimize inequality in various spheres in modern Russian society;
• study of integration processes (forms, effects and barriers) of modern Russian society as structures of network interactions.

Previously, ANR-Lab carried out work on identifying, systematizing, adapting and developing theoretical and methodological innovations in the analysis of social networks in Russian and foreign practice. Previous experience has shown that the analysis of Russian communities and groups requires a special approach associated with the specifics of using Russian-language databases, as well as institutional features of the development of individual communities. A set of network analysis tools was defined for use in Russian research practice. This work will form the basis for delving into the substantive issues of studying the integration processes of modern Russian society and various structures of network interactions. The work carried out will be the basis for developing approaches and methodology for studying the level of integration in social groups based on the analysis of the structure of network interactions in synchronic (network statics) and diachronic aspects (network dynamics, social influence, prediction of connections).

We hope that together with other laboratories we will achieve interesting scientific results. We will share the results of our developments – follow the news!