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TERRA ECONOMICUS

Ideology in economics through the lens of academic discourse


TERRA ECONOMICUS, Vol. 23, No 3,

Citation: Volchik V.V., Maslyukova E.V. (2025). Ideology in economics through the lens of academic discourse. Terra Economicus 23(3), 21–33 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2025-23-3-21-33

Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the grant of Russian Science Foundation № 24-18-00665, https:// rscf.ru/en/project/24-18-00665/, “Ideological landscape of Russian economic science” at Southern Federal University.

This article analyzes the ideological underpinnings and narratives pertaining to theoretical preferences that are present in the discourse of Russian economists. Empirical basis of the study consisted of 35 in-depth interviews with the representatives of Russian economic science from eight federal districts of Russia. A synthesis of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to analyze the data. A quantitative factor analysis of interview texts revealed ten key semantic clusters that reflect the main ideological discourse, such as “Governance of the economy”, “Entrepreneurship and market efficiency”, “Ecology and sustainable development”, “Socio-economic ideology”, “Social institutions”, “Ideologization of science”, “Theoretical and methodological foundations of economics”, “Ideology and Science”, “State control”, “Economic diversity”. The qualitative analysis made it possible to interpret these clusters, revealing specific narratives and value attitudes of the respondents, and to deepen the understanding of the context of their formation. The results demonstrate the enduring influence of ideology on the formation of theoretical preferences of scientists, which is often associated with scientific schools, public policy and access to funding. The topics of government regulation, entrepreneurial activity and market efficiency are significant in the discourse of Russian scientists. At the same time, Russian economists recognize the importance of a balance between economic growth and environmental development, emphasizing the importance of social aspects in economic progress. The study showed that modern Russian economists strive to synthesize various theoretical approaches, while maintaining a critical attitude towards any form of ideological dogmatism. Despite the widespread wariness towards ideology as a legacy from the Soviet past, this study confirms that it is an ineradicable part of scientific discourse.

Keywords: ideology; economic ideology; narrative economics; qualitative text analysis; factor analysis; theoretical narrative
JEL codes: B52, Z13, B41


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Publisher: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606