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Higher education quality management: What is “quality” and what is “higher education”?

The paper studies the problem of assessing the quality of higher education in the Russian Federation. The problem is rooted in the ambiguous understanding of the concept of quality and the variability of the meaning of higher education, primarily, its arguable connection with obtaining a specific professional education. The methodology relies on the principles of modern economic theory and the results of social psychology and assessment theory, thereby demonstrating a cross-disciplinary character. Based on the provisions and approaches mentioned above, we find that the concept of quality has at least four possible interpretations, and the concept of higher education has three of them, while the current regulatory documents do not fully cover them. Proceeding from the fact that higher education services are credence goods for students, the research proves that students cannot act as the subject of quality assessment. The analysis performed in the paper demonstrates the plethora of options for assessing the quality of higher education, the number of which attains at least 396. The study formulates concrete proposals for modernization of the existing system of higher education quality assessment in Russia.