Nikolay Pavlovich MEDVEDEV is one of the leading specialists in a new field of political science “Political regionalistics and ethno-politics” in the development of which he played a prominent role. It studies the transformation of territorial and political government mechanisms and the influence of the ethnic factor on political stability, as well as the evolution of scientific views on the ethnos and nation theory, ethno-political relations and ethno-political consensus. The area of N.P.Medvedev’s scientific interests is the study of various models of federalism and the influence of the ethno-territorial principle on the stability of territorial and political system of today Russia, the nature of ethno-political separatism, methods of consensus settlement of ethno-political conflicts and transformation of the government’s national policy. The studies are being carried out at the intersection of several areas of scientific knowledge, including politics, sociology, law and history, and concern one of the most complicated issues for state regulation.
A new school of thought “Political regionalistics and ethno-politics” has been formed under the leadership of N.P. Medvedev and under its auspices two DScs and twenty four PhDs in political science, one PhD in law and one PhD in history have carried out their studies and defended their dissertations. At the moment, N.P. Medvedev is an academic advisor to two researchers working on their DSc thesis and five researchers working on their PhD thesis. Since 2007, a review “Works by N.P. Medvedev’s School of Thought” is published annually. Several research projects have been implemented, including one using an NTF grant, one project was a part of the project “Aristotle. Political Education in the 21st Century» (2003-2005), and one was a part of the research project “Open State” (2005) of the Institute of State and Law of the RAS. One project was done for the competition “Implementation and Ratification by the Russian Federation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages” (2008-2009) organized by the Russian Ministry of Regional Development.
Basic academic achievements and results obtained by N.P. Medvedev personally and by other researchers under his academic guidance within the frameworks of the above school of thought include:
- evaluation of the influence of ethnic factor on the stability of the territorial and political system of the Russian Federation;
- development of proposals for the new concept of the government’s national policy in the post-Soviet Russia;
- development of a draft Federation Treaty (1992);
- development of recommendations regarding the concept of modern Russian federalism and drafting of Chapter 3 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation “The Federal Structure” (1993);
- development of basic provisions of the general theory of political consensus and drafting of Federal Law “On the Procedure for Overcoming Differences and Resolution of Disputes between the Organs of Power of the Russian Federation and the Organs of Power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation» (1997-1999);
- determination of the content and structure of the new academic discipline “Political regionalistics” (2001-2005);
- determination of basic principles for the implementation of regional policy under the conditions of an open state (2005);
- development of recommendations regarding the content and structure of a new academic field “Ethno-political conflictology” (2005-2008);
- analyses of the outcomes of the centralization of the Russian power system and perspectives for the modernization of the today model of Russian federalism.
The results of academic studies have been summarized and published as 8 treatises, 1 text-book, 5 manuals, and 150 research papers and teaching guides, including more than 30 articles published in leading Russian and foreign publications. Auteur text-book “Political regionalistics” (2002, 2005) was published in the total number of 8 thousand copies. The manual “Ethno-political conflictology” was edited in 2008.
Specific academic results are reflected in the following treatises:
Inter-ethnic conflicts and political stability. (1992; Saransk. Research Institute of Regionology).
National Policy of Russia: from Unitarism to Federalism. (1993; М., Molodaya Gvardiya).
Formation of Federalism in Russia. (1995; М., Molodaya Gvardiya).
Political Consensus: Theory and Practice. (1999; М., Yuridicheskaya Kniga).
Political Institutes and Processes: Comparative Research. (2006; М., Ucheba).
Subjects of the Russian Federation in the Period of State and Legal Reforms. (2006; М.,Institute of State and Law of the RAS).
Political Russia: from Centralization to Burocratization. (2010; М., Publishing House of MISiS).
N.P. Medvedev actively participates in scientific and practical work, acts as an expert and takes part in awareness campaigns aimed at the bodies of federal and regional power of Russia. As a part of the project “Institute of political regionalistics,” the efficiency of the Russian multi-level system of power is regularly monitored. During his years as a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Council of the Russian Federation, at the Administration of the President and the Government of Russia, N.P. Medvedev was successfully implementing basic scientific principles implied by the modern concept of territorial and political structure of Russia and the strategy of the Government’s national policy. From 1991 to 1995, he has more than once headed Russian Parliamentary and Government expert and working groups on the settlement of ethno-political conflicts in Abkhazia, Trans-Dniester, Chechnya and South Osetia. In 1995, he was the main drafter of the agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia regarding trans-border cooperation between the two states.
During the last twenty years, N.P. Medvedev participated in, and made presentations at several international scientific conferences and discussions on the topics connected with the today concept of development of Russian federalism and the issues of ethno-political stability held at universities and parliamentary centers in the USA, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Tadzhikistan. In 1993, he made a presentation on the influence of the ethno-national factor on the political stability at the Tartu University in Estonia, in 1998, a presentation on the today concept of development of Russian federalism at the Institute of Federalism in Switzerland. In 2003, he delivered a series of lectures on “Political Regionalistics” at the Institute of Geopolitics of the Paris University (Paris-8), and in 2011, a series of lectures on “Today ethno-politics” at the Kazakh National University named after Al-Faraby.
N.P. Medvedev is a member of the dissertation council on political sciences: D. 504.001.14 (at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration), D. 501.001.47 (at the Moscow State Lomonosov University), and D. 212.203.20 (at the Russian Friendship University).
Since 2011, N.P. Medvedev is editor-in-chief of the scientific review “Issues of Politology.” He is President of the National Union of Politologists and an organizer of international and all-Russia research-to-practice conferences.
N.P. Medvedev is a highly skilled lecturer, who expertly links theory with practice, and gets well deserved respect from his colleagues at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. N.P. Medvedev constantly collaborates with many Russian regional higher education institutes, leading educational institutions in Moscow and academic institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including Moscow State Lomonosov University, Russian Friendship University, Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the N.N. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Antropology, the S.A. Esenin Ryazan State University, Bashkir State University, Pskov State University and others.
The high level of academic research carried out by Professor N.P. Medvedev and his disciples, as well as his reputation in Russia and abroad make it possible to say that the N.P. Medvedev’s school of thought has won public acclaim.
N.P. Medvedev has received government awards: a medal “To the Defender of Free Russia,” letters of gratitude from the President of Russia for active participation in the drafting of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.