The future, the foreign and the public–private divide: Socio-political discourses around Skolkovo

This article takes an in-depth look at the establishment of a technology and educational complex outside of Moscow dedicated to promoting innovation. The set of interrelated initiatives, which are referred to in this article as the ‘Skolkovo project’, were centerpieces of Medvedev's much touted efforts to ‘modernize’ the Russian economy during his presidential period. While others have examined the Skolkovo project with a macroeconomic perspective and an eye towards predicting whether it (and Russia's innovation policy more generally) can succeed, a different approach is taken here. Rather than evaluating Skolkovo's viability, the aim is to identify elite socio-political discourses surrounding the construction of Skolkovo. How particular moments are navigated – for example, securing a balance between government and private actors in the Skolkovo project or seeking networks internationally – can be seen as illustrative of how broader challenges in Russian governance are being (or failing to be) addressed. The case study is based in a content analysis of 310 Skolkovo-related texts (interviews, political speeches, articles) published in the state-owned newspaper Rossikaya Gazeta.