Corruption Survey of Households: Comparative Results for 2008/2009

As part of the Mobilizing Action Against Corruption (MAAC) program, the CRRC has conducted a detailed corruption survey of households across Armenia. This is the second survey in the framework of MAAC. The first survey took place in the fall of 2008, in cooperation with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

For the survey, 1416 respondents were interviewed face-to-face. Respondents represent the voting age population in Armenia (18 years +) across all marzes. The respondents were selected through multistage cluster sampling with preliminary stratification by urban/rural and by marz. The sampling frame was the electricity users list that is used for many nation-wide surveys in Armenia.

According to the research, 72% of respondents are dissatisfied with the overall situation in Armenia in the last year, compared to 62% in 2008. Unemployment again is identified as the main problem facing Armenia today, and findings suggest that it indeed increased noticeably. Poverty, inflation and economic problems in general are also key issues of concern for Armenians.

More than 8 in 10 consider corruption to be a serious problem facing the nation, while in comparison with the past year more respondents feel that corruption is perceived as a fact of everyday life. The percentage of respondents who believe that corruption will always exist grew from 22% in 2008 to 28% in 2009.

Corruption continues to be perceived as very common in institutions and public offices. Sixty one percent of the respondents believe the courts and the prosecution to be corrupt to some or to a great extent. The Central Election Commission is also deemed corrupt by many respondents (54%). Electoral systems and processes, the police, healthcare, education, tax services, and custom authorities are among the most corrupt sectors in Armenia.

The survey also captures the social acceptability of corruption. The research identifies four distinct groups in Armenia. The first group are the candid corruption supporters, who openly say that they would both give and take a bribe; they constitute 19% of respondents. Another group, the passive payers (36%) said they would pay bribes but would refuse to take them; a small group (3%) wouldn’t give a bribe but would take it. Underlining the social desirability of integrity, 42% of the respondents say they would refuse to either pay or take a bribe. The main reason for paying a bribe is the perception that there is no other way to get things done or because there is a need to speed up processes and procedures.

Overall, Armenians seemed reluctant to assume a proactive role in combating corruption. When asked what they personally can do to reduce corruption in Armenia, 60% of respondents said that there was nothing they could do. 75% of the respondents do not yet know the institutions which they need to contact for reporting a case of corruption. Of those who know where to report corruption, only a fraction does. According to respondents, the main reason for not wanting to report is that society does not reward such behavior. It also appears that corruption payments often seem to be at an equilibrium price where they are insufficiently painful to spur the payer into action.

Overall, the findings show a nuanced picture of corruption in Armenia, including some fields in which there are improvements. The overall situation, however, has not improved since 2008, but rather deteriorated slightly. The survey results from 2008 and 2009 thus provide a robust baseline against which future progress can be measured. A detailed study with sector-specific information will be made available in early 2010.

The main findings of the survey have been presented twice this week. On December 9, 2009, Heghine Manasyan, CRRC-Armenia Country Director, and Bagrat Harutyunyan, Assistant professor at YSU presented comparative results for 2008/2009 within the MAAC’s 6th Anti-Corruption Forum. CRRC Regional Director Hans Gutbrod hold the second presentation for the members of the USAID-USG Anticorruption Coordination Group at the Ani Plaza Hotel on December 11, 2009. Presentation slides in PDF are available for download here.

State of Armenian Irregular Migrants in Turkey

CRRC-Armenia hosted a presentation on the main findings of the investigative journalistic research “State of Armenian Irregular Migrants in Turkey” on November 30, 2009. The presentation was conducted by Artak Shakaryan, Armenia-Turkey project manager at Eurasia Partnership Foundation, and it was based on the research paper authored by Alin Ozinian.

The investigative journalistic research has been carried out in Istanbul, Antalya, Trabzon and Ankara, through focus group and in-depth interviews, as a part of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation “Identifying the State of Armenian Migrants in Turkey” project.

The exact number of Armenian migrants in Turkey is unknown to this day, but according to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who stated that the real number is 50.000 in January 2009. Other politicians have suggested different numbers reaching as high as 70.000. According to the study about 95% of all the illegal Armenian workers in Turkey are women. It’s interesting that most of the Armenian immigrant men don’t work and come to Turkey to stay with their wives and keep them safe.

Armenian migrants mostly live and work in Istanbul. Some of them also work in Antalya or Alanya during the summer period as a hotel personnel but they stay just for 3 or 4 months. Most of the illegal Armenian women workers are between 40 and 60 years old. The youngest of them are 20 years old.

The incomes of the Armenian immigrants are between 100 USD and 600 USD, rarely it may rise to 1000 USD. The factory workers get the lowest income. Women who work as house-maids or baby-sitter have clearly stated that they would be ashamed to do such a job in Armenia because of the acquaintances in their homeland.

The situation of the children of Armenian migrants, however, is the most heartbreaking subject. The children of Armenian migrants cannot go to any public school or Armenian Minority school as they have no Turkish citizenship. Most of these uneducated children spend their lives by playing on the streets. They are prone to have bad habits and develop a criminal personality.

The concern was raised during the meeting of Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Ergdogan and His Eminence Archbishop Aram Ateshian and the Armenian delegation at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on November 6. Erdogan assured the Armenian delegation that over time all problems will receive their solutions. Most importantly, he gave a positive resolution to the problem of the children of Armenian irregular migrants working in Istanbul allowing them to be included in Armenian community schools as “guest students”.

The event is covered by PanARMENIAN.NeT Armenian News Agency here.

IMF Regional Economic Outlook for the Caucasus and Central Asia

The global crisis has severely impacted the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA), with growth for the region now projected to drop from 6.6 percent in 2008 to 1.5 percent in 2009. But this average masks important differences across countries. Most CCA energy exporters are projected to record solid growth in 2009, given limited linkages to international markets, long-term energy export contracts, and supportive policies.

However, the energy importers, including Armenia, are facing a marked slowdown in growth and deteriorating living standards as a result of a sharp drop in remittances from Russia. In 2010, a modest recovery is expected for the CCA as a whole, including for Armenia.

These and other issues were discussed at a lecture organized by CRRC-Armenia and conducted by Ms. Nienke Oomes, the IMF Resident Representative in Armenia on November 10, 2009 at YSU Big Hall. The lecture was based at IMF recent publication "Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia", which can be downloaded from the IMF website.

View more presentations from Gohar Khachatryan.

CRRC Publication Research Fellowships 2009

CRRC Publication Research Fellowships 2009 Available
Explore issues – handle data – satisfy your curiosity – get published – generate opportunities
CRRC is offering a new round of research fellowships. Are you curious about a social science issue? Do you have some ideas or hypotheses that you want to explore further? This fellowship could be the perfect opportunity for you!

What issues are we looking to address?
We're looking for social science research that addresses pressing issues your country faces. The Millennium Development Goals (click here) constitute one such urgent research agenda. Other likely issues include child poverty, youth, social capital, migration and democratization. Pretty much any advanced analysis based on our Data Initiative is of interest to us. We can also help you develop your topic if you are unsure about it, but are committed to undertaking professional research. Look at our blogs, crrc-caucasus.blogspot.com and crrcam.blogspot.com, to see some of the issuesthat previous fellows have worked on.

What issues are we NOT looking to address?
We are open to innovative ideas and projects. But we are not particularly interested in geopolitical studies, partisan pieces, or research that is unfocused, speculative (or too theoretical) and does not ground itself in the relevant existing literature. We prefer research that can make a real impact by improving people's lives.

What results?
We want you to produce international quality research. You should aim to publish your research in a peer-reviewed journal (we will help you find one). This will give your research international recognition. We also expect your work to contain prescriptive richness and ask you to present you findings to relevant interested groups (international organizations, NGOs, government agencies) in your home country. We definitely want you to use some of our great data from the Data Initiative and other surveys.

Who is the fellowship for?
You are smart, committed, curious and want to apply all your abilities. Typically you will have at least a Master's Degree. You are committed to develop your research ability and have a track record of excellence. You may work in fields other than research, but you are interested in getting back into research because you realize there are excellent long-term opportunities there. We require a working knowledge of English, since you want to publish internationally. Exceptions can be made for those doing quantitative and survey work. (Sorry, no funding for stipends abroad, or for expatriates.)

What do you get?
Primarily you get the satisfaction of doing excellent work and of being part of a small but vibrant community of internationally recognized research scholars in the South Caucasus. Moreover, if you get published internationally, many opportunities follow. The fellowship provides an opportunity to prove your professionalism, which you can use for many other applications (jobs, consultancy work, joint research projects, conference participation, and international research stipends such as CRRC’s Carnegie Fellowship, to name the most obvious). Depending on your research project, you can also get between 2000 and 4000 USD for pursuing your research interest (surveys, for example, may have higher costs).

Is it easy?
Yes and no. We will help at every step. But it certainly is not easy money. In research you confront new challenges and difficult decisions all the time. That is why we are doing it, after all. It requires determination and persistence -- we hope you will join us in the thrill of discovery.

How to prepare?
Our online application procedure is specifically designed to help you develop your research proposal. Write us a short e-mail now (latest by November 13, 2009) at nana+fellow@crrccenters.org to find out more, telling us about your field of interest, and, if you have it, your provisional research topic. We will send you an email to let you know about the next step and to invite you to discuss your ideas at our open houses.

A New Meaning of Human Intelligence – Social IQ and Rewire Your Brain

Recent advances in the fields of neuroscience, modern brain research and behavior genetics indicate that there are factors, more important than intellectual competencies, to overall academic and life success. They related to our ability to understand and manage our emotions, control our behaviors, accurately interpret the events and situations and interact successfully with others.

On September 28-29, 2009 CRRC-Armenia, in collaboration with Irene Gyulnazarian Educational Foundation for Armenia organized two workshops conducted by John B. Arden, Ph.D and Ruzanna V. Ohanjanian, Ph.D (USA). During the first workshop “A New Meaning of Human Intelligence – Social IQ” Ruzanna Ohanjanian provided an overview of the major categories of various conceptions of intelligences, as well as discussed the principles and applications of the social and emotional intelligence. The second workshop “Rewire Your Brain” by John Arden was based on recent developments in neuroscience and evidence-based treatment. The lecturer described how to “rewire” your brain based on well researched principles that work. Participants learned how to deal with normal anxiety and feeling down in the dumps, as well as about healthy habits to enhance brain’s longevity and to maximize a vibrant life free of self-imposed limitations.

Rewire Your Brain

View more presentations from Gohar Khachatryan.

Ruzanna Ohanjanian, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Educator, Executive/Corporate Coach, has completed her Post-Doctoral Studies at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and is a California licensed Clinical Psychologist with over twenty years of extensive clinical, educational, executive coaching and corporate consulting experience. The list of companies she has worked with includes Microsoft Corporation, Ford Corporation, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Paramount Great America, Alaska Airlines, etc. After the tragedy of 9-11, Ruzanna was one of the California clinicians privileged to be providing assistance for a live hotline at the KGO TV studio for San Francisco Bay Area.

Dr. John Arden, the Director of Training in Mental Health for Kaiser Permanente in the Northern California Region, is the author and co-author of 12 books, including (with Lloyd Linford) Brain-Based Therapy with Adults and Brain-Based Therapy with Children and Adolescents. A general audience book coming out in early 2010 is called Rewire Your Brain. Dr. Arden has a background in neuropsychology and is the director of training for mental health for the Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers in Northern California. He also practices part-time at Kaiser Permanente in Petaluma and San Rafael, and he served for several years as the Chief Psychologist at Kaiser Vallejo.

The Sources and Uses of Survey Data on Armenia

On September 18, 2009 CRRC-Armenia hosted a training on "The Sources and Uses of Survey Data on Armenia" conducted by Shushanik Hakobyan, a PhD student at the University of Virginia.

The training explored the availability and accessibility of various sources of survey data on Armenia such as 2001 Population Census, Life in Transition (LiTS), Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) and 2003 NSS Household Survey. Several applications of these surveys were presented, such as business tax evasion, return to education, remittances and education spending, income mobility, educational assortative mating, and income distribution.

The Sources and Uses of Survey Data on Armenia

View more documents from Gohar Khachatryan.

Shushanik received her B.A. in Economics from Yerevan State Institute of Economy, M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and is currently a fifth-year doctoral student in Economics at the University of Virginia. She has worked on a number of the World Bank projects as a consultant over the last few years. She is also a co-contributor at The Armenian Economist, a blog dedicated to the dissemination of the views of economists and professionals on current developments in the economy of Armenia.

Presentations of Exploratory Research on Corruption

On August 14, 2009 Yevgenya Paturyan, Bagrat Harutyunyan and Anna Martirosyan presented findings of their exploratory research on various facets of the issue of corruption. The research grants were provided to local scholars to explore corruption dataset and to publish papers within USAID MAAC "Corruption in Armenia: Public Opinion, Behavior and Expectations" project.

Civil Society and Corruption

Institutional Sources of Corruption in the Case of Armenia

Chicken or the Hen Dilemma or Understanding of the Perception of Corruption in Armenia