Corruption in Armenia: Public Opinion, Behavior and Expectations

In April 2009 CRRC-Armenia was graciously awarded funding by the USAID MAAC Activity to enlighten youth and adults on the issue of corruption in Armenia. The main efforts have centred on publicizing and disseminating findings from the sweeping 2008 Armenia Household Corruption Survey. Efforts have broadcasted the nationwide survey, conducted by CRRC-Armenia, which gathered reliable information to analyse corruption and its relationship to key social, political, and economic indicators in Armenia.

The presentations, associated with the survey, have been among major stepping-stones in raising public awareness of the fight against corruption. Earlier, in February 2009, CRRC Regional Director Hans Gutbrod presented the survey results to international community and the partners of USAID/Armenia. CRRC-Armenia Country Director, Dr. Heghine Manasyan conducted presentations in Yerevan (June 4, 2009) for youth, including representatives from youth NGOs, student unions, young professionals’ organizations and associations. Also, CRRC experts toured various regions, bringing the information to people with various levels of education and employment status. One of the presentations took place on June 16, 2009 in Gyumri, Shirak region in cooperation with Gyumri Journalists's Club “Asparez”. The other one on June 26, 2009 and Goris, Syunik region, in cooperation with “Partnership and Teaching” NGO. The PPT slides are available for download here.

Presentation of the survey results, including a media question and answer session, for core members of the Armenian media is scheduled to take place in Yerevan.

For the intention of not only disseminating the findings, but also increasing research on the subject of corruption, five grants are provided to scholars who will use corruption datasets to explore, study, and publish various facets of the issue in order to leave a long-lasting impact on society. The analyses range from technical papers on cross tabulations and more complex regression models, to policy oriented papers that also contain recommendations on how to combat corruption in Armenia.

The fellows benefit from CRRC’s ample resources and databases to create influential and stimulating disquisitions on the development and future of corruption in Armenia. Following completion, it is expected that the developed papers will be published in local media outlets, and potentially in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals. Further, CRRC will help present their findings to relevant stakeholders’ in Armenia, creating a community of awareness stemming from the fellows’ efforts.