CORRUPTION RESEARCH

Civic Activism in Business Sphere of Russia
(2004)

Joint projects with the Foundation for Market Economy (Budapest) and the Transitional Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC, American University, Washington).
Coordinator: Irina Olimpieva (CISR).
This research examined the role of business associations as civil society institutions and as actors in the anti-corruption field. The study addressed the following questions: How do business associations help businesspeople cope with bureaucratic extortion? What is the role of anti-corruption activities among other functions of business associations?
Participants from CISR: Lubov Ejova, Elena Nikiforova, Oleg Pachenkov.
Supported by the American University (Washington).

Mobilising Social Support for Fighting Corruption:
The Cases of Russia and Hungary
(2004)

Joint projects with the Foundation for Market Economy (Budapest) and the Transitional Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC, American University, Washington).
Coordinators: Robert Orttung (TraCCC), Irina Olimpieva (CISR).
The goals of the study were to analyse the factors of development, to determine the main actors, main peculiarities and distinctions of anti-corruption fields in two post-socialist countries. The Russian part of the project focused on the situation in St. Petersburg. The object of particular research concern was business associations as potential defenders of business people's interests (primarily in small and medium-sized businesses), which were supposed to protect businesses against illegal actions by officials ("aggressiveness of the state towards business"). This study was considered a continuation of the project "Prospects for Fighting Corruption in Post-Socialist Countries: The Cases of Hungary and Russia" (2003-2004).
Participants from CISR: Lubov Ejova, Elena Nikiforova, Oleg Pachenkov.
Supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the IRIS and the KPMG Consulting Barents Group (Think Tank Partnership Program).
More information about the project...

Prospects for Fighting Corruption in Post-Socialist Countries:
The Cases of Hungary and Russia
(2003-2004)

Joint project with the Foundation for Market Economy (Budapest), the Transitional Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC, American University, Washington).
Coordinators: Robert Orttung (TraCCC), Irina Olimpieva (CISR).
The Russian part of the project focused on the study of informal "business-state authorities" relations in the SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) sphere. The aims of the research were to study how informal relationships between entrepreneurs and power resource owners are formed and institutionalised; to analyse changes happening in recent years in the bureaucratic services market; to evaluate the anti-corruption potential of the social-economic group of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. The empirical part of the project was a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods: questioning of small entrepreneurs and in-depth interviews.
Participants from CISR: Elena Nikiforova, Irina Olimpieva, Oleg Pachenkov.
Supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the IRIS and the KPMG Consulting Barents Group (Think Tank Partnership Program).
More information about the project...

Informal Economy of Forestry in the Irkutsk Region:
Participants, Practices, Relations
(2005)

Joint project with the Centre for Independent Social Research and Education (Irkutsk).
Coordinator: Irina Olimpieva (CISR).
The research purposes of the project were to show how informal practices in business and routine forestry are being developed; how formal and informal rules in the sphere of forestry interact; how agents in this sphere (businesspeople, officials, representatives of NGOs and also local inhabitants) organise their interactions; and how innovations in forestry reform may affect the development of forest business and the life of local communities.
Aљbook in Russian based on theљmaterials of research was issued in 2005: "Informal Economy of Forestry: Participants, Practices, Relations".
Participants from CISR: Irina Olimpieva, Oleg Pachenkov, Zoia Solovieva.
Supported by the Moscow Public Science Foundation.

Increasing Productivity and Social Security through Human Resources Development:
Case Study of a Russian Steel Company
(2003-2004)

Joint project with Sozialforschungsstelle (Germany), IG Metall, EKO Stahl.
Coordinator: Vera Trappmann (Sozialforschungsstelle).
The project aimed to identify the main problems of human resources development at the steel company under analysis, to find ways of solving these problems, and to select instruments of personnel development policy based on the experience of German companies. The empirical part of the project was devoted to a series of problem-oriented interviews with the steel company's top-managers. The results of the research will be available to a broad audience including development programme designers in Russia.
Participant from CISR: Lubov Ejova.
Supported by the Hans Boeckler Foundation.

Social Partnership in theљShipbuilding Industry: AљComparative Analysis of theљSituation in Germany and Russia
(2003)

Joint project with Sozialforschungsstelle (Dortmund, Germany).
Theљcomparative project aimed to study social partnership in theљGerman and Russian shipbuilding industries. Theљempirical part of theљproject was to carry out aљseries of case studies in theљRussian and German shipbuilding companies. It aimed to study theљactual functioning of social partnership models in two countries and define possibilities for using some social partnership instruments from theљGerman model in theљRussian shipbuilding industry.
Participants from CISR: Irina Olimpieva, Lubov Ejova.
Supported by theљCentre for German and European Studies (ZDES).

Informal Economy in Transforming Society: TheљCase of Russia
(2002)

Theљproject was aљ"library" study aimed at theљsearch of theoretical basis for studying theљphenomenon of informal economy in post-socialist states. Such aљresearch prospect was necessary given theљsimilarity of informal economic processes in these countries. This was affirmed by theљmaterial collected by researchers of transition societies. Despite theљlarge number of works devoted to theљphenomenon of informal economy, they are mostly of anљempirical, descriptive character and do not reach theљlevel of theoretical generalization.
Researcher: Irina Olimpieva.
Supported by theљGerman Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Reform of Budgetary Organizations in theљSocial Sphere
(2002)

Joint project with theљInstitute for theљEconomy in Transition (IET, Moscow).
Coordinator: Irina Dezhina (Institute for theљEconomy in Transition).
In order to determine ways to increase theљeffectiveness of budget expenditures research was carried out along with institutes of higher education. Theљbasis of legal-economic activity, sources of financing, income-expenditures scheme, management structure, book-keeping and dismissal-appointment procedures in organization were studied. Main research methods were: analysis of documents and in-depth interviews with theљresearch institute managers.
Participant from CISR: Lubov Ejova.
Supported by theљConsortium for Economic Policy Research and Advice (CEPRA).

Adaptation of Russian Scientists to Changing Socio-Economic Conditions
(2000)

Joint project with theљCentre for Sociological Research and Studies of Science of RAS (Russian Academy of Sciences).
Coordinator: Samuil Kugel (CSRSS of RAS).
Theљproject was aimed at theљanalysis of adaptation strategies of scientists and scientific organizations in theљcontext of new economic conditions. In theљcourse of theљresearch, semi-structural interviews with theљofficials of scientific organizations were conducted.
Participant from CISR: Irina Olimpieva.
Supported by theљRussian Foundation for Humanities.

Innovation Systems and Industrial Modernization: Comparative Situation in Armenia, Latvia and Russia (St.љPetersburg)
(1999-2001)

Joint project with theљWork Research Centre (WRC, Tampere University, Finland), theљInstitute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS, Karlsruhe, Germany), theљInstitute of Economics at theљLatvian Academy of Sciences, theљSociological Research Center (Erevan, Armenia).
Coordinators: Gerd Schienstock (WRC), Viktor Voronkov (CISR).
Theљproject dealt with comparative research of theљinnovation processes of transformation in post-Soviet states. Theљmethods of research were participant observation and problem-oriented interviews at enterprises and R&D institutes of St.љPetersburg. In addition to macroanalysis, theљcase study method was used.
Participants from CISR: Lubov Ejova, Natalia Glebovskaya, Valentina Martynova, Irina Olimpieva, Alfred Sarno, Viktor Voronkov.
Supported by theљINCO-Copernicus Programme (EU).

R&D and Production Systems in Transition
(1998-2001)

Joint project with theљWork Research Centre (WRC, Tampere University, Finland).
Coordinators: Gerd Schienstock and Erkki Kaukonen (WRC), Viktor Voronkov (CISR).
Theљaim of theљproject was to study processes of economic transformation in Russia in theљcontext of innovation processes in industry and in R&D spheres. Methodologies included problematic interviews with theљleaders of aљnumber of industrial enterprises and R&D institutes as well as participant observation.
Participants from CISR: Lubov Ejova, Natalia Glebovskaya, Valentina Martynova, Irina Olimpieva, Alfred Sarno, Viktor Voronkov.
Supported by theљINCO-Copernicus Programme (EU).

Street Markets and theљCommunities of Market Dealers
(1998-2000)

Theљproject aimed at theљstudy of organisation and theљmilieu of street markets, proceeding from theљprospect of economic anthropology. In this context, theљcorrelation of formal and informal was explored. In theљcourse of theљresearch aљset of problem-oriented and biographical interviews was conducted in combination with participant observation at one of theљSaint-Petersburg markets.
Researcher: Irina Ivleva.
Supported by theљCISR.

Rural Strategies of Economic Behavior of theљUrban Population: Dacha Informal Economic Activity. Comparative Analysis of aљCity and aљTown (TheљCases of St.љPetersburg and Novaya Ladoga)
(1998-1999)

Theљaim of theљproject was to explore Soviet and post-Soviet practices of dacha labour within theљframework of self-consumption economy. In total, 20љinterviews were conducted with inhabitants of St.љPetersburg and Novaya Ladoga who deal with dachas or collective gardens (sadovodstvo) and work in them with theљpurpose of self-provisioning.
Researcher: Irina Chekhovskih.
Supported by theљCISR.

Telecommunication Market Development in Russia (TheљCase of St.љPetersburg)
(1998-1999)

Coordinator: Viktor Voronkov.
Theљresearch was based on 50љproblem-oriented interviews with providers, individual and collective users and experts, as well as on theљanalysis of publications and other documents.
Participants: Lubov Ejova, Valentina Martynova, Irina Olimpieva, Alfred Sarno, Viktor Voronkov, Elena Zdravomyslova.
Supported by theљDaimler Chrysler.

Perspectives of theљ"North-West" Regional Association Development
(1997)

Theљaim of theљproject was to work out theљhierarchy of problems of socio-economic development of theљNorth-West region, to determine theљmost probable scenario of possible development of this region and, particularly, theљ"North-West" Regional Association. Problematic interviews were conducted with heads of committees and departments of theљSt.љPetersburg Administration, as well as with regional leaders of industrial branches, scientists, specialists, and involved politicians.
Participant: Alfred Sarno.
Supported by theљFriedrich Ebert Foundation (Germany).

Effectiveness of theљThird Sector in St.љPetersburg
(1996-1997)

Theљaim of theљproject was to conduct anљanalysis of NGOs' activities and to classify NGOs accordingly to main directions of their activities. Theљstructure of NGOs, theљmotivation of participation, NGOs' strategies, as well as adequacy to modern conditions and contacts with organisations abroad, were explored within theљframework of theљproject.
Researcher: Andrei Khanzhin.
Supported by theљGerman-Russian Exchange (DRA).

Culture of Labour in Reforming Russian Industry
(1995-1996)

Coordinator: Juergen Feldhoff (University of Bielefeld, Germany).
Theљaim of this project was to study labour motivation and theљcharacteristics of labour culture (emotionality/rationality, community, "new asceticism"), and their transformation within theљcontext of aљreforming economy. Ten interviews with workers and middle level heads of three enterprises in St.љPetersburg (private, state and joint-stock) were taken and analysis of scientific publications on this subject was carried out.
Participant from CISR: Alfred Sarno.

Social Consequenses of Privatization in Russia
(1995-1996)

Joint project with theљHumboldt University (Berlin).
Coordinators: Hartmut Haeussermann (Humboldt University), Ingrid Oswald (Osteuropa-Institut, Free University of Berlin).
Theљaim of theљproject - analysis of theљmain stages, events and subjects of housing reform, changes in theљhousing system as aљwhole and in social policy of theљhousing sphere. Housing stratification and urban segregation were analysed, participation/non-participation motivation of theљpopulation in regards to housing privatization, as well as changes in perspectives as aљresult of changes in relation to property within theљhousing sphere, were all studied in theљcourse of theљresearch. This analysis was based on theљresults of 40љinterviews with both city centre inhabitants and those of one of its remote districts, as well as information obtained from mass-media publications, special editions, and statistical data. Aљnumber of papers on theљresults of theљresearch were published.
Participant from CISR: Katerina Gerasimova.
Supported by theљGerman Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft).

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