CRRC Research Methods Conference
June 20, 2013
Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Tbilisi, Georgia
The conference intends to bring together local and international participants that are committed to exploring key methodological issues and advancing practice across the South Caucasus. It will be a relatively small conference focused on constructive how-to discussions and offering researchers the opportunity to discuss and compare their methods, thus advancing methodological innovation across the region.
Conference Program and Papers
09:00 – 09:30 – Registration
09:30 – 10:00 – Opening Remarks
David Lee, Chair of the Board of Trustees of EPF and CRRC
Keynote Speech: Why We Need Data: Facilitating Evidence-Based Policy and Research in the Caucasus Cynthia Buckley, University of Illinois
10:00 – 11:00
Session 1: Uses of Internet in Social Research
YouTube Videos as a New Source for Content Analysis
Anna Gradlyan, Bella Baghdasaryan
Is “Googling” a Method? What Can the Internet Tell Us About the Non-Governmental Sector in Armenia
Valentina Gevorgyan, Mariam Matevosyan
Facilitator: Camrin Christensen
Discussant: Ross Campbell
11:00 – 11: 30 – Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00
Session 2: Making Sense of Qualitative Data
Surveys and Ethnographies: Points of Intersection
Milena Oganesyan
Methods Applied to Exploration of the Sacred Spaces in Georgia: Narrative Discourse Analysis of Ethnographic Field Data
Nino Abakelia
Dialogical Approach to the Interpretation of Qualitative Data
Akulenko Anastasija
Facilitator: Koba Turmanidze
Discussant: Simone Baglioni
13:00 – 14:00 – Lunch
14:00 – 16:00
Session 3: Quantitative Research: Some Challenges and Opportunities
Time-use diaries: Presentation of the Method and Techniques of Time-data Analysis
Ewa Jarosz
Accuracy of Expectations in Business Surveys
Vahe Movsisyan, Martin Galstyan
A Cross-cultural Comparison of the Work Ethic in Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey
Meltem Ceri-Booms
The Impact of Health Insurance on Health Care Utilization: Case Study For Armenia
Armine Sharanbekyan
Facilitator: Gursel Aliyev
Discussant: Heghine Manasyan
16:00 – 16: 30 – Coffee break
16:30 – 17:00
Public Opinion Polling in Georgia – Mapping the Challenges and SolutionsKathleen A. Frankovic, Think Tank Fund/Open Society Georgia Foundation
17:00 – 18:00
Session 4: Qualitative Research: Challenges in the Post-Soviet Context
Challenges in Focus Group Discussions in a Post-Totalitarian Context
Aynur Nabiyeva, Ulviyya Mikayilova, Vitaly Rasdky
Manipulation as an Element of Field Research
Karolina Pawlowska
Facilitator: Heghine Manasyan
Discussant: Tina Zurabishvili
18:00 – 18:15
Closing Remarks
Timothy Blauvelt, Chair of CRRC International Academic Advisory Board
18:30 – 20:00 – Dinner
