GESIS Service Agency Eastern Europe - overview

The GESIS Service Agency Eastern Europe main tasks are the social science data and information transfer between Eastern and Western Europe, the furthering of the East - West research co-operation and the support of comparative research.

Social science data and information transfer between Eastern and Western Europe

Data and information transfer between Eastern and Western Europe

  Target groups

Service offer information and data provision

  Information

  Data

Service offer East - West research co-operation

  Agency

  Consultation

  Communication

  Network

Service offer comparative research

  CESSDA/IFDO

  Eurobarometer - East

  ISSP

  ICORE

Data and information transfer between Eastern and Western Europe

The political developments since 1989 have also led to a development of international comparative social scientific research.
The need for data and information exchange between Western and Eastern Europe is rising. The particular problems of scientific contact between the until 1989 segregated social sciences now allow for a strengthening of East West expertise and support the growing research co-operation. The defined objective of GESIS local offices is the furthering of the East/West transfer of knowledge and the exchange of data as well as the development of networks in the field of social service research and information.

Target groups

Anyone who pursues the observation and analysis of societal development in the former socialist countries may make use of the service facilities for their own ends. The data and information services will be available particularly for social researchers making international comparisons between East and West Europe, experts and practitioners in politics and administration, but also the general public.
In order to facilitate awareness about Eastern European social sciences, support for access to current information about and data from social science research activities in Eastern Europe is considered vital.

Service offer information and data provision

Information

• Description of on-going research projects about the transformation processes in these countries
• Descriptions of the institutes in the domain of social sciences with addresses and contact persons.
• Scientists with their research specializations
• Profile of the most important social science professional journals

Data

• Information about data from Eastern Europe and availability for secondary analysis.
• Commentary on research projects that produce national and international empirical data
• Description of Institutes with comprehensive data resources.

The offer of an East-West transfer service is supplemented by data and information provided by the German speaking countries (current research results and data, institutions, individuals, social sciences literature) as well as information and data sources on Eastern Europe.

Access

The information about Eastern Europe is made available through individual inquiries, over the Internet and in publications.
Among the more important publications are:-

• The newsletter "Social Science in Eastern Europe"
• Research and Institution documents "Social Science in the New Eastern Europe" in the series "Europe in Comparison"
• Conference reports about particular aspects of the transformation in Eastern Europe.

Results of German speaking social science research are available through the databanks SOFIS (Social Science Research Information System) and SOLIS (Social Science Literature Information System) as well as a data information system, which contains all the important contributions about Eastern Europe and the transformation problems. The information is available on-line, on CD ROM or on diskette ready prepared as well as passed on as a result of individual enquiry.
In addition a specialized information service on Eastern Europe Research reports twice a year in the form of a written report about the state of research and current literature of the German speaking world.

Service offer East - West research co-operation

Agency

The development of research contacts and the build up of networks are supported through:

• Discovery of research partners and scientists from the various countries with the desired technical and regional orientation.
• Establishing the experts and contributors for specific social science research themes.
• Procuring and providing for guest scientists.
• Organizing conferences and workshops in support of the East - West information exchange.

Consultation

The efforts to build up the East European infrastructure are being supported in order to facilitate the increasing data and information exchange between West and East Europe. The hard won experience of GESIS in gathering and distributing information, documents, advice and data, as well as scientific know-how has been made available to the Eastern European scientists who are working on the construction of national information systems and data archives. These scientists are able to learn about the working methods and services achievements of GESIS as guest scientists and by taking part in educational seminars.

Communication

Construction of an Internet focus on "Social Sciences in Eastern Europe". Alongside the information from and about Eastern Europe on the Internet, a Clearinghouse function has come into being through the development of a tested and structured referencing of relevant Internet sources and networks. The construction of an Internet platform is aspired to. A particular form of infrastructure support is the offer for Eastern European and German Institutions to realize a world wide presence on the Internet, in as much as at this time it is still not possible for technical and organizational reasons for them to have their own access to the Internet.

Network

To construct a network entitled 'Social Sciences in Eastern Europe' a collection of relevant information will be initiated. A wide participation of all individuals and institutions who are working in this area is desired. All topical transmissions of information to GESIS will immediately be entered into this network.

Service offer comparative research

Use of and access to the international collection of data won from comparative social research will be supported through local offices with their intimate background knowledge about social research in and of the former socialist countries. They also afford access to comparative research programme data for Eastern European researchers.

CESSDA/IFDO

Through the international archive network ' Council of European Social Science Data Archives' (CESSDA) and the 'International Federation of Data Organizations for the Social Sciences' (IFDO) the local offices arrange access to data from international social research.

Eurobarometer - East

In 1990, the European Commission initiated the Central and Eastern Eurobarometer. A representative selection of 1000 individuals in at present 18 East European countries were asked their opinions about the industrial and political reforms and also their attitude towards Europe and the European Union.
The five existing East Euro Barometers are available at GESIS for secondary analysis.

ISSP

The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) is an international opinion poll in which some of the best known social scientific institutes from all over the world participate, including several from Eastern Europe. Every year the participating countries answer a jointly agreed questionnaire on themes relevant to the social sciences.
In this way the ISSP offers the possibility not only of international comparison but also of longitudinal analyses. The ISSP started out in1985 with six member countries. As early as 1986 the first East Block country, Hungary, became involved in the yearly opinion poll. Poland (in 1987, and yearly since 1991), Russia, Slovenia (since 1991, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia- later the Czech Republic (since 1992) joined in the following years. At the present time more than a quarter of the ISSP member countries are from Eastern Europe.

ICORE

The International Committee for Research into Elections and Representative Democracy instigated in 1994 an international project for comparative elections research. In connection with this, election data from 1990 - 1995 so far from 10 East European Countries has been made available for secondary analysis with code books.
GESIS supports access to the comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) which, up to the present, researchers from 52 democracies participate in, of whom 17 are from Eastern Europe.