Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences

The Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences consists of various groups that conduct survey research. The largest and most experienced group is headed by Drs. Polina Kozyreva and Mikhail Kosolapov. Dr. Kozyreva heads the Department of Social Topology, reflecting her interest in the social structure of society. She is the author of many articles on this topic. Dr. Kosolapov heads the Department of Methods and Methodology. He is the former vice president of Committee 33 (The Methodology and Logic of Sociology) of the International Sociological Association and the vice director of the same committee in the Soviet Sociological Association. He is the author of many scientific works on data collection, measurement, sampling, analysis, and conceptualization in empirical sociology.

Drs. Kozyreva and Kosolapov have been involved in survey research since the 1980’s. Prior to 1989, their surveys were normally based on people in institutions such as factories and schools because surveys of the general population were prohibited. When drawing samples of territories became feasible in 1990, their group became one of the first to conduct national surveys of the Soviet Union and of entire republics within the Soviet Union.

Although the group has been approached by international polling organizations to conduct various marketing research surveys each month, they have, instead, chosen to accept a handful of demanding governmental and academic projects each year. Their distinguished client organizations have included the University of North Carolina, Harvard University, the World Bank, USAID, and the BBC. For several years, under a contract with UNC, they advised the Russian government's Bureau of Statistics (Goskomstat) in a major panel survey.

Much of the group's work has been conducted in collaboration with the late Dr. Michael Swafford of Paragon Research International, Inc. (615-383-7733). The group can be contacted directly in Moscow via paulina@sovam.com.