TCPA Research Presented at Conference on Transformations in the South Caucasus and its Neighborhood

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YEREVAN, Armenia – The American University of Armenia (AUA) Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis (TCPA) presented its paper, entitled “Online versus Offline Civic Activism: the Case of Armenia” at the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) Methodological Conference on Transformations in the South Caucasus and its Neighborhood in Tbilisi, Georgia from June 26-27, 2015. The paper is authored by TCPA Researcher Valentina Gevorgyan and AUA Political Science and International Affairs Alumna Armine Bagiyan.

The research presented examines the interplay of the social media usage and actual civic activism in Armenia, intending to understand the comparative practice of online versus offline civic engagement. The research is part of the on-going project “Civic Activism as a Novel Component of Armenian Civil Society: New Energy and Tensions” implemented by TCPA and supported by the Academic Swiss Caucasus Net.

The goal of the conference was to explore national and international dimensions of post-Soviet transformations in the South Caucasus and its neighborhood and to discuss new approaches to analyzing the trends of regional and international policies of the emerging democracies, while promoting methodological innovation.

In the words of presenter Valentina Gevorgyan, “We at TCPA value CRRC methods conferences very much. The event helps in sharing and receiving feedback on new methodological approaches in social sciences. We had this idea of selecting a way to measure and compare public online versus offline participation, looking at cases of civic activism in the recent history of Armenia. Our paper was well received, especially considering the on-going hectic events in the center of Yerevan.” 

The Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) is a network of research and research support centers in the capital cities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Established in 2003, CRRC’s goal is to strengthen social science research and public policy analysis in the South Caucasus. CRRC is funded largely by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, but it also implements project-specific activities for other donors. Over the last ten years, CRRC has become a nexus of activity for the social science community in the South Caucasus by providing open access to scholarly literature, data and professional training for social science researchers. For more information about CRRC, please visit: http://www.crrccenters.org/.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.