Center for Policy Analysis

The Center for Policy Analysis (CPA) was established during the fall semester of 1995 in order to conduct multidisciplinary applied research in a broad spectrum of contemporary social, political, and legal fields concerning Armenia and the surrounding region. The Center's central mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding through objective and independent research and policy analysis using the latest methodologies and through debate and public service.

The Center's long-term objective is to contribute directly to Armenia's transition to a democratic state. The Center accomplishes this objective through its open door policy for all persons involved in Armenian policy-making processes and through its educational, research, and analytical activities, which as a by-product help introduce new research methods and analyses to experts and scholars in Armenia.

The CPA is a non-profit and independent organization and is supported through grants and contracts from organizations such as the Eurasia Foundation, the World Bank, the United States Information Agency, and the Urban Institute. The Center is a member of the Transition Policy Network, a group of research institutes in Eastern Europe and the CIS that collaborate on policy reform projects.

In Armenia, the Center has become known as a resource for a variety of policy issues. In its various projects, the Center is able to draw on expertise from the Graduate School of Political Science and International Affair's permanent and visiting faculty. In addition to its regular staff of researchers, the Center hosts Research Fellows and Visiting Scholars who have conducted research in areas such as nuclear energy policy and conflict resolution. The Center hires students and graduates of the School as short-term assistants for research projects, thus providing opportunities for direct participation in western-style analyses and methodologies in the field.

The Center's staff and associated faculty have developed both formal and informal cooperative activities with the Armenian National Assembly, many of Armenia's Ministries and their staffs, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and a variety of international non-governmental organizations working in Armenia, as well as indigenous non-governmental organizations. The Center's work has focused on research in the areas of democratic systems and local governance, legislative processes at the national level, elementary education policy, print and broadcast media policy, higher education policy, and constitutional rights.

CPA books include the 1997 CPA Directory of Print Media in the Republic of Armenia (1997, Armenian and English), CPA's 1996 Guide to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia (1996, Armenian, English, and Russian), and The Armenian Military Forces in the First Half of the 18th Century (1997, English and Armenian).

Links:

Transition Policy Network

Armen Aivazian's web page