We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from Part II - INDICATORS IN LOCAL CONTEXTS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2015
INTRODUCTION
This chapter explores the production and circulation of a corruption perception survey in Albania. The indicator in question acts as a semiprivate quasi-indicator: “semiprivate” insofar as its design and production involve both private institutions (transnational consultancy firms, local market research centers) and public institutions (governmental funding agencies); and a “quasi-indicator” insofar as, like the indicators described by Davis, Kingsbury, and Merry (2012a, 2012b), it compares institutions to one another and over time, yet, unlike those of other indicators, its rankings are not compared or translatable to other countries or other rankings. The chapter examines the ways in which this survey acts as a “form of knowledge” and a “technology of governance” (Davis, Kingsbury, and Merry 2012b). The first part of the chapter draws attention to the heterogeneous “ecology” (Halliday 2012) of indicators, through a discussion of the institutions and sources of expertise involved in the making of its questionnaires. The second part traces the intended and unintended uses of indicators in the local political context. I trace the impact of the 2008 and 2009 survey data on a local political drama that enfolded around the allegations of afera korruptive (corruption affairs) involving the highest levels of government. In the public debate of this event, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Institute for Development Research and Alternatives (IDRA) survey became an important actor in the public debacle between the US Ambassador John Withers, Public Prosecutor Ina Rama, and Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
The focus of this story is the “Corruption in Albania: Perceptions and Experience” survey conducted by the local market research institute, the Institute for Development Research and Alternatives (IDRA) with funding from the USAID Rule of Law funding from 2005 to 2010. The survey was known locally as “the USAID corruption perception survey,” despite the fact that it is IDRA that conducts the whole process of data collection, SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) aggregation, and the distillation of the data into the final report.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
