OSA / Guide / Fonds / HU OSA 205-2

HU OSA	205-2 C
Authority entry:	Research and Analysis Department

Related Authority Entries

• HU OSA 205C Open Media Research Institute

Date(s) and Place(s) of existence 1994-1997

Business location

Na Strzi 63, 140 62 Prague 4, Czech Republic

Mandate, functions and sphere of activity

OMRI’s principal functions were monitoring and analyzing events in the region, particularly those relating to the development of democratic institutions, the protection of human rights, the problems of ethnic groups, the potential for conflicts, progress toward free market systems, and the development of independent media.

The Research and Analysis Department staff comprised highly qualified specialists with a broad range of advanced degrees in fields from history and political science, to law, anthropology, and sociology.

The main objective of the RAD was to provide balanced and comprehensive information and analysis concerning events in the former Soviet Union and East, Central and Southeastern Europe.

In view of this objective analysts developed and maintained contacts in order to obtain the freshest, most reliable information about the region; contributed both news and analytic pieces to OMRI publications; regularly provided information, gave interviews and commentaries and contributed to RFE/RL programming. Besides this the analysts participated in debates and programming on Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Macedonian television, lectured in various universities, and gave presentations at the US senate Department, Council of Europe, OSCE and other policy-shaping organizations. Analysts’ materials published in Transition/Transitions have also been translated and reprinted in Albania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Kyrgystan, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania and elsewhere.

Administrative structure

The Department consisted of several clusters based on geographical principles and on the specializations of analysts: East-Central Europe, Southeastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union. It is worth mentioning that over the years the research activities of the Department shifted from strictly country-specific research to research balanced with regional and thematic issues that demand comparative treatment, especially ethnic issues and human rights, media, democratic institutions, civil society, and market economy.

ARD research staff consisted of about 30 analysts who produced materials for OMRI publications, headed by a Director (Jiri Pehe), Assistant Director (John Miller) and Research Cluster Directors (Liz Fuller, Patrick More, Michael Shafir).

Rules or conventions

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families General Intenational Standard Archival Description; OSA Internal Rules.

Dates of description

Described by Olga Zaslavskaya, 1 October 2003
Online version updated 18 December 2008