Soviet Interview Project
Encyclopedia
The Soviet Interview Project (SIP) was a research project conducted in the early 1980s. The project's principal aim was to learn about the life in the Soviet Union
, which in turn would contribute to the disciplines of Sovietology, political science
, economics
and sociology
.
The study had three principal goals:
The Soviet Interview Project had its origins in a meeting at the Kennan Institute in August 1979, where senior academic scholars and U.S. government specialists discussed the feasibility of such a project. One of the main obstacles was the "Kissinger rule", named after U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger
who had established a policy against the use of federal funds for studies of emigrants from the USSR. The Kissinger rule was revoked after a successful lobbying
effort, and a design phase proposal was funded by the National Council for Soviet and East European Research in November 1979.
SIP made arrangements with the Department of Defense
, the Central Intelligence Agency
and the Department of State
during the summer of 1981 so that the National Council could fund the project. The coordinating agency within the U.S. federal government was the Bureau of Intelligence and Research
(INR) of the U.S. Department of State.
The research team was headed by Professor James R. Millar of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The team completed the draft of a general survey for the project in September 1981, developing an interdisciplinary questionnaire
. The researchers decided to focus on the last “normal” period of life in the USSR, as applying for emigration could lead to marked changes in the applicant's life, thus introducing a possible bias.
The sampling frame for the SIP general survey was defined as all Soviet emigrants who arrived in the United States between January 1, 1979 and April 30, 1982, and who were between ages 21 and 70. 33,618 persons met the criteria, and 3,551 were included in the final sample. There were 2,793 respondents.
The field work for the general survey was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center
.
Among the Soviet Interview Project's findings were that there was a positive relationship between education and unemployment
in the USSR (as opposed to in the United States, where it was a negative relationship
), that the Soviet wage system rewarded and penalized external political behavior, and that popular support for the Soviet regime was linked to the sense of material satisfaction and the perceived capability of the KGB
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, which in turn would contribute to the disciplines of Sovietology, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
.
The study had three principal goals:
- Conducting a study of contemporary Soviet society based upon interviews with recent immigrants now living in the United States.
- Promoting the involvement of young scholars so that the field of Soviet studies developed.
- Making the data and research products developed available to all interested scholars.
The Soviet Interview Project had its origins in a meeting at the Kennan Institute in August 1979, where senior academic scholars and U.S. government specialists discussed the feasibility of such a project. One of the main obstacles was the "Kissinger rule", named after U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
who had established a policy against the use of federal funds for studies of emigrants from the USSR. The Kissinger rule was revoked after a successful lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
effort, and a design phase proposal was funded by the National Council for Soviet and East European Research in November 1979.
SIP made arrangements with the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
and the Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
during the summer of 1981 so that the National Council could fund the project. The coordinating agency within the U.S. federal government was the Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
The Bureau of Intelligence and Research is an intelligence bureau in the U.S. State Department tasked with analyzing information. Originally founded as the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services , it was transferred to the State Department at the end of World War II...
(INR) of the U.S. Department of State.
The research team was headed by Professor James R. Millar of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The team completed the draft of a general survey for the project in September 1981, developing an interdisciplinary questionnaire
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case...
. The researchers decided to focus on the last “normal” period of life in the USSR, as applying for emigration could lead to marked changes in the applicant's life, thus introducing a possible bias.
The sampling frame for the SIP general survey was defined as all Soviet emigrants who arrived in the United States between January 1, 1979 and April 30, 1982, and who were between ages 21 and 70. 33,618 persons met the criteria, and 3,551 were included in the final sample. There were 2,793 respondents.
The field work for the general survey was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center
National Opinion Research Center
NORC at the University of Chicago, established in 1941 as the National Opinion Research Center, is one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations in the United States. Its corporate headquarters are located on the University of Chicago campus...
.
Among the Soviet Interview Project's findings were that there was a positive relationship between education and unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
in the USSR (as opposed to in the United States, where it was a negative relationship
Negative relationship
In statistics, a relationship between two variables is negative if the slope in a corresponding graph is negative, or—what is in some contexts equivalent—if the correlation between them is negative...
), that the Soviet wage system rewarded and penalized external political behavior, and that popular support for the Soviet regime was linked to the sense of material satisfaction and the perceived capability of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
.