“The Institute of Economic and Social Research” Foundation has been operating since 1996. It analyzes public opinion data, studies socio-economic indicators, and compiles ratings of companies. The Foundation was established in the Volgograd region but it conducts political and marketing research throughout the country.
The Fund was recognized by the Ministry of Justice as a “foreign agent” after an “unscheduled documentary check” in December 2017 but was later excluded from the register. Earlier, the Institute and its director Mikhail Shevyakov were fined for cooperation with the Levada Center because of joint surveys on acute political topics including Alexey Navalny and the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
Name
Foundation “Institute of Economic and Social Research”
Field of activity
Research organizations
Status
“Foreign agent” (NGO)
Reason for recognition
The Ministry of Justice exact claims to the Institute for Economic and Social Research are unspecified, but the reason for the sudden inquiry into the fund could be its close cooperation with the local ANO Levada Center and the American-Russian Fund for Economic and Legal Development. (Levada Center is already included in the registry of "foreign agents", and the latter was labeled as “undesirable” by the Prosecutor General's Office in 2015).
Year of recognition
2017
Status description
Since 2012, such status can be obtained by non-profit organizations registered in Russia, and from 2020 unregistered public associations, which, according to the Russian government:
a) receive foreign funding,
b) participate in “political activity,” which is understood as any public activity.
Who recognizes:
Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
Responsibilities:
NPO-"foreign agents” are required to provide a report on their activities, audit reports, and data on the organization’s pe...
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