Chapter 2
Methods

The following is a description of the assumptions and hypotheses that were generated for this study. For the purposes of this research, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will be addressed separately because these two countries are currently without a REC Local Office.

Assumptions and Hypothesis

Assumptions

  1. The REC has had a history of successful international cooperation in the region of CEE since 1990. However, it may be possible for the REC to fulfill its mission more effectively, and, more specifically, to better satisfy the needs of its constituents by defining these needs more carefully and communicating them to REC management and staff.
  2. The REC will be more successful in attracting future funding to implement new environmental programs if the need for such programs is justified by this study, so that the REC can facilitate a mutual understanding between potential funders and the NGO community.
  3. REC Local Offices have the most up-to-date lists of active NGOs in their respective countries.
  4. This research is an accurate representation of NGOs operating in CEE.

Hypotheses

Hypothesis I

Environmental NGOs working in CEE conform to typical organizational profiles that can be predicted by reference to the following control variables:

* For the purpose of this study, the four hypothetical subregions are defined as:

  1. Balkan countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Albania)
  2. Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
  3. Visegrad countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia)
  4. Former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Slovenia, FYR Macedonia)

Hypothesis II

Environmental NGOs in CEE not only work to improve the quality of the environment, they also spend a significant amount of time and effort obtaining the funding and organizational development necessary to complete their missions. These two categories can be described as "environmental project implementation" and "internal organizational capacity building."

Hypothesis III

The majority of CEE environmental NGOs have common needs and problems. These problems and needs can be divided into three general categories:

Hypothesis IV

REC programs differ in their attractiveness to environmental NGOs in CEE.

Hypothesis V

There is a significant difference in the general organizational characteristics (profile) between cooperative and noncooperative environmental NGOs in CEE. For the purpose of this study, cooperation is defined as "conducting joint projects" or "cooperating closely" with other NGOs and governmental agencies.

Hypothesis VI

In relation to other international environmental NGO service providers in CEE, the REC fulfills a unique and specific niche for CEE NGOs.

Sample Population

There are approximately 3020 environmental NGOs in 15 Central and Eastern European countries, as defined by the NGO Directory For Central and Eastern Europe, published in 1994 by the Regional Environmental Center, and by the REC Local Offices' current mailing lists. It is assumed that these lists of active NGOs in each CEE country are the most up-to-date lists available. The specific number of environmental NGOs in each country is as follows: Albania (45), Bosnia and Herzegovina (38), Bulgaria (100), Croatia (187), Czech Republic (520), Estonia (35), Hungary (726), Latvia (60), Lithuania (81), FYR Macedonia (73), Poland (600), Romania (210), Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (90), Slovakia (141) and Slovenia (114). (See Table 2.1)

Table 2.1. Mail Questionnaire Summary

CEE Region

Country Number of
NGOs		 Number of
Returned Questionnaires		 Response Rate (%)
Albania 45 30 67
Bosnia and Herzegovina 38 10 21
Bulgaria 100 77 77
Croatia 187 107 57
Czech Republic 520 386 74
Estonia 35 13 37
Hungary 726 322 44
Latvia 60 41 68
Lithuania 81 49 60
Macedonia 73 55 75
Poland 600 328 55
Romania 210 189 90
Slovakia 141 119 84
Slovenia 114 86 75
FR Yugoslavia 90 61 68
Totals 3020 1873 62%

Totals by Subregion

Region Number of
NGOs		 Number of
Returned Questionnaires		 Response Rate (%)
Balkan 355 296 83
Baltic 176 103 59
Former Yugoslavia 374 248 66
Visegrad 1987 1155 58
FRY/Bosnia and Herzegovina 128 71 55
Totals 3020 1873 62%

An environmental NGO is defined as an officially registered or otherwise clearly identifiable group of citizens or other public association that:

In this study, trade unions, political organizations, businesses and academic institutions are excluded from the target population.

Fieldwork

Two primary methods were utilized to collect the desired information: a large-scale mail questionnaire and a series of semi-structured personal interviews. Consistent with the goals of the project, both surveys contained questions from the following general themes:

Mail Questionnaire

A mail survey was determined to be the best method to gather large amounts of quantitative information in a cost-effective and timely manner. The mail survey was implemented according to the Total Design Method (TDM) developed by Don Dillman, Washington State University. The Total Design Method was designed to maximize both the quantity and the quality of responses; attention was devoted to every detail that might affect response behavior. The TDM relies on a theoretical understanding of why people do and do not respond to questionnaires, and on a substantiated belief that attention to administrative detail is essential for conducting successful surveys.

The questions contained in the mail survey were developed according to the goals of the study. They were adjusted in the course of various discussions and meetings with the REC's management team, staff, REC Local Office staff, and after reviewing similar surveys conducted in the United States, CIS countries and CEE. The mail questionnaire was translated into the local language of each CEE country and distributed by REC's Local Office staff.

The mail survey was implemented in May-June 1996. Each CEE environmental NGO in the sample population received a cover letter, numbered questionnaire and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. One week after the original survey was sent, all NGOs received a postcard reminder. All groups that did not respond within the next two weeks were sent a revised cover letter, and another numbered questionnaire and stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Groups that still hadn't responded after five weeks were telephoned by REC Local Office staff and asked to return the questionnaire.

Personal Interviews

The second part of the fieldwork involved conducting 71 face-to-face interviews with leaders of environmental NGOs from nine CEE countries. The purpose of these personal interviews was to supplement the quantitative information gathered in the course of the mail survey with a substantial amount of qualitative research. The interviews were conducted by the project coordinator and a group of independent interviewers from outside the REC who had background training and experience in qualitative interviewing and reporting. These interviewers were employed under the direct supervision of the project coordinator, and all interviews were conducted in a semi-structured format and in the local language whenever possible. Reports were submitted in English.

Justification

The methods used in this study were selected based on the following factors:

In order to substantiate the validity of the research sample, Table 2.2 compares the ratio of the population of each CEE country to the total population of CEE with the ratio of the number of returned questionnaires from each CEE country to the total number of returned questionnaires. An analysis of these factors reveals that a representative sample was indeed obtained through the mail questionnaires, with the following exceptions. First, the Czech Republic and Hungary are over-represented in the mail questionnaires when compared with the size of their respective populations. (For example, Hungary contributed 17.8 percent of the returned questionnaires, but its population only comprises 9.0 percent of the total population of CEE.) Second, Poland and Romania are under-represented because only a relatively small number of questionnaires were received from these countries compared to their relatively large populations. (For example, only 18.2 percent of the total returned questionnaires came from Polish NGOs, though Poland makes up 33 percent of the entire population of CEE.) The other countries are roughly equal in terms of their respective populations, number of NGOs, and mail questionnaire response rates. Although not perfectly representative of all countries, the mail questionnaire data is, overall, extremely representative of the CEE region.

Table 2.2. Number of Questionnaires versus Country Population

Country Number of
Returned Questionnaires		 Percentage of Total Number of
Returned Questionnaires (%)		 National Population
Albania 30 1.7 3,200,000
Bulgaria 77 4.3 8,500,000
Croatia 107 6.0 4,800,000
Czech Republic 386 21.4 10,500,000
Estonia 13 0.7 1,600,000
Hungary 322 17.8 10,500,000
Latvia 41 2.2 2,700,000
Lithuania 49 2.7 3,800,000
Macedonia 55 3.0 2,030,000
Poland 328 18.2 38.600.000
Romania 189 10.5 23,400,000
Slovakia 119 6.7 5,400,000
Slovenia 86 4.8 2,000,000
Totals 1802 100% 117,030,000

It was not deemed necessary to conduct personal interviews with NGOs in every country in the CEE region. Failure to interview NGOs from a specific country was justified for the following reasons:

However, it was deemed important to reach at least a majority of countries and to comply with the sample requirements in order to reach a broad range of NGOs. (See Table 2.3)

Table 2.3. Interview Sample Reconstruction Table

  Actual sample for large scale survey (NN±5%) Suggested sample for interviews NN min-max Actual number of interviews conducted By year By size By location
A B C D E F G H I
Baltic countries 176 5-10 5-10% (9) 0 5 4 4 2 3 4 2 3
Estonia 35 0-5 0 - - - - - - - - -
Latvia 60 0-5 4 0 3 1 2 0 2 3 0 1
Lithuania 81 0-5 5 0 2 3 2 2 1 1 2 2
Visegrad countries 1,987 30-50 40-60% (39) 5 14 20 14 11 14 18 8 13
Poland 600 10-15 12 1 5 6 7 3 2 3 7 2
Czech Republic 520 10-15 0 - - - - - - - - -
Slovakia 141 5-10 12 1 4 7 4 5 3 5 0 7
Hungary 726 10-15 15 3 5 7 3 3 9 10 1 4
Balkan countries 355 10-15 10-15% (13) 0 7 6 5 5 3 12 1 0
Albania 45 0-5 4 0 2 2 0 3 1 4 0 0
Bulgaria 100 5-10 0 - - - - - - - - -
Romania 210 5-10 9 0 5 4 5 2 2 8 1 0
Former Yugoslavia 374 10-15 10-15% (10) 1 3 6 4 2 4 8 1 1
Croatia 187 0-5 5 0 3 2 1 1 3 5 0 0
Macedonia 73 0-5 0 - - - - - - - - -
Slovenia 114 0-5 5 1 0 4 3 1 1 3 1 1
TOTAL 2,892 50-100 71 6 29 36 27 20 24 42 12 17

A prior to 1987 10% D up to 25 persons 50% G capital city, 25%
B 1987 to 1991 40% E 25 to 100 persons 30% H other big city, 25%
C after 1991 50% F more than 100 persons 20% I country side, 50%

REC * PUBLICATIONS * PROBLEMS, PROGRESS AND POSSIBILITIES * METHODS

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