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Researchers and policymakers often rely on executive surveys to understand and promote good governance. In doing so, they assume that the evaluations provided by these well‐informed respondents are not systematically influenced by regime type. However, regime‐embedded executives often have a personal stake in the survey outcomes, incentivizing them to exaggerate good governance. This paper compares World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey responses to corollary measures of key governance concepts in democracies, anocracies, and autocracies. It finds evidence of significant score inflation among executives in closed regimes. The individual‐level mechanisms are explored in one autocracy by comparing responses from regime‐embedded informants based at firms headquartered within the country with those managing businesses headquartered abroad. These micro‐level data likewise reveal evidence of widespread inflation, particularly on items related to governance. Finally, a closer look at Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index demonstrates the broader impact Executive Opinion Survey inflation for measuring governance within closed regimes.

This article examines the role of news exposure and political trust in the decision to vote in European Parliament (EP) elections in established (EU-15) and new member states of the 2004/2007 enlargement. News coverage of EP elections tends to differ among established and new member states. News in new members contains more coverage of EP elections and the European Union (EU) and tends to also be more positive than in established members. The difference in coverage may play a role in how European institutions are trusted, and ultimately, in election participation. A moderated mediation model is proposed to test whether trust in the EP mediates the relationship between news exposure and voting in EP elections, and whether the relationship between news exposure and trust is stronger among new member states. Using two methods, an experiment conducted in four EU states and a structural equation model of 2004 European Election Studies survey data, support is found for the model. The results also suggest that while European-level considerations account for some of the variance in voting, they cannot be a substitute for national-level considerations.

Survey research using nationally representative samples is growing substantially in the rapidly developing countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). However, in such countries the population and their demographic makeup change at some of the fastest rates in the world. In Qatar for instance, government censuses tend to be undertaken every five to six years, while the population and its demographic composition change very quickly (Alrouh, Ismail & Cheema, 2013). In 2004, the population of Qatar was just 798,000 and Qataris represented 24% of the country’s residents. The 2010 census measured the population at 1,699,000, only 17% of which were Qataris.In such countries therefore, sampling frames based on censuses may quickly become outdated as demographic compositions change considerably over short time periods, more so than in other countries. These contexts present a challenge for survey research, as the target population may differ significantly from the sampling frame shortly after it is constructed. Outdated frames may lead to coverage and content errors that not only affect the estimates produced by a survey but also operational processes associated with data collection. Frame error can negatively impact time spent in the field and survey costs. Periodic evaluation of the quality of a sampling frame used between censuses is required for estimating coverage bias and informing researchers about the quality of the frame data. Adjustments in field operations can then be made to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of data collection.This paper describes the Post-Frame update Survey method conducted by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University. It aims to assess the accuracy and coverage of its housing units sampling frame and improve field operations. This method of evaluating sampling frames could be applicable to other research organizations that survey rapidly changing populations. 

Introduction: In order to create and sustain a competitive, knowledge-based economy, Qatar must be able to continually attract, retain and integrate expatriate workers. As described in the Qatar National Development Strategy (QNV 2011 p. 105), “for the foreseeable future … Qatar will not have enough citizens to meet the expanding requirements of a rapidly growing, diversifying and technologically advanced economy.” Attracting the right mix of expatriates and retaining the best ones, however, is a major challenge for economy with a highly ambitious post-oil agenda, located in an unstable region, and where over 90% of workers are both foreign and temporary. Yet, little is known as to Qatar's place attractiveness and local security affect the mobility of the country's diverse expatriate population. First, Qatar needs to constantly attract new flows of knowledge and labor needed for economic development and to retain existing pool of skilled foreign workers. This means ensuring that workers view Doha as a comparably more attractive destination than Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Riyadh or Singapore. By definition, the expatriate workforce of Qatar is mobile; that is, with the exception of those born in Qatar, each has already migrated at least once. How do expatriates view Qatar in comparison with other centers, and would they move elsewhere for a better offer? Second, Qatar must ensure that the regional instability seen elsewhere does not impact its reputation as a secure and stable oasis in the Middle East. At the same time, most of the middle- and high-income expatriate workers currently employed in Qatar come the Arab world, many of whom are not new arrivals but long-term members of the expatriate community in Qatar. Some come from the region»s most insecure and unstable locations, which may affect their mobility. How do expatriate residents view the security and stability of Qatar, especially in relation to that of their home countries? Data and Methods: Therefore, SESRI conducted a nationally representative of middle- and high-income expatriates (with a basic salary of greater than 4000 QR per month) to examine the mobility of expatriates currently living in Qatar and the conditions under which they may leave the country. This survey included a randomized choice experiment in which respondents were given sets of hypothetical job offers with varying salaries in a number of regional destinations which are often viewed as competitors for Qatar. They were then asked whether they would choose to take the offer in the new location or stay in Qatar. The survey also included questions related to the security and stability of the respondent's home country and his and her ability to return home. Thus project investigate the relative attractiveness of Qatar in relation to other common expatriate destinations in the Gulf and East Asia in conjunction with salary; second, to examine how expatriate residents view the security and stability of Qatar, especially in relation to that of their home countries. In so doing we come better understand how deeply rooted and locally integrated expatriate workers are in Qatar. Accordingly we discuss legislation relevant to expatriate workers in Qatar and its implications for different resident groups. Preliminary Finding: Results indicate that Qatar is rather competitive among similar regional expatriate destinations, and that as long as salaries are competitive the country can retain Westerner and Asian migrants. Arab migrants respond very little to salary increases or decreases. None of the nationality groups seem overly driven by place attractiveness, and most seem to view living in Doha the same as other regional centers. Arabs expatriates in particular are deeply rooted, driven by security and community, but we found that many from this group are unable to return to their home countries. These results are discussed in the context of recent legislative initiatives in Qatar.