C. T he use of surveys in monitoring Surveys are very useful in compiling the information necessary for monitoring. However, considerable caution must be exercised before carrying them out: professional advice may be required on their design, conduct and analysis. Institutions should, nonetheless, have a general understanding of the kinds of sampling that may be used to collect data. Generally speaking, there are three kinds: a probability or random sample; a judgement sample; or a haphazard sample. Random sampling requires an institution to use only a limited sample. As its name implies, the source from which data are to be drawn is identified randomly using a mathematical theory of probability. It typically requires the use of statisticians in survey design and interpretation. For instance, there are 100 communities in a region and civic education sessions on electoral rights are supposed to be held in each. The institution wants to monitor this to ensure that the education is in fact carried out, and that it is fair and complete. Rather than monitor all civic education sessions in each community, an institution could randomly select 10 communities—for example, by drawing names of communities out of a hat—that it will monitor and draw inferences from those results. A judgement sample is any sample influenced by human judgement. For instance, the situation is as above, except that the region is ethnically diverse. Of the 100 communities roughly half are largely populated by the majority ethnic group, whereas the other half are populated by a minority ethnic group that has been disadvantaged. The institution therefore wants to make sure that the civic education sessions are fair to the minority group. Its survey methodology is to randomly draw a significant representation of ethnic minority communities from a hat. A haphazard sample is simply taking what is available in the circumstances without any special plan. While this is not as reliable and valid as other samples, it may still be indicative of the wider situation. 116