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Egyptian Youth are Dissatisfied with Their Education System

Egyptian Youth are Dissatisfied with Their Education System

Around the world, students graduating from university worry about finding good jobs. Graduates from Egypt have a little more cause for concern than many of their peers: investing their time and money in higher education has statistically lowered their chances of finding employment. According to the European Training Foundation, in 2016, unemployment for youth in Egypt aged 15-24 was 11.3…

Unlike assumed, the unemployed were relatively passive protesters in the Arab Spring uprisings

Unlike assumed, the unemployed were relatively passive protesters in the Arab Spring uprisings

According to the narrative echoed among journalists, analysts, and academics, the frustrated unemployed were an important driving force behind the so-called Arab Spring uprisings. Based on my recent research article , the role of unemployment behind the Arab Spring, however, does not seem that crucial. The graph above shows the share of those who participated in the Arab Spring protests…

Fact Sheet: Are Arab Citizens Satisfied With The Education System?

Fact Sheet: Are Arab Citizens Satisfied With The Education System?

Background In the fifth and latest wave of the Arab Barometer, we asked over 25,000 citizens throughout the Middle East and North Africa to evaluate their satisfaction level with the education system in their country, and to report on their perception of corruption — in particular, the perceived need to pay a bribe to access better educational services. The following…

Does Iran pose greater threat to the region than Israel? Here is what Arab citizens think

Does Iran pose greater threat to the region than Israel? Here is what Arab citizens think

In the largest survey of its kind ever conducted in the region, the Arab Barometer asked ordinary citizens about their views toward both Iran and Israel. The results reveal that Israel is significantly more widely feared than Iran across the region and that few Arab citizens prefer closer relations between Arab countries and Israel. Overall, in three-quarters of countries surveyed,…

Who Desires to Migrate from MENA?

Who Desires to Migrate from MENA?

Desire to Migrate Increasing Among MENA Citizens. MENA Citizens have an increased desire to migrate, which can be attributed to increasing political and economic instability throughout the MENA region following the Arab Spring. The Syrian Civil War, the Libyan Revolution, the emergence of ISIS, the civil war in Yemen, lack of economic opportunities for youth have all created increased stability…

Teachers’ protest challenges Jordanian status quo

Teachers’ protest challenges Jordanian status quo

Teachers in Jordan are starting the third week of one of the longest strikes by educators in the region’s history. The teachers are demanding a 50 percent salary increase, which they claim was promised to them by the government in 2014. However, negotiations with the government have stalled, and there is no end in sight. The grievances raised by the…

Tunisia’s Upcoming Challenge: Fixing the Economy Before It’s Too Late

Tunisia’s Upcoming Challenge: Fixing the Economy Before It’s Too Late

Photo by Gwenaël Piaser under a creative commons license available here . Tunisia’s economy is not in good shape and has a set of key challenges it needs to confront. High unemployment, unfulfilled demands for social justice, rise in corruption, and an unsustainable macroeconomic trajectory, all threaten recent political gains. This paper explores the reasons why Tunisia’s budding democratic order…

Overwhelming majority of Palestinians view “honor killing” as a heinous crime, and more than 60% demand the resignation of president Abbas

Overwhelming majority of Palestinians view “honor killing” as a heinous crime, and more than 60% demand the resignation of president Abbas

Image credit: Alisdare Hickson. While a majority is dissatisfied with the behavior of the PA and Palestinian factions in response to the Israeli demolition of homes in Wadi al Hommos, a greater majority believes that Abbas’ response, to stop implementation of agreements with Israel, is merely a media stunt and will not be implemented; and while support for two-state solution…

Israel or Iran: Which is the greater perceived threat?

Israel or Iran: Which is the greater perceived threat?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that if elected next week, he will formally annex significant parts of the West Bank. Arab capitals were quick to condemn this announcement, potentially threatening the recent rapprochement between Israel and certain Arab governments. Relations had steadily been improving in large part because of the perceived threat of Iran to the region, which…

Egypt: Key Findings on Public Opinion 2018-2019

Egypt: Key Findings on Public Opinion 2018-2019

Egyptians with different levels of income and education seem to have incredibly disparate perceptions of the Egyptian reality. Richer and better educated Egyptians are systematically more optimistic about the future of the economy, report higher satisfaction with the current government’s performance, and demonstrate higher levels of trust in the private sector. That Egypt suffers from inequality of income and opportunity…