… After decades of political oppression in Algeria, only 17% of citizens are now interested in politics, according to a poll published last week by the Arab Barometer, an independent research network that has been conducting opinion polls in the Middle East and North Africa since 2006. One of the problems faced by the Algerian movement is the lack of…
Are Bouteflika’s Shake-Ups a Sign of Shifting Civil-Military Ties in Algeria?
… The army has now firmly entrenched itself as an integral feature of the political system—a system in which the legitimacy of the military’s political influence is hardly questioned by Algerians. It goes beyond popular acquiescence about the generals’ role in politics. In Algeria, the military constitutes the most trusted state institution, and by a wide margin. According to a 2017…
Maghreb Report
News article cites survey stating 83 percent of Algerians said they are either not interested or not at all interested in politics due to their expectation that the army will select the winner. Read full article at Morocco on the Move.
Spineless: The Real Meaning of Smoothing-Over Khashoggi’s Murder
…Mr. Khashoggi’s words were echoed by prominent journalist and political analyst Rami Khouri. “We are heading to the law of the jungle if big power and Mideast state autocracy is not held accountable,” Mr. Khouri said. In a similar vein, a survey by the Arab Barometer survey concluded that public institutions in the Arab world, including the judiciary enjoyed little,…
Call for Applications for a Two-Year Program of Research and Training
“Contributing to solutions for marginalized communities in the Arab region: A Two-Year Program of Research and Training” January 2019 – September 2020 The University of Michigan and Princeton University are pleased to announce a Call for Applications for early-career Ph.D.s (advanced graduate students will also be considered) for a two-year program consisting of four workshops focused on developing or enhancing…
No Taxation without Representation? On Tax Reforms in Jordan
…Secondly, the government should fight corruption, tax avoidance (which according to the Income and Sales Tax Department in 2016 cost the budget JD 3 billion), mismanagement, and cronyism to make Jordanians feel their taxes are being put to a good use. One study, conducted by the University of Jordan Strategic Studies Center and NAMA Consultants, argues that only 35% of…
Gender Inequality and Economic Inclusion in Tunisia: Key Policy Issues
….Sociocultural prescriptions about gender roles have changed less than the secular nature of the state might suggest. According to the sixth wave (2010-14) of the World Values Survey, 71% of respondents agreed that “when jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women” (see Table 2). The gender breakdown suggests that more men (82%) than women…
Can fighting corruption help Arab states sell painful economic reforms?
Perceptions matter In a 2016 report by Transparency International in nine Arab states, 61 percent of citizens polled said they believed corruption was on the rise in their countries, and 68 percent said their government was “doing badly” in fighting corruption. In Jordan, 75 percent of respondents said they believe corruption had increased, while an Arab Barometer survey in 2016…