Storytelling is a powerful tool that researchers can adopt to engage participants, stakeholders, and others, as it produces an effective mode of communication that can inspire interest and push for collective action. As of March 2020 and due to Covid-19, the global shift to work from home and remote research efforts sparked growing challenges about data collection, particularly for marginalized…

“Health cannot be bought at the supermarket,” Hans Rosling once reminded audiences in 2006 when discussing health data and development in countries in the Arab region, among others. The famed physician and former professor of international health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute continued, “You have to invest in health. You have to get kids into schooling. You have to train health…

The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect everyone equally; every region of the world has reported on the gender disparity of the virus’s toll. This is of particular concern in the MENA region, where women’s rights and roles in the public sphere have been limited by both legal and societal norms. Given the pre-pandemic status of women in the MENA region,…

COVID 19 is being perceived as a disruptor, an accelerator and an agent for innovation and advancement in various fields across the world. Yet, its impact has been a decelerator for women’s rights and gender equality globally.  The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned that without immediate action, “the pandemic could set back women’s rights by decades”. And, the latest…

As Tunisia’s major political crisis unfolds, some commentators have argued that the country’s citizens never wanted democracy in the first place.  However, data from Arab Barometer presents a different picture. In recently conducted surveys from the Arab Barometer’s sixth wave, a majority of Tunisians say that democracy is always preferable to other forms of government compared to just a quarter…

Since 1946, the U.S. is estimated to have provided more than $346 billion dollars of assistance to countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.  This aid goes to a variety of causes, including military, humanitarian, and developmental causes. However, many ordinary citizens across the region hold suspicions about the true intent from Western countries like the United…

Tunisia, often referred to as the democratic success story coming out of the Arab Spring, has experienced what some are calling a coup following President Kais Saied’s decision to dismiss Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspend parliament. Others say that the president has acted legally under article 80 of Tunisia’s constitution, setting up a significant constitutional crisis. Rached Ghannouchi, the…

MENA countries have differed substantially in their reaction and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A regional comparison shows richer countries administering larger quantities of vaccines, relative to their population, than the non-oil exporting countries. Arab Barometer’s Wave VI, which concluded its third survey in March-April 2021, has revealed another troubling trend: vaccine hesitancy among large swaths of the MENA population….

A series of panels discussing the Sixth Wave of the Arab Barometer. The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to hold the third event in a four-part series in cooperation with Arab Barometer, on the occasion of the publication of Arab Barometer’s findings from the sixth wave of its surveys. This most recent poll was conducted in the wake of…

A series of panels discussing the Sixth Wave of the Arab Barometer. The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to announce a four-part series in cooperation with Arab Barometer, on the occasion of the publication of Arab Barometer’s findings from the sixth wave of its surveys. This most recent poll was conducted in the wake of the outbreak of Covid-19,…

Background: In the sixth wave of Arab Barometer, we interviewed citizens from seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa within the period of July 2020 – April 2021, tracking citizens’ evaluations of their economic situation during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic. About AB6 How we did this. The following factsheet sets out some of the main…

Efforts to control the spread of covid-19 have prompted governments across the Arab World to pursue aggressive strategies — from closing international borders and imposing curfews, to restricting movement between cities and expanding digital surveillance of citizens. Such measures expose not only the tension between public health safeguards and protecting individual civil liberties; rather, they also reveal the threat of…