“I design and conduct a survey with an embedded lab-in-the-field experiment to test whether envy triggers popular support for the Islamic revival using a nationally representative sample of 600 Tunisians. Individuals exposed to high inequality may feel envious if they perceive that the success of others is granted rather than earned. Thus, envious individuals may be motivated to engage in…
Search results for: religion
Handbook of Empirical Research on Islam and Economic Life
Islamic economics and finance (IEF) has recently enjoyed a spike in interest and a rise in status from theology-tinged discussion fodder for Muslim intellectuals to a fully fledged academic discipline knocking on the doors of university social science departments. The Handbook of Empirical Research on Islam and Economic Life provides a solid background and overview of current empirical research, evaluating…
Social Distance in Iraq and Lebanon
Research has found that tensions, conflicts, and wars worsen the views groups hold towards each other and, plausibly, increase social distance (Parks 1924; Bogardus 1925; Owen et al. 1981; Siber 1997; Parrillo and Donoghue 2005; Oswald 2005; Strabac 2016). Since the twentieth century the Middle East is caught up in interlocking pattern of crises, conflicts, wars, and terrorism. Almost every…
Lebanon: divided politics, shared discontent
The explosion at the port of Beirut killed at least 150 people, and the subsequent massive protests led to the resignation of the government. However, the protests are not about replacing the figureheads, but about addressing the ‘bankruptcy’ of the political pact that was intended to keep the religious groups in balance. The fear is great that giving up on…
En Tunisie, cette jeunesse qui se détourne d’Allah
Athées. Dix ans après la victoire des islamistes, un tiers des Tunisiens se disent irréligieux. Reportage. …… En raison de son caractère subversif, aucune statistique officielle n’existe sur l’athéisme dans le monde arabe. Mais une vaste étude réalisée en 2018 et 2019 par l’Arab Barometer, réseau de recherche universitaire basé aux États-Unis, établit à 13 % le pourcentage de non-croyants…
Conceptions of Sharia and Support for Militancy and Democratic Values: Evidence From Pakistan
“Numerous empirical studies of the relationship between popular support for Islamism and support for democracy and violence have yielded inconclusive results. We suspect that this is largely because scholars have not operationalized support for Shari`a in ways that capture the concept’s multi-dimensionality. In this paper, we employ data derived from a carefully designed survey instrument that casts unique insights into…
Tunisia At A Crossroads
Key Findings: Perceptions of economic conditions have significantly deteriorated since 2011. Trust in the government and parliament are low, but Tunisians have far more confidence in the security services and the judiciary. Nearly all Tunisians say corruption remains rampant, while fewer than half believe the government is taking steps to address the problem. Desire to emigrate is high and growing,…
Egypt
Egypt is one of the few great empires of antiquity that exists today as a nation state. Despite its extraordinary record of national endurance, the pressures to which Egypt currently is subjected and which are bound to intensify are already straining the ties that hold its political community together, while rendering ever more difficult the task of governing it. In…
Islamism, Arab Spring, and the Future of Democracy. World System and World Values Perspectives
“This book provides an in-depth analysis of public opinion patterns among Muslims, particularly in the Arab world. On the basis of data from the World Values Survey, the Arab Barometer Project and the Arab Opinion Index, it compares the dynamics of Muslim opinion structures with global publics and arrives at social scientific predictions of value changes in the region. Using…
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Press Release: Two Years of War on Gaza Reshape Palestinian Priorities, Politics, and Social Norms
West Bank governance under scrutiny; Gaza public seeks alternative leadership Two years after the war on Gaza began, Palestinian public opinion reflects a society deeply altered. The latest Arab Barometer survey (AB IX), conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between October 8–26, 2025, finds a shift in concerns from economic growth to basic survival needs, falling satisfaction with…
The Tunisian Revolution as a Catalyst to the Arab Spring: A Case Study of Revolution in North Africa and the Middle East
“This thesis research project is an attempt to understand the nature, sources, dynamics, and contradictions of the Tunisian Revolution of 2010-11. Contained within the thesis are seven chapters, each outlining political, economic, cultural, and social phenomena that precipitated the Revolution, as well as the dynamics following the Revolution. Chapter 1 provides a discussion of various competing theoretical perspectives on social…
Poverty and Divine Rewards: The Electoral Advantage of Islamist Political Parties
Political life in many Muslim‐majority countries has been marked by the electoral dominance of Islamist parties. Recent attempts to explain why have highlighted their material and organizational factors, such as the provision of social services. In this article, we revive an older literature that emphasizes the appeal of these parties’ religious nature to voters experiencing economic hardship. Individuals suffering economic…