APSA will hold two sessions of its 2018 MENA Workshop, titled “The Evolving Role of Political Institutions in the Arab World,” in the upcoming months. The first workshop will be held from September 24–28, 2018 in partnership with the Center for Studies and Research in Social Sciences (CERSS) in Rabat, Morocco. A second workshop will be held from January 28 to February 1, 2019 at the University of Tunis El Manar in Tunisia. A total of 20 fellows and five leaders will meet to discuss theoretical and methodological approaches related to the theme as well offer peer review to the fellows’ manuscripts. Coleaders for the program are Ahmed Jazouli (Independent Scholar, Morocco), Tofigh Maboudi (Loyola University Chicago, US), Asma Nouira (University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia), Abdallah Saaf (Mohammed V University, Morocco), and Peter J. Schraeder (Loyola University Chicago, US). The workshop is targeted at PhD students and postdoctoral fellows who are citizens of countries in the Arab Middle East and North Africa.

The 2018 program aims to explore the relationships between formal political institutions and political liberalization in the MENA region. The program adopts a broad interpretation of formal political institutions, including (but not limited to) government agencies, legislative and judicial bodies, political parties and organizations, electoral rules and systems, local government, and constitutions. Participants will explore core questions and theories of formal political institutions as well as the implications of these theories for political representation, channeling citizen interests, government performance, and more broadly, political liberalization. By employing diverse theoretical frameworks and case studies, the workshops aim to illustrate how we can better understand the role and influence of institutions and the prospects of political liberalization, accountability, and representation.

To provide a framework for reflection and investigation relating to these topics, the workshop will also focus on research design and methodology, issues associated with manuscript preparation and publication, and other professional development topics. Workshop sessions will include guest lectures, small seminar discussions, and presentations of participants’ research. Following their participation in the full workshops program, alumni will receive three years’ membership to APSA and will be eligible to apply for small research grants.