Workshops in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

APSA’s MENA Workshops program continued this spring with conferences taking place in Amman, Jordan and Tunis, Tunisia. The events are part of a multi-year initiative to support political science research and networking in the Arab Middle East and North Africa through a series of residential workshops at regional universities and research institutions. With support provided by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the MENA Workshops program is a major component of APSA’s engagement with political science communities outside the United States and support for research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas.

The Amman workshop was hosted in cooperation with Birzeit University, the Palestinian American Research Center (PARC), and the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR), and held at ACOR’s research and residential facilities in Amman, Jordan from May 11–15. The workshop was led by a team of faculty from the United States and Palestine. Participants included 19 political and social scientists (13 scholars from the region and 6 from Europe), who were competitively selected from a pool of over 70 applicants.

Titled “Explaining Cross National Variations in Challenges to Old Regimes during the Early Stages of the Arab Spring Movements,” the workshop canvassed various theoretical and methodological approaches that could be used to better understand these challenges, focusing on factors such as social movements, military and domestic security forces, economic conditions, and use of social media. Throughout their discussions, participants drew on an extensive set of readings as well as their own research. Participants also made time to visit the ancient city of Jerash and enjoy the attractions of downtown Amman. For the next several months, participants will continue to develop their research projects for presentation and peer review at a follow-up workshop in September 2014.

The Tunis workshop was organized in cooperation with Le Centre d’Etudes Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) from June 3-9 and was the follow-up event to the February workshop in Cairo, Egypt. Participants included 15 political and social scientists from a wide range of universities and research institutions.

Figure 1. Above, workshop fellows (from left to right) Mona Farag, Chadi Abou Daher, Jinan Al Habbal, May Darwich, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, and Guy Burton enjoy the sunset in Sidi Bousaid at the close of the workshop in Tunis, Tunisia.

Figure 2. Left, workshop fellows (from left to right) Ammar Maleki, Arin Ayanian, Tareq Al Taie, Ahmed Azzam, and Ayfer Erdogan during a small group discussion in the ACOR seminar room, Amman, Jordan. Photos by Andrew Stinson. (Color online.)

A team of faculty from the United States and Lebanon led the program, titled “The Political Economy of Economic Development.” The workshop combined approaches from international relations, comparative politics, and economics to address “big questions” in the political economy of development. The program included a panel presentation on Tunisia’s National Electoral Commission given by local academics and politicians, as well as significant time for participants to present and receive feedback on their own research projects. The group also visited the ancient sites of El Jem and Kairouan. Concluding their participation in the five-month workshop program, alumni were provided three years’ complimentary membership to APSA and are now eligible to apply for small grants to support their further research.

For more information on the 2014 workshops or the overall program, visit www.apsanet.org/menaworkshops.

2014 Africa Workshop: Maputo, Mozambique “Distributive Goods and Distributive Politics”

The seventh annual APSA Africa Workshop was held in partnership with the Higher Institute of Public Administration (ISAP) in Maputo, Mozambique, from June 30 to July 11, 2014. The event is part of a multiyear initiative to support political science research and teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa through a series of residential political science workshops at African universities and research institutions. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Africa Workshops program is a major component of APSA’s efforts to engage with political science communities outside the United States and support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas.

The 2014 workshop, “Distributive Goods and Distributive Politics,” focused on the study of how governments allocate goods and services, the role of politicians in distributive decision making, and how these allocations affect political outcomes. A team of five scholars from United States, South Africa, and Mozambique co-led the event, which was attended by 24 political and social scientists. Participants were competitively selected from a pool of more than 90 applicants and, all together, represented 23 different institutions from 10 countries.

Throughout the workshop, participants drew on an extensive set of readings as well as their own research to understand patterns and outcomes of distributive politics. The course also included access to a range of relevant datasets and hands-on statistical training in the use of R software. Local visits with the National Institute of Statistics and the National Institute of Health provided insight into some of the ways that data is collected and used by government-funded research groups. Participants also made time to appreciate Mozambican arts and crafts at the National Arts Museum and the FEIMA craft market, and enjoy a relaxing day on the beach at Macaneta.

A special word of thanks is due to Rodolfo Manhice at the Mozambique Higher Institute of Public Administration, who provided invaluable assistance in facilitating this workshop.

The event has now been held three times in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Senegal), twice in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), and twice in Southern Africa (Botswana and Mozambique). To date, 139 Africa-based scholars from 32 countries have participated in the workshop, as well as 31 scholars from the United States and Europe. For more information on the 2014 workshop or the overall program, please visit the APSA Africa Workshop website at www.apsanet.org/africaworkps.

Figure 3. Participants in the 7th APSA Africa Workshop gather on the steps of Maputo’s municipal council building. Photo by Andrew Stinson. (Color online.)

Calling for 2015 Leadership Teams

APSA is soliciting proposals from political scientists interested in serving as co-leaders for the 8th and final APSA Africa Workshop in July 2015. Submissions must come from a team of two US-based and two Africa-based scholars. Those applying to be co-leaders must propose a workshop theme, location, and African institutional partner. The application deadline is November 2, 2014. For more information, visit the Africa Workshop website or contact Andrew Stinson at [email protected].

Alumni Networking Grants Available

APSA continues to accept small grant applications from Africa Workshop alumni, with the next deadline being November 2, 2014. Through funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, up to $42,000 is available each year to support participation in professional development opportunities, facilitate networking potential, and encourage collaboration among scholars and academic institutions across Africa. Applications are now being accepted for three types of grants: professional development grants, workshop grants, and publication grants. Questions on the Alumni Networking Grants program should be directed to Andrew Stinson at [email protected].