Center for Political Studies
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
P.O. Box 1248
Ann Arbor, MI
48106-1248

Voice: (734) 763-1348
Fax: (734) 764-3341

Title
The Nature and Determinants of Regime Preference and Political Values in Jordan, Kuwait, and Palestine: Implications for Arab Politics and for the Comparative Study of Governance and Democracy

PI
Mark Tessler

Direct Source
National Science Foundation

Abstract
Two interrelated trends in comparative political research address issues that are pertinent to the Arab world but very much under-studied in that region. One is the resurgence of interest in culture in general and political culture in particular. The other concerns the attitudes and values of ordinary citizens in countries undergoing or seeking to initiate democratic transitions.

Against this background, the proposed research will carry out public opinion research in three Arab countries in order examine the nature and determinants of attitudes and values pertaining to governance, including democratic governance. The first goal of the investigation is to shed light on what has often been called the "missing dimension" in the study of Arab politics: how, why, and with what implications do ordinary citizens think about the way their societies are and should be governed. The second goal is to connect findings from the study of these Arab societies to efforts in Political Science to construct generalizable insights about governance, democratization, and political culture in developing countries.