The Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at CDDRL is launching three new research projects in 2011, broadening the scope of its work to examine political reform and development prospects in Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen. Each project will produce original scholarship to contribute to a deeper understanding of reform programs in Egypt and Lebanon, as well as a more holistic examination of the socio-political landscape's impact on reform prospects in Yemen. A partnership with the Safadi Foundation USA has led to a new policy-based visiting scholars program focused on Lebanon, which offers outstanding scholars the opportunity to develop a piece of research at CDDRL.

According to Lina Khatib, Program Manager for the Arab Reform and Democracy program, these projects "encapsulate the Program's commitment to producing hands-on policy relevant research that fills a gap in knowledge about the challenges facing reform processes on the ground in the Arab world, and to engaging with experts from diverse backgrounds in the region."

With little original scholarship available from Yemen and with this country generally understudied, the Political Reform Prospects in Yemen: A Holistic Approach project is engaging Yemeni scholars from diverse backgrounds to provide an authoritative perspective and original voice on this country of strategic importance.  Ten working papers will be drafted examining Yemen through multiple lenses focusing on the role of the security environment, foreign actors, political parties, the economy, media, gendered political participation, and tribal politics, among others, to yield a more comprehensive account of how those elements are affecting political reform prospects in Yemen.  This research will provide recommendations to the policy and development communities to advance knowledge and informed policymaking to move Yemen from the brink of failure.

Using the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) as a case study, The Link between Economic and Political Reform in the Arab World project, led by Dr. Bassam Haddad of George Mason University, will examine CIPE's reform programs in Egypt and Lebanon to uncover the methodologies and approaches it employs to engage with the economic and political environments in those countries.  This project will not just serve as an analysis of CIPE's model but will shed light on the practices of international organizations in their efforts to shape more effective political and economic reform initiatives in the Arab world.  A research paper will be available in the summer of 2011 to uncover Dr. Haddad's findings and will be presented at an event on economic and political reform hosted by CIPE in Washington, DC.

Lastly, the Safadi-Stanford Initiative for Policy Innovation (SSIPI) project will support a scholar examining political and economic reform issues in Lebanon to spend six weeks in Washington, DC and in residency at Stanford.  During this time, the scholar will benefit from exposure to the policy-making environment and the academic community at CDDRL to draft a paper that will provide innovative policy recommendations for Lebanon.  The SSIPI call for applications will be made available in mid-January.