The Civic Culture of the Arab World: A Comparative Analysis Based on World Values Survey Data

Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 35-59, Spring 2016

25 Pages Posted: 24 Aug 2016

See all articles by Arno Tausch

Arno Tausch

University of the Free State, Department of Political Studies and Governance; University of Innsbruck - Department of Political Science

Date Written: August 21, 2016

Abstract

This study attempts to estimate the development of civil society in the Arab World by using comparative opinion survey data based on the author’s evaluation of the World Values Survey. Certain basic assumptions of current Middle East studies are evaluated, which are also reflected in the Obama administration’s Presidential Research Directive 11. While the directive emphasizes the compatibility of “moderate Islamism” and “democracy,” the current study finds that “democracy and the market economy” are not shared to the same extent by Arab publics. This study also tests the validity of these assertions with a UNDP type of Index of Civil Society based on WVS data and with various factor analytical investigations into the drivers and bottlenecks of the democracy movement and the support for the market economy.

Keywords: Middle East, Relation of Economic to Social Values

JEL Classification: N15, N35, O35, A13

Suggested Citation

Tausch, Arno, The Civic Culture of the Arab World: A Comparative Analysis Based on World Values Survey Data (August 21, 2016). Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 35-59, Spring 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2827232 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2827232

Arno Tausch (Contact Author)

University of the Free State, Department of Political Studies and Governance ( email )

205 Nelson Mandela Drive
Park West
Bloemfontein, Free State 9300
South Africa

University of Innsbruck - Department of Political Science ( email )

Universitätsstrasse 15
Innsbruck, Tirol 6020
Austria

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