Project Structure & Outputs | Education | The University of Aberdeen

Project Structure & Outputs

The Project is divided into several Work Packages (WP), each focusing on a specific and specialist aspect.

Project Structure

WP1 General Framework Paper: Drawing on literature from multiple fields, this Work Package provides an interdisciplinary review of the 'state of the art' in analyses of trends and transformations in in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the 7 Arab States the project focuses on (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq).

D1.1 Framework Paper
WP2 Background Reports: This WP identifies key factors in the political, economic, and social contexts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq in the lead-up to the 2010/2011 Arab Uprisings.

D2.2 Literature Report for political & social change
WP3 Survey Design and Development: Work Package 3 designs a cross-national survey which can answer the outstanding research questions on the region identified in WP1 and WP2, assessing the social, political, and economic attitudes of ordinary citizens.

D3.3 Master Questionnaire in English.

Please note that an Arabic version is available on request.
WP4 Survey Fieldwork: Work Package 4 carries out the survey fieldwork, aiming to conduct 1700 face-to-face interviews in each country, along with a methods guide to how the survey was conducted, as well the other methods used throughout the Project.

D4.4 Final Survey Questionnaire in English

D4.5 Final Survey Questionnaire in Arabic

D4.6 Survey Technical Handbook
WP5 Survey Data‐Set and Code‐Book: WP5 compiles the ArabTrans survey data into an SPSS Survey Data Set, and produces Code-Books, tracking technical details of the survey, and documenting the distribution of all political, social, and demographic questions.
WP6 Survey Reports: WP6 provides six Country Reports and one Comparative Report analysing respondents' attitudes at the individual level to their countries' political, social and economic situations, as well as participation in the Arab Uprisings.

D6.7 Country Survey Report - Morocco

D6.8 Country Survey Report - Algeria

D6.9 Country Survey Report - Tunisia

D6.10 Country Survey Report - Libya

D6.11 Country Survey Report - Egypt

D6.12 Country Survey Report - Jordan

D6.13 Country Survey Report - Iraq

D6.14 Country Survey Report - Comparative
WP7 Political and Social Transitions: Based on a longitudinal dataset including both survey and non-survey quantitative indicators, this Work Package analyses significant political, economic and social transformations over 2000-2015, producing seven country reports and a comparative report.

D7.15 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Morocco

D7.16 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Algeria

D7.17 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Tunisia

D7.18 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Libya

D7.19 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Egypt

D7.20 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Jordan

D7.21 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Iraq

D7.23 Political and Social Transformations Report 2010 - 2015: Comparative
WP8 Youth, Generation and Social Media: This Work Package focuses on how young people and social media influenced socio-political changes compared to older age groups.

D8.24 Youth, Generations and New Media in Transition Comparative Report
WP9 Europe and the Middle East: This Work Package 9 analyses the conceptual structure of post-2011 EU Neighbourhood Policy and analyses ArabTrans survey results, exploring to what extent it 'learns lessons' from the Arab Uprisings.

D9.25: The Impact and Role of the European Union on Political Transitions in the Middle East and North Africa: Democratisation and Democracy Assistance Policies

D9.26: The Impact of the European Union in Arab Countries: Evidence from the ArabTrans 2014 Survey
WP10 Executive Summary: This Work Package provides an extended executive summary of the main findings from the project.

D10.30 Final Scientific Report
WP11 Dissemination: WP11 includes outreach and dissemination activities with a variety of stakeholders (e.g. academics, policy-makers, the media, think tanks, etc.).

D11.22 Midterm Policy Brief: What do 'The People' Want? Citizens' Perceptions of Democracy, Development, and EU-MENA Relations in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, and Morocco in 2014

D11.28 Dissemination Paper for International Scientific Community

D11.29 Final Policy Brief

Work Packages

WP1: General Framework Paper: This Work Package reviews the 'state of the art' in analyses of trends and transformations in in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Building on literature found in Political Science and Area Studies, it identifies key research problems and pertinent questions regarding democratic transition in the 7 Arab States the project focuses on (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq). It maps the survey micro-data and macro-indicators available to study the region, and details the methodological aspects relevant to the research and shaping the design of the ArabTrans 2014 survey.
WP2: Background Reports: This Work Package identifies key political, economic, and social trends in transformations within the MENA region. It provides reports which discuss the state-of-the-art literature and data on political, economic, and social changes both at a country specific and regional levels until 2010. WP7 Transition Analyses build on this work to scrutinise trends and transformations in the decade before the Arab Uprisings to identify any significant changes since2010.
WP3: Survey Design and Development: Work Package 3 designs a cross-national survey which can answer the outstanding research questions raised by existing scholarship on the region identified in the previous two work packages. The survey is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of values and behaviours in the seven Arab states the project focuses on by assessing the social, political, and economic attitudes of ordinary citizens. This work package will produce a survey questionnaire available in English and in Arabic.
WP4: Survey Fieldwork: Work Package 4 delivers the survey fieldwork. The project aims to conduct a minimum of 1700 face-to-face interviews in each of the seven countries included in the study. This Work Package includes measures to assess the quality of fieldwork and ensure the highest quality data is collected within the large-scale surveys in all seven analysed Arab countries. A deliverable from the Work Package will be a methods guide to how the survey was conducted in the seven as well the other methods used on the project.
WP5: Survey Data‐Set and Code‐Book: The purpose of this Work Package is to collect the data from the fieldwork and integrate it into an SPSS Survey Data Set. This Work Package will also produce Code-Books, which tracks and records technical details of the survey, and documents the distribution of all political, social, and demographic questions, while cross-tabulating these variables against social characteristics.
WP6: Survey Reports: Work Package 6 will provide country and comparative analysis of the survey results. This analysis will cover attitudes at the individual level to the political, social and economic situations in the region, as well as participation in a variety of activities related to the Arab Uprisings. The Work Package will produce graphically lead reports on each of the countries in the survey, as well as a more academic-focused comparative report on the region as a whole.
WP7: Reports on Political and Social Transitions: The main objective of this Work Package is to identify and analyse the significance of the political, economic and social transformations in the Middle East during the 2000-2015 period. A longitudinal dataset, consisting of country-level indicators over this timeframe, will be used to produce eight reports analysing the political, economic and social change in each country and comparatively in the region as a whole between 2010 and 2015.
WP8: Youth, Generation and Social Media: The eighth Work Package focuses upon how young people and social media influenced social, and, political changes in the region as compared to older age groups. It consists of an analysis of how young people within these nations regard democratisation and social modernisation, as well as their general political attitudes in comparison with those of older age groups. Furthermore, it seeks to understand the effects and use of social media in participating in political activities in the region.
WP9: Europe and the Middle East: Work Package 9 evaluates the impact of the Arab Uprisings upon EU-MENA relations. It compares the rationales and strategies of the EU's changing Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the impact of the Arab Uprisings on Euro-Mediterranean relations, affected not least by the views of the EU by people within the region. It will produce two reports on the implications of recent changes and how they affect EU policy toward the region, with particular attention given to how the EU can foster positive political, economic and social transformations.
WP10: Executive Summary: The purpose of this Work Package is to provide an extended executive summary of the main findings from the project.

Outputs

The ArabTrans Project is designed to stimulate research into the relationship between political beliefs, values, and practices. The project contributes to evaluating country and regional socio-economic and political trends based on system-, meso-, and individual-level factors. This analysis contributes to understanding the root causes and results of the Arab uprisings, as well as examining the conditions of possible future developments.

ArabTransitions produces a broad range of outputs available to policymakers and other stakeholders. In addition to the survey, extensive codebooks, and survey guides, the project produces the following outputs

Survey data set: 85 questions and over 300 variables (complete)
Longitudinal dataset: includes all major sources of survey and non-survey data on the region (2000-2015) (complete)
Country Reports: Based on the ArabTrans 2014 survey, each country's data are analysed providing insights into key political, economic, and social developments. (complete)
Comparative Report: Also based on the ArabTrans 2014 survey, the project produces a Comparative Report for all surveyed countries analysing key themes in depth. These themes include Quality of Life, Corruption, Trust, Migration, Political Participation, and Gender. (in progress)
Transitions Reports: Analysing political, economic, and social trends and transformations in the region to produce transition analyses for each country plus Comparative Report (in progress)
EU-MENA Relations: the status, perception, and impact of the EU from within the region (near complete)
Youth & use of ICTs, with a focus on mobilisation (in progress).
Policy Briefing Papers: The first paper analyses MENA populations' perceptions of democracy, development, and of the EU's role in the region.

Based on these analyses, the project produces accessible analyses and recommendations for stakeholders including the EU, governments, NGOs, media, and the public.

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