This vivid portrayal of political and social behavior in the Arab states offers new perspectives to the student and scholar of the Middle East. It also illustrates the effectiveness of survey research as an analytical tool for investigating political, social, and economic problems in Arab societies. The only book of its kind—dealing in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary fashion with the political and social behavior of individuals in the Arab world—it fills a gap in the materials availa...

Now that the oil era has come to a very unceremonious end in the Arab Mashreq, it is time for a sober and somber assessment-a selfcriticism- of the Arab body politic. Indeed, this effort at self-criticism is already underway, led by the many symposiums sponsored by the Center for Arab Unity Studies and the Arab Intellectual Forum.

At a time when survey research is increasingly being conducted in the Arab world, there is also growing concern about the degree to which research assumptions and methods developed in the West are appropriate for use in the study of Arab society. This book assesses the application and limits of survey research performed in the Arab world, reviews the surveys currently being used to study public attitudes and behavior patterns, and discusses epistemological, methodological, and ethical issu...