1st Edition

The Evaluation And Application Of Survey Research In The Arab World

    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 issues associated with these studies. Readers are alerted to normative and empirical considerations bearing on the quality of survey research and given practical suggestions for innovation in the design and execution of survey research and in the analysis of survey data. The book raises intellectual issues of concern to all who seek to better understand Arab society and provides extensive information about attitudes and behavior in the Arab world.

    Introduction: Survey Research in Arab Society -- The Bellagio Conference -- The Agony and the Ecstasy of Social Research in the Arab World -- The Status of Survey Research for Rural Development in the Sudan -- Issues of Sampling and Measurement in the World Bank Survey of the Saudi Labor Market -- The Question of Measurement in Survey Research in the Arab World -- Challenges and Rewards of Survey Research in the Arab World: Problems of Sensitivity in a Study of Political Socialization -- Some Political and Cultural Considerations Bearing on Survey Research in the Arab World -- Issues of Relevance, Methodology, and Cumulativeness -- The Relevance of Survey Research in Arab Society -- The Conceptualization and Design of Survey Instruments for Use in the Arab World -- Selecting a Sample and Interacting with Respondents -- Toward Scientific Cumulativeness: Operational Needs and Strategies -- Cumulativeness and the Logic of Systematic Social Inquiry -- Participants in the Bellagio Conference

    Biography

    "Mark A. Tessler teaches political science at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and is faculty associate of the Universities Field Staff International. Monte Palmer teaches political science at Florida State University. Tawfic E. Farah is director of the Middle East Research Group and editor of the Journal of Arab Affairs. Barbara Lethem Ibrahim is a program officer with the Ford Foundation in Cairo."