Director: Dr. Ibrahim Saif

The Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) was established in 1984 as an academic unit of the University of Jordan, with the objective of conducting research in the fields of regional conflicts, international relations, security, and political economy.

Of all developments in the last decade, one, in particular, has influenced the Center's research agenda and activities: Jordan's democratization process which began in 1989. As a result, CSS began exploring other areas of concern which hitherto were considered sensitive and risky such as Political Pluralism, the Peace Process, Development, the Economy, and the Environment.

As the Center's research agenda expanded, it has introduced public opinion polls, the initiation of networking projects with Arab and international institutions, and the organization of numerous conferences, seminars and workshops; each of which focused on contemporary issues of primary areas of socioeconomic and political research.

The various activities of the community of researchers at CSS have generated and contributed to improving the quality of debate on several topics of contemporary interest to Jordan and the region. Such debate, often taken up by the media, has included discussions of the results of the Center's public opinion polls as well as deliberations at conferences whether on Jordanian-Palestinian relations, the economy or unemployment, among many others.

Areas of Research

Public Opinion Polling

CSS takes great pride in having introduced public opinion polling in Jordan. The Public Opinion Polling Unit has conducted several polls on political, social and economic issues; results of these polls have been published in the local press and are available at the Center. Those surveys' findings have been of tremendous interest to politicians, economists, academics, decision-makers, activists and the public, at large, and contributed significantly to public debate on issues such as Jordanian-Palestinian relations, political participation, democratization, the peace process and the evaluation of governments' performance.

These surveys were either done by CSS, or in collaboration with other regional and international institutions and centers. The findings of these surveys, along with other research conducted at the Center, have produced a wealth of data which is made available to academics, students, activists, and those interested.

Socioeconomic Studies

In 1993, CSS organized a major conference entitled "The Jordanian Economy: Problems and Prospects". The conference was the first attempt by an academic institution in Jordan to bring together academics, businesspeople, government officials and representative of various institutions, to critically evaluate the national economy's performance, and to provide in-depth analysis of the different aspects of the economy, in the context of a volatile region and a changing world.

The convening of such meetings has become a regular activity of the Unit, which invites experts to discuss pertinent issues such as Domestic and Foreign Investment, Human Capital and Training, Women's Economic Activity and Labor Participation, Privatization, Banking and other issues affecting the Jordanian economy.

In 1996, a research team at CSS conducted a nation-wide survey on unemployment in Jordan. The findings differed significantly from official figures. As a result, members of Parliament, columnists and economic experts called on the government to address this issue, thus, placing job creation at the top of the list of economic policy.

In 1996 and 1999, CSS organized a series of specialized workshops on the Jordanian economy designed to critically assess the status of tourism, banking, industry, legislation, unemployment and poverty, and forecast the performance of the Jordanian economy in view of domestic and external constraints in these areas. Concerned government and private sector representatives along with academics participated, and the proceedings and conclusions of their deliberations were circulated to their institutions and to the press. Since their inception, such gatherings have become an annual feature event of CSS' Economic Studies Unit.

Environmental Studies

This Unit was set up to investigate the political, social and economic implications of interaction with the environment. Environmental problems encountered by Jordan are a function of the different stages of development, the structure of the economy and certain government policies. There is a general consensus in the country, among the various sectors that deal with environmental security, that Jordan's rising level of economic activity is the main reason behind deepening environmental concerns. It is true that by adopting constructive environmental policies and measures these problems can be addressed properly. While some of them are associated with a low level of socioeconomic development, and others are emerging in the absence of sound environmental policies, the most pressing issue at present is the misuse of pesticides and fertilizers and its social, economic and ecological implications.

A CSS study conducted in 1998 estimated the social and economic cost of pesticide and chemical fertilizer use in the Jordan Valley. It provided concrete suggestions for restructuring the Jordan Valley, with the goal of improving the quality of its produce and generating hundreds of new jobs.

The CSS is currently working with relevant governmental and private sectors to implement pilot projects in three different areas of the irrigated zone (Northern, Central and Southern Jordan Valley) to implement the conclusions of the 1998-1999 study. It is hoped that these pilot projects will be the first steps towards the restructuring of the Jordan Valley.

Human Resources Development Program

In 1995, CSS started a new program to send qualified graduate students to universities abroad in order to prepare a new generation of world class scholars who will be employed at CSS upon graduation. These young scholars will guarantee modernity and continuity in their capacities as full time researchers in the areas of Economics, Political Sociology, International Affairs, Political Science and History.

CSS is a founding member of EuroMeSCo: A network of independent foreign-policy institutes and centers, most of which deal also with security issues on a regular basis, from the 27 Euro-Mediterranean Partnership countries (currently composed of 35 members and eight observers). Owing to its membership and the topics researched and discussed within the network, the Lisbon-based EuroMeSCo functions as a provider of expertise in areas of relevance to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

CSS is also a founding member of the Arab Institute for Studies and Communication (AISC): A regional initiative linking several Arab research centers. AISC has bases in Beirut and Cairo.

CSS also cooperates with other academic institutions to facilitate international graduate students conducting research on Jordan, Arab-Israeli affairs and Palestinian affairs in all disciplines in the social sciences.

Contact US:

Tel. +962 6 5300100

Tel. +962 6 5355666

Fax. +962 6 5355515

E-mail: css@css-jordan.org

Link: http://www.css-jordan.org