University of the Middle East Project
Institute in Governance, Public Policy, and Civil Society (IGPC) Spain, June 23 - July 24, 2003

Program Information

The University of the Middle East Project (UME) is an independent non-profit and non-governmental organization whose objective is to provide higher education opportunities of the highest standard for all the peoples and communities of the of the Middle East and North Africa region. UME once again will offer a five-week summer Institute in Governance¹ , Public Policy and Civil Society (IGPC). The UME welcomes applications from NGO leaders and others (journalists, university professors, and policy analysts) from throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

1. To Promote Professional Development and Training for Participants as we explore issues of good governance, the role of civil society, and prospects for democracy in the MENA region.



2. To Create a network of regional experts that will nurture and sustain the relationships between the Participants of the Institute and strengthen cooperation among their organizations and institutions

Institute Director: Denis J. Sullivan, Professor & Chair of the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University, Boston, USA

Primary Faculty, Topic Area, & Affiliation:

1. Abdullah al-Faqih, Governance & Civil Society, Sana'a University, Yemen



2. Anthony Wanis - St.John, Public Policy: Managing State-Society Relations, Seton Hall University, School of Diplomacy and International Relations



3. Mira Rizek, NGO Seminar & Group Projects, Palestinian NGO Project/Welfare Association

Visiting Faculty (invited for 2003) and Topic:
Augustus Richard Norton, Boston University: Rethinking the Civil Society Paradigm
Amr Shalakany, Bir Zeit University: Human Rights and Rule of Law
Sara Roy, Harvard University: Political Economy of NGO-Donor Relations
Eyal Benvenisti, Tel Aviv University: Human Rights and Civil Society
Rami Khouri, The Daily Star: How to Handle the Media
Jerrold D. Green, Rand Corporation: Public Policy Analysis

2002 Host: Universidad de Castilla La Mancha
The host for the 2002 Institute was the Universidad de Castilla La Mancha (UCLM) in Toledo. The city of Toledo is located 1 hour south of Madrid. It is easily accessible to bus transportation, the RENFE train system and the Madrid International Airport. The city of Toledo has a medieval appearance and the old quarters are completely contained within its high stonewalls. From a distance, Toledo looks like an ancient fortress. The location of Toledo was quite appropriate for the IGPC and UME-Spain because the city has an abiding heritage of Christian, Muslim and Judaic history. This is apparent in the numerous cathedrals, synagogues and Arab arts throughout the Toledo streets. Toledanos are very proud of their heritage, and regularly characterize their city as "the City of Tolerance."

Curriculum:
All courses in the IGPC are interactive learning environments aimed at promoting critical and creative thinking as well as effective and persuasive communication (both verbal and written). Faculty will use specific cases drawn from the MENA region as well as outside the region in order to engage the participants in dialogue, discussion, and analysis. The IGPC aims to provide participants with both academic and intellectual engagement as well as practical "tools" and skills to use in analyzing and/or strengthening civil society. The four primary class periods each day will focus on an understanding of:

1. Governance & Civil Society in the Middle East: How can citizens build a strong democratic state that respects human rights and maintains both internal and external security? This seminar reviews how democratic and non-democratic systems function, and examines the "what" and the "how to" of comparative politics, i.e. what is comparative politics in theory and in practice, and how do we analyze and compare various political systems in the Middle East? Special attention is given to political culture, political liberalization and democratization, civil society, gender, and religion.



2. Public Policy Seminar: What are the different stages of public policy development? How is public policy analyzed, managed, and implemented? Where does advocacy fit into the public policy process? In addition to these questions, this seminar also focuses on how NGO's can engage most effectively with public policy-makers and shapers to further their goals. It also analyzes the role of civil society in creating and implementing public policy. It provides tools on consensus building and negotiating - not across nations but within a given political system, such as when NGO leaders "negotiate" with the State, with donors, both foreign and domestic, and with community stake-holders.



3. NGO Seminar: How do societies create and sustain "community" and "civil society"? Where do NGOs fit into both? This seminar provides practical training and specific "tools" to train trainers for long-term community building, cross-cultural communication, grant-writing, strategic planning, and evaluation and monitoring.



4. Group Project: Several projects will be given related to the issues explored in the coursework. Groups will be formed consisting of three to five participants and will culminate in a presentation at the end of the program. In 2002, Group Projects included:
   
   • "Participatory Governance within NGOs": This group examined whether NGOs (i.e., those examined for this project) have (a) any governance at all; (b) good governance; and (c) "participatory governance," the ideal form of community involvement in identifying development and other needs, implementing projects, and sustaining development.
   
   
   
   • "Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Equity: An Audit of Two NGOs": This group analyzed NGOs of differing size to find the gender makeup of each organization. They found that each NGO lacked a gender sensitive policy. They lack significant numbers of female employees, did not use gender-sensitive policies and refused to make gender consciousness a priority.
   
   
   
   • "State-NGO Partnerships in Development": This group debated the role that the state should take in NGO businesses. They discussed whether NGOs should have state funding and discussed two specific NGO cases of state/NGO interaction claiming that these NGOs are serving governmental roles.

The University of the Middle East Project
66 Church Street, suite C
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Phone:1 617 876 6361
Fax: 1 617 876 0771
Email: IGPC@ume.org
Website: www.ume.org

¹ Governance is a broader notion than government, whose principal elements include the legislative, executive and judiciary branches. Governance involves interaction between these formal institutions and those of civil society. Typical criteria for assessing governance in a particular context might include the degree of representativeness, popular accountability and efficiency with which public affairs are conducted.

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