The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) is a prominent independent research institution dedicated to advancing scholarship in the social sciences and humanities in the Arab world including the Islamic issues. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Doha, Qatar, the ACRPS has expanded its presence with additional offices in Beirut, Lebanon, and sister organizations in Tunis and Washington, DC.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The ACRPS is overseen by a Board of Directors comprising Arab academics and intellectuals. The founding General Director is Azmi Bishara, a Palestinian academic and politician.

The center operates as a not-for-profit, private institution focused exclusively on educational, research, and public service purposes.

Research Focus and Activities

The ACRPS concentrates on various aspects of social sciences, applied social sciences, regional history, and geostrategic affairs. Its primary objectives include: 1. Conducting and developing research 2. Producing publications 3. Organizing projects and events relevant to the Arab world While the center primarily operates in Arabic, it also publishes in English to reach a broader audience.

Moreover, the ACRPS engages deeply with Islamic issues through its research and publications. The center explores the intersection of Islam with contemporary social, political, and cultural dynamics in the Arab world. It has published works that critically analyze the role of Islamic heritage in shaping political behavior and societal values. For instance, discussions around the Arabo-Islamic cultural heritage often highlight its influence on political structures and individual behaviors within Arab societies.

Key Projects and Programs

The ACRPS hosts several significant projects and programs:

1. Arab Opinion Index (AOI): Launched in 2011, this project conducts polls in Arab countries to gauge public opinion on political, social, and cultural issues.
2. Arab Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities: An annual program that recognizes and encourages Arab scholarship, awarding prizes to both established scholars and young researchers.
3. Tarjuman Book Translation Unit: This initiative aims to make high-quality contemporary works by non-Arab writers accessible to Arab researchers in various fields, including economics, sociology, political science, and culture.
4. Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI): Established in 2013, the DI is an academic institute offering postgraduate studies in social sciences, humanities, and public administration. It began operations in 2015.

Publications

The ACRPS has an extensive publishing record, including:

1. Books on various topics related to Arab society and politics
2. Three Arabic academic periodicals: Omran, Tabayyun, and Siyasat Arabia
3. Electronic publications available on the ACRPS website, including policy analyses, case analyses, book reviews, and commentaries.

Events and Conferences

The center organizes two major annual conferences:

1. Annual Conference on the Social Sciences and Humanities: Typically held in March, addressing two research themes each year.
2. Annual Conference of Strategic and Policy Studies Research Centers in the Arab World: Usually held in December, bringing together research centers, policy studies, and strategic analysis institutions from across the Arab region.

In addition to these annual events, the ACRPS regularly hosts other conferences, symposia, and lectures on various topics of interest to the Arab world.

The Arab Opinion Index

The Arab Opinion Index, launched by the ACRPS, conducts surveys that gauge public opinion on various issues, including those related to Islam. This project provides insights into how Islamic beliefs influence political attitudes and social behaviors across different Arab populations. The findings help contextualize the public's engagement with Islamic principles in relation to contemporary socio-political issues.

Academic Collaboration and Networking

The ACRPS has successfully established memorandums of understanding and agreements for academic cooperation with several Arab and international research institutions and universities. This collaboration helps create and maintain a robust network of Arab researchers committed to societal advancement and bridging the gap between Arab academic institutions and those across the globe.

It also collaborates with various academic institutions to enhance research on Islamic issues. By fostering partnerships with universities and research centers both regionally and internationally, it aims to create a robust network of scholars focused on understanding the complexities of Islam in modern society. This collaboration often results in joint publications and conferences that further explore Islamic thought and its implications for public policy.

Challenges and Future Directions

Despite its achievements, the field of public policy studies in the Arab world, including institutions like the ACRPS, faces several challenges:

1. Political context and low performance on democracy and freedom of expression in many Arab countries
2. Limited academic freedom in higher education institutions
3. Difficulties in producing students with high levels of critical, logical, and analytical skills
4. Limited data access, availability, and reliability.

In addressing Islamic issues, the ACRPS also faces challenges on:

1. Cultural Sensitivity: Researching Islamic topics requires navigating complex cultural sensitivities within diverse Arab societies.
2. Political Context: The political climate in many Arab countries can restrict open discourse on Islamic issues, particularly those that critique established norms or authorities.
3. Need for Empirical Studies: There is a call within Arab academia for more empirical studies that validate theoretical claims about the influence of Islam on political behavior rather than relying solely on normative assertions

To address these challenges and further develop public policy studies in the region, recommendations include:

1. Increasing academic freedom to enable quality research production and dissemination
2. Providing more funding for public policy research to promote Arab scholars' contributions to theory and knowledge production
3. Encouraging engagement with global public policy discourse through targeted publishing in international peer-reviewed journals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies plays a crucial role in advancing social sciences and humanities research in the Arab world. Through its various initiatives, publications, and academic programs, the ACRPS contributes significantly to the development of policy studies and research in the region, while also facing challenges that require ongoing attention and strategic solutions.