National Research Strategies and University Strategic Plans in the Arab Region

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine national research strategies and university strategic plans in reference to the social sciences and humanities in eight public and five non-public universities selected from seven Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar and Tunisia. The 13 universities were classified according to their year of establishment, which ranged from legacy universities established before 1960 to blossoming universities established between 1960 and 1998, and an emerging institute established after 1998. The study also examined the availability of graduate programs and research production as well as the existence of research centers, funding policies, and incentives for research as means of enhancing the quality of research performance and production in the social sciences and humanities. Information for the study was gathered primarily through desktop research and interviews. Analysis of mission statements, strategic plans and national research strategies as well as relevant research studies, using discourse cards to organize the information, and statistics on graduate programs and the production of research was conducted to identify trends, emergent themes and emphasis on research in the social sciences and humanities. Most universities, public and non-public, that have developed a mission statement, mention the significance of research, the importance of culture and their service to society. The strategies of almost all universities emphasized the importance of research quality, innovation, and relevance to the community. While legacy universities focused on the quality of publications and the establishment of academic and research centers of excellence, blossoming universities focused on student involvement in research. In almost all universities, the availability of centers or deanships for research coincided with the availability of funding and faculty resources. Two public and one non-public university publish their own journals for social sciences and humanities and five of the 13 universities offer rewards for research publication. In general, the results indicated the significance of research reflected not only within mission statements and strategies but also through the existence of research centers and an emphasis on enhancing the infrastructure for research.