Home > Publications > ERF 27th Annual Conference > Is The Arab Spring A New Dividing Line? Experimental Evidence from Four Arab Countries

ERF 27th Annual Conference

Is The Arab Spring A New Dividing Line? Experimental Evidence from Four Arab Countries

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    • No.

    ERF27_29

    Publisher

    ERF

    Date

    May, 2021

    Topic

    P. Economic Systems

    In the Arab World – as much as in other regions – historical events have the potential of producing dividing lines that affect social dynamics for years beyond the triggering events. Being the most significant event in the Arab World in the past decade, we examine how far Arab Spring events have generated a new dividing line in the region that cuts across existing cleavages and whether such division depends on how violent Arab Spring events have been. We examine such question by conducting two lab-in-the-field experiments with subjects from four Arab countries (Syrian refugees in a refugee camp in Jordan, Jordanians, Tunisians and Egyptians). We trace whether subjects exhibit socio-economic behavioural biases depending on their game partner’s views on the Arab Spring. The experimental manipulation is varying the game partner in a dictator game and a trust game, to be a fellow national who has the same or opposing view of the Arab Spring. Our significant results come mainly from our Syrian sample (who witnessed the most violent version of the Arab Spring); playing against a fellow Syrian who is on the other side of the Arab Spring dividing line reduced one’s level of altruism and trust. We find no significant results in the Egyptian, Tunisian, and Jordanian samples.
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    • Is The Arab Spring A New Dividing Line? Experimental Evidence from Four Arab Countries

    Authors

    Engi Amin

    Assistant Lecturer, Socio-Computing Department, Faculty of Economics...

    Is The Arab Spring A New Dividing Line? Experimental Evidence from Four Arab Countries

    Authors

    Mazen Hassan

    Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, Cairo University

    Is The Arab Spring A New Dividing Line? Experimental Evidence from Four Arab Countries

    Authors

    Sarah Mansour

    Assistant Professor of Economics at the Faculty...

    Is The Arab Spring A New Dividing Line? Experimental Evidence from Four Arab Countries

    Authors

    Andreas Nicklisch

    Professor for Economics and Statistics, Center for...

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