David Mednicoff, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Associate Director of the Program in Social Thought and Political Economy, will talk about his research on the rule of law in Arab societies as part of an inaugural conference being held at Stanford University on May 10-11, 2010. The conference, “Political Reform in the Arab World: Problems and Prospects,” will launch a new “Good Governance and Political Reform in the Arab World” program at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.
Mednicoff’s talk will focus on his extensive research concerning the roles that legal rights and procedures play in contemporary Arab societies and prospects for political democratization there. His research has important implications for international relations and US policy. Mednicoff was a 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholar at the Qatar University and has presented his work to policymakers in Washington at forums sponsored by the Department of State and by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is currently conducting research on the regulation of migrant workers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as part of a grant from Georgetown University. He also recently was named Principal Director of a workshop on the comparative politics and law of secularism to be held in 2011 at the International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Onati, Spain. Mednicoff holds both Ph.D. and law degrees from Harvard University.
The conference at Stanford will feature renowned experts on Arab politics and civil society from around the globe, and will address key themes related to Arab governance and reform, including the role of the military, secular and Islamist political opposition, youth politics, media and public opinion, economic development, and interventions by the international community.
For more information on Professor Mednicoff’s lecture contact Susan Newton (snewton@pubpol.umass.edu or X7-0478).