The Governance and Development program promotes regional development and prosperity by working to identify solutions to the most pressing socioeconomic and governance challenges facing the MENA region.
The program conducts research to understand the underlying causes and consequences of these challenges; convenes meetings with leading thinkers, practitioners, and policymakers to develop viable policy solutions; and works with leading regional and international institutions to launch innovative programmatic initiatives.
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Areas of Focus
Economic Development
Energy transition
Economic diversification
Climate change
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Governance and Institutional Reform
Public sector reform
Public finance management
Post-conflict rebuilding
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Social Policy and Inclusion
Social protection
Marginalized groups
Skills development
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publications
July 31, 2025After the Shock: The Israel-Iran War’s Economic Impact on the Gulf
The 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025 sent shockwaves through the Gulf, not for its immediate economic damage, but for what it revealed: the fragility of the Gulf’s security assumptions, the limits of U.S. protection, and the looming threat to vital trade routes. While oil prices and markets quickly rebounded, the psychological and strategic consequences have left Gulf states grappling with new uncertainties. This analysis explores the conflict’s economic aftermath and what it means for the future of GCC resilience, defense, and diplomacy.
May 30, 2025Gas, Growth, and Green Ambitions: Qatar’s Climate Blueprint
For decades, Qatar has occupied a unique position on the global stage: with vast natural gas reserves, the nation has the world’s highest per capita carbon emissions, yet it only contributes, and has contributed, minimally to global greenhouse gas totals. This conundrum lies at the heart of Qatar’s climate challenge—a balancing act between leveraging its hydrocarbon wealth and responding to the mounting global pressure to decarbonize
May 23, 2025Localizing Renewable Energy Supply Chains in the Gulf: Ambitions, Challenges, and Strategic Pathways
Despite their abundant oil and gas wealth, the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are cautiously navigating the energy transition. Growing international pressure for decarbonization, falling solar and wind technology costs, and the economic imperative to diversify beyond oil have led them to explore renewable energy supply chains to diversify their economies and enhance their energy security
May 20, 2025From Exile to Uncertainty: Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Consider Returning Home
The fall of the Assad regime after almost 14 years of war has brought hope to many Syrian refugees that a long-awaited return home is possible. The shift also comes as welcome news for the governments of host countries—not least Syria’s neighbor Lebanon, where politicians have long claimed that the presence of hundreds of thousands of refugees places a heavy burden on scarce resources.
March 19, 2025EVs and Batteries in the Gulf: Industrial Policy amid Tariff Wars and the Battle for Market Access
As the Gulf states set their national strategies for digital and green transitions, electric vehicles are flooding into the traditionally fossil fuel-driven auto markets of the Gulf — especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
The Trump Administration began the morning of February 3, 2025, by telling staff and contractors of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to stay home. Elon Musk and his team at the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) spent the day digging through staff computers, digital records, and accounts seeking information on programs they felt were wasteful or not aligned with the new administration’s priorities.
January 16, 2025Carbon Emissions Reduction Strategies for Qatar
Climate change is high on the agenda of countries around the world. Efforts to limit the average global temperature increase to less than 1.5°C – an amount that scientist say would limit the most dire consequences of climate change – have so far faltered. Recent United Nations Climate Change Conferences have focused on exploring ways to substantially cut carbon emissions and scale up financing for emissions reductions.
December 23, 2024How Effective Are Arab Anticorruption Agencies? Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
Concerns about corruption have been at the center of public dissatisfaction over the quality of governance in many Arab countries. Anger over bureaucratic indifference and malfeasance was one of the main drivers behind the Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011. In 2019, corruption concerns animated the unrest in Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan. Polling data from… Continue reading Governance and Development Program
August 22, 2024Division and Disaster: Libya’s Political Fragmentation and Response to the Derna Flood
A devastating flood hit the Libyan city of Derna on September 10 and 11, 2023. It resulted from the collapse of two dams after heavy rainfall pounded the eastern coastline of Libya due to Storm Daniel’s passage through the Mediterranean.
