DOCSLIB.ORG

Parental Mediation, Online Activities, and Cyberbullying

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Parental Mediation, Online Activities, and Cyberbullying CYBERPSYCHOLOGY &BEHAVIOR Volume 12, Number 4, 2009 ORIGINAL ARTICLE ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2009.0068 Parental Mediation, Online Activities, and Cyberbullying Gustavo S. Mesch, Ph.D. Abstract Cyberbullying, the use of information and communication technologies to intentionally harm others, has become an important area of research. Studies have begun to investigate the extent of cyberbullying and its victims’ personality characteristics. Less is known about the effect of specific online activities and the role of parental mediation on the likelihood of being bullied. This study attempts to fill this gap in the literature conducting a secondary analysis of a representative sample of the U.S. youth population, the Teens and Parents survey con- ducted by the Pew and American Life Project (n ¼ 935). The results indicate that the risk of youth being bullied is higher for adolescents who have an active profile on social networking sites and participate in chat rooms but not in playing games online. Gender differences emerge in risk factors. A few parental mediation techniques are protective, but most are not. The results indicate the need for more parental participation to reduce risks to youth arising from Internet use for interpersonal communication. Introduction Bullying has been historically a common form of aggres- sion that affects children and teenagers mostly while at or youth, the most frequent use of the Internet is for school, while traveling to or from school, or in public places Fcommunication purposes with known and unknown in- such as playgrounds and bus stops.7 In recent years, in- dividuals who are met in electronic spaces of activity such as creasing empirical evidence is available suggesting that bul- interactive games, social networking sites, forums, and chat lying is also present online, and as greater numbers of youth rooms. According to a recent U.S. survey, 87% of youth send are using the Internet for interpersonal relationships, the risk or receive e-mails, 68% send or receive instant messages, 55% of being bullied for children and youth is increasing.8,9 As a use an online social networking site, 57% participate in video- result, a growing number of studies have been directed to sharing spaces, and 18% visit chat rooms.1 While the Internet understanding the prevalence and correlates of cyberbully- can be a critical tool for searching information and being ing. Yet there is a paucity of studies investigating the asso- connected to a peer group, it can be misused as a tool for ciation between online behaviors and parental mediation on offensive and harmful behavior. the risk of cyberbullying. While studies indicated that the Adolescence is a period in which social relationships outside higher the frequency of Internet use, the higher the risk of the family expand, and their quality has been linked to various cyberbullying, it is not clear what kinds of uses expose teens behavioral outcomes.2 Social interaction with peers provides a to this risk and what uses do not. forum for learning and refining socioemotional skills needed As to potential protective factors, parental mediation refers for enduring relationships. Through interactions with peers, to the activities carried out by parents to protect their children adolescents learn how to cooperate, to take different perspec- from exposure to online dangers.10,11 There is evidence of tives, and to satisfy growing needs for intimacy.3,4 Youth who such an effect: some studies have reported children whose report having close friends are more confident, more altruistic, parents monitored their online activities were less likely to and less aggressive, and they demonstrate greater school in- disclose personal information, less likely to seek out inap- volvement and work orientation.5 propriate sites, and less likely to conduct chat conversations At the same time, the search for association with known with strangers.9,12 Yet the findings of these studies are limited friends and the possibility of expanding the peer group to because they were conducted with small samples, and the unknown individuals expose adolescents to risks. Adoles- analysis is descriptive. The purpose of the current study is cents are susceptible to negative social interactions, and fre- to investigate which online behaviors are associated with quent use of the Internet might expose them to bullying, increased risks of being bullied and what kind of parental harassment, and sexual solicitation.6 mediation techniques decrease this risk. Department of Sociology, University of Haifa, Israel. 387 388 MESCH Cyberbullying through Web pages, participating in moderated and un- moderated forums, searching and posting pictures and clips, Cyberbullying has been defined as willful and repeated playing online games, and interacting with known and un- harm inflicted through the use of e-mail, cell phone, instant known individuals. As youth use the Internet for their daily messaging, and defamatory Web sites.7 It is an act of ag- routine activities, it can be argued that online activities differ gression that can take the form of purposeful harassment, in the extent that they expose youth to risks of being bullied. such as making unwanted, derogative, nasty, or threatening Consistent with this argument, there is some evidence that comments through electronic communications or spreading frequent Internet use increases the risk of being bullied on- rumors, short clips, or altered photos that are offensive or line, and the most frequent spaces where cyberbullying oc- embarrassing the victim by posting them on a Web site.13,14 curred were in chat rooms.17 It can be expected that youth As to the effects of online aggression. there a number of who participate in Internet activities in which there is a high reasons to expect that the effects of cyberbullying might be likelihood of providing contact and personal information are more pronounced than the effects of traditional bullying. An at a higher risk than youth who use the Internet mainly to important characteristic of cyberbullying is that when mov- search for information provided in Web pages. Thus, in this ing from the physical to the virtual space, its intensity in- study, it is expected that having a profile in a social net- creases. In traditional bullying, there exists the possibility of working site and participating in a clip-sharing site increase physical separation between the aggressor and the victim, but the risk of being bullied online. In these sites, teenagers pro- in cyberbullying, physical separation does not guarantee vide personal information (personal picture, city of residence) cessation of acts as text messages and e-mails are being sent to and built in is the ability for users to communicate through the victim. Further, when using the Internet, the abuser has a e-mail. Participation in chat rooms and playing online games sense of anonymity and often believes that there is only a slim increase the exposure of adolescents’ to unknown others and chance of his or her misconduct being detected. Also, when therefore increase the risk of being bullied or harassed online. bullying is technologically supported, the aggressor is not Online bullying requires some knowledge about the vic- aware of the consequences of the aggression. The screen does tim. When conducting online activities, individuals differ in not allow seeing the emotional expression of the victim. Thus, the extent to which they are willing to share personal infor- anonymity and lack of interactive interaction may increase mation. Some are less willing than others to provide contact the aggressor’s lack of inhibition, increasing the frequency and personal information. Providing personal communica- and power of cyberbullying.15 tion can be considered a risk factor for victimization, partic- There is growing evidence that victimization has negative ularly when it is provided to strangers. Thus, it is expected effects on adolescents’ well-being. Victims of online bullying that individuals who express more willingness to provide displayed low school commitment, engaged in alcohol and personal information are at a higher risk of being bullied than cigarette consumption, and about one third of the harassed those who express more reservations about sharing this felt at least one symptom of psychological stress following the information. incident.16,17 Conceptualizing cyberbullying Parental mediation This study relies on the routine-activities theory of vic- An additional concept in routine-activities theories is timization.18 The basic assumption underlying the lifestyle guardianship, which is the presence of people or actions that exposure theory is that differences in the likelihood of vic- decrease the risk of victimization. Guardianship may have a timization are attributed to differences in personal lifestyles human element, usually a person whose mere presence de- of the victims. Variations in lifestyles are important because ters potential offenders from perpetrating an act. A capable they are related to exposure to dangerous spaces where there guardian could also be an electronic device, such as a closed- are high risks of victimization. From this perspective, life- capture camera, providing that someone is monitoring it at styles are routine daily activities, both vocational (study, the other end of the camera. work) and leisure. An individual’s lifestyle is the critical This concept has been used slightly differently in the media factor that determines risks of victimization.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sense of Community and Political Mobilization in Virtual Communities: the Role of Dispositional and Situational Variables
    Butler University Digital Commons @ Butler University Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication College of Communication 2010 Sense of Community and Political Mobilization in Virtual Communities: The Role of Dispositional and Situational Variables Kevin Y. Wang Butler University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ccom_papers Part of the Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Social Influence and oliticalP Communication Commons, and the Social Media Commons Recommended Citation Wang, Kevin Y., "Sense of Community and Political Mobilization in Virtual Communities: The Role of Dispositional and Situational Variables" (2010). Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication. 115. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ccom_papers/115 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Communication at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Observatorio (OBS*) Journal, vol.4 - nº1 (2010), 073-096 1646-5954/ERC123483/2010 073 Sense of Community and Political Mobilization in Virtual Communities: The Role of Dispositional and Situational Variables Kevin Y. Wang, University of Minnesota – School of Journalism and Mass Communication Abstract This paper explores the psychological processes that connect virtual communities to political behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • Lexical Innovation on the Internet - Neologisms in Blogs
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2009 Lexical innovation on the internet - neologisms in blogs Smyk-Bhattacharjee, Dorota Abstract: Studien im Bereich des Sprachwandels beschreiben traditionellerweise diachronische Verän- derungen in den Kernsubsystemen der Sprache und versuchen, diese zu erklären. Obwohl ein Grossteil der Sprachwissenschaftler sich darüber einig ist, dass die aktuellen Entwicklungen in einer Sprache am klarsten im Wortschatz reflektiert werden, lassen die lexikographischen und morphologischen Zugänge zur Beobachtung des lexikalischen Wandels wichtige Fragen offen. So beschäftigen sich letztere typischer- weise mit Veränderungen, die schon stattgefunden haben, statt sich dem sich zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt vollziehenden Wandel zu widmen. Die vorliegende Dissertation bietet eine innovative Lösung zur Un- tersuchung des sich vollziehenden lexikalischen Wandels sowohl in Bezug auf die Datenquelle als auch bzgl. der verwendeten Methodologie. In den vergangenen 20 Jahren hat das Internet unsere Art zu leben, zu arbeiten und zu kommunizieren drastisch beeinflusst. Das Internet bietet aber auch eine Masse an frei zugänglichen Sprachdaten und damit neue Möglichkeiten für die Sprachforschung. Die in dieser Arbeit verwendeten Daten stammen aus einem Korpus englischsprachiger Blogs, eine Art Computer gestützte Kommunikation (computer-mediated communication, CMC). Blogs bieten eine neue, beispiel- lose Möglichkeit, Wörtern nachzuspüren zum Zeitpunkt, in der sie Eingang in die Sprache finden. Um die Untersuchung des Korpus zu vereinfachen, wurde eine Software mit dem Namen Indiana entwickelt. Dieses Instrument verbindet den Korpus basierten Zugang mit einer lexikographischen Analyse. Indiana verwendet eine Kombination von HTML-to-text converter, eine kumulative Datenbank und verschiede Filter, um potentielle Neologismen im Korpus identifizieren zu können.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from the History of Internet Studies
    Allen, M. 2020. Lessons from the History of Internet Studies. Cultural Science Journal, 12(1), pp. 68–76. DOI: cultural science https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.139 RESEARCH Lessons from the History of Internet Studies Matthew Allen Institute for Social Change, University of Tasmania, AU [email protected] A Keynote Presentation given at the Open Literacy Digital Games, Social Responsibility and Social Innovation Symposium in celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the founding of Internet Studies at Curtin University. Matthew is Australia’s first Professor of Internet Studies, having established the world-leading Internet Studies department at Curtin University where he worked from 1993 to 2012. Keywords: Internet Studies; Open Literacy; Institutional Change Matthew Allen was invited to give a Keynote Presentation given at the Open Literacy Digital Games, Social Responsibility and Social Innovation Symposium. Matthew is Australia’s first Professor of Internet Studies, hav- ing established the world-leading Internet Studies department at Curtin University where he worked from 1993 to 2012. He then took up the role of Head of School, Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University (2013–2019). Matthew is former president of the Association of Internet Researchers, and co-editor of the pres- tigious Handbook of Internet Research, now in its second edition. Matthew is also a nationally awarded educa- tor (AAUT, 2000) and Fellow of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. His research covers topics includ- ing the history of the Internet, drug use and online communication, Australia’s development of broadband usage, and online learning and education. He joined the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Social Change at the start of 2020 and is currently researching the uses of Internet technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the response of students to enforced online learning.
    [Show full text]
  • The Digital Divide: the Internet and Social Inequality in International Perspective
    http://www.diva-portal.org This is the published version of a chapter published in The Digital Divide: The Internet and Social Inequality in International Perspective. Citation for the original published chapter: Meinrath, S., Losey, J., Lennett, B. (2013) Afterword. Internet Freedom, Nuanced Digital Divide, and the Internet Craftsman. In: Massimo Ragnedda and Glenn W. Muschert (ed.), The Digital Divide: The Internet and Social Inequality in International Perspective (pp. 309-316). London: Routledge Routledge advances in sociology N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published chapter. Permanent link to this version: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-100423 The Digital Divide This book provides an in-depth comparative analysis of inequality and the stratification of the digital sphere. Grounded in classical sociological theories of inequality, as well as empirical evidence, this book defines “the digital divide” as the unequal access and utility of internet communications technologies and explores how it has the potential to replicate existing social inequalities, as well as create new forms of stratification. The Digital Divide examines how various demographic and socio-economic factors including income, education, age and gender, as well as infrastructure, products and services affect how the internet is used and accessed. Comprised of six parts, the first section examines theories of the digital divide, and then looks in turn at: • Highly developed nations and regions (including the USA, the EU and Japan); • Emerging large powers (Brazil, Russia, India, China); • Eastern European countries (Estonia, Romania, Serbia); • Arab and Middle Eastern nations (Egypt, Iran, Israel); • Under-studied areas (East and Central Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa).
    [Show full text]
  • Internet Research in Psychology
    PS66CH33-Gosling ARI 19 November 2014 13:50 Internet Research in Psychology Samuel D. Gosling1 and Winter Mason2 1Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712; email: [email protected] 2Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030; email: [email protected] Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2015. 66:877–902 Keywords First published online as a Review in Advance on Internet research, online research September 22, 2014 The Annual Review of Psychology is online at Abstract psych.annualreviews.org Today the Internet plays a role in the lives of nearly 40% of the world’s pop- This article’s doi: ulation, and it is becoming increasingly entwined in daily life. This growing 10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015321 Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2015.66:877-902. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org presence is transforming psychological science in terms of the topics studied Access provided by University of British Columbia on 01/01/21. For personal use only. Copyright c 2015 by Annual Reviews. and the methods used. We provide an overview of the literature, consid- All rights reserved ering three broad domains of research: translational (implementing tradi- tional methods online; e.g., surveys), phenomenological (topics spawned or mediated by the Internet; e.g., cyberbullying), and novel (new ways to study existing topics; e.g., rumors). We discuss issues (e.g., sampling, ethics) that arise when doing research online and point to emerging opportunities (e.g., smartphone sensing). Psychological research on the Internet comes with new challenges, but the opportunities far outweigh the costs. By integrating the Internet, psychological research has the ability to reach large, diverse samples and collect data on actual behaviors, which will ultimately increase the impact of psychological research on society.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Citizenship Education
    Internet Research Ethics: Digital Citizenship Education Internet Research Ethics: Digital Citizenship Education by Tohid Moradi Sheykhjan Ph.D. Scholar in Education University of Kerala Paper Presented at Seminar on New Perspectives in Research Organized by Department of Education, University of Kerala Venue Seminar Hall, Department of Education, University of Kerala, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 17th - 18th November, 2017 0 Internet Research Ethics: Digital Citizenship Education Internet Research Ethics: Digital Citizenship Education Tohid Moradi Sheykhjan PhD. Scholar in Education, University of Kerala Email: [email protected] Abstract Our goal for this paper discusses the main research ethical concerns that arise in internet research and reviews existing research ethical guidance in relation to its application for educating digital citizens. In recent years we have witnessed a revolution in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) that has transformed every field of knowledge. Education has not remained detached from this revolution. Ethical questions in relation to technology encompass a wide range of topics, including privacy, neutrality, the digital divide, cybercrime, and transparency. In a growing digital society, digital citizens recognize and value the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they engage in safe, legal and ethical behaviors. Too often we see technology users misuse and abuse technology because they are unaware of
    [Show full text]
  • Guidelines for Internet Research with Human Subjects
    Liberty University Institutional Review Board Guidelines for Internet Research with Human Subjects The Internet has become increasingly prominent as a research tool although specific regulations for Internet research compliance are currently only in their early developmental stages. In the absence of rules and policies, researchers and IRBs must use their sense of ethical empathy to adequately protect the rights and welfare of human subjects to guide research design and execution. Information provided by the Internet usually includes, but is not limited to, email, websites and bulletin boards. Generally, Internet-based research should be subject to the same ethical principles as more traditional research with human subjects. Beneficence, justice and respect for persons are paramount. Internet researchers have moral obligations to respect and protect human beings as autonomous agents and thereby to protect human dignity (Ess, 2002). Briefly, Internet researchers must: Do no harm, Protect the anonymity of subjects, Protect the confidentiality of all research data tied to the identity of subjects, Obtain informed consent from subjects. Public or Private Space? The Internet is generally considered a public domain, easily accessible to anyone, yet many Internet community members regard their online interactions to be private conversations embedded in public space. Researchers must be sensitive to the issue that whether a space is public or private is relative to the definitions of those who occupy it (Cavanagh, 1999) and be aware of the implications resulting for the informed consent process. Psychological harm can result when members are unaware that they are being analyzed and when the results of the study are published in a way that allows the participants to identify themselves and their community.
    [Show full text]
  • Safety and Security on the Internet: Challenges
    Safety and security on the Internet Challenges and advances in Member States Based on the findings of the second global survey on eHealth Global Observatory for eHealth series - Volume 4 WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Safety and security on the Internet: challenges and advances in Member States: based on the findings of the second global survey on eHealth.(Global Observatory for eHealth Series, v. 4) 1.Internet - utilization. 2.Computer security. 3.Computers. 4.Access to information. 5.Medical informatics. I.WHO Global Observatory for eHealth. ISBN 978 92 4 156439 7 (NLM classification: W 26.5) © World Health Organization 2011 All rights reserved. Publications of the World Health Organization are available on the WHO web site (www.who.int) or can be purchased from WHO Press, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland (tel.: +41 22 791 3264; fax: +41 22 791 4857; e-mail: [email protected]). Requests for permission to reproduce or translate WHO publications – whether for sale or for noncommercial distribution – should be addressed to WHO Press through the WHO web site (http://www.who.int/about/ licensing/copyright_form/en/index.html). The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • The Internet and Communication Studies
    Nicolas Jankowski, Steve Jones, Kirsten Foot, Phil Howard, Robin Mansell, Steve Schneider and Roger Silverstone The internet and communication studies Book section – Accepted version (Refereed) Original citation: Originally published in: Price, Monroe and Nissenbaum, Helen, (eds.) Academy and the Internet. Digital Formations (12). (New York, USA: Peter Lang, 2004) pp. 168-195. ISBN 978082062035 © 2004 Peter Lang Publishing Group This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/4331/ Available in LSE Research Online: August 2014 LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website. This document is the author’s accepted version of the book section. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. The Internet & Communication Studies Nicholas W. Jankowski, Steve Jones, Kirsten Foot, Phil Howard, Robin Mansell, Steve Schneider & Roger Silverstone Contact information Department of Communication University of Nijmegen P.O. Box 9104 6500 HE Nijmegen The Netherlands [email protected] June 26, 2002 Not intended for citation or distribution 11,000 words Prepared for Monroe Price and Helen Nissenbaum (Eds.) The Internet and the Academy The Internet & Communication Studies Introduction It is hard to avoid the bustle of activity within academia generally, and communication studies particularly, since popularization of the Internet.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Responsibility on the Internet: Addressing the Challenge of ☆ T Cyberbullying
    Aggression and Violent Behavior 39 (2018) 42–52 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Aggression and Violent Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aggviobeh Social responsibility on the Internet: Addressing the challenge of ☆ T cyberbullying Raphael Cohen-Almagor School of Law and Politics, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, United Kingdom ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: This article discusses the phenomena of cyberbullying especially among young people. The discussion, based on Adolescent vulnerability an interdisciplinary study in the fields of brain studies, child development, psychology, social policy, victimi- Bullying zation and Internet studies, probes the troubling phenomenon of cyberbullying which may result in suicide. It is Cyberbullying argued that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults because they lack maturity with respect to capacities Friendship such as thrill seeking, impulse control, peer pressure, reward sensitivity, cognitive processing, rational decision- Responsibility making and long-term planning. The article suggests remedies to counter online social ills and argues for re- Social networking Suicide sponsible cooperation between parents, schools, governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and social networking sites. 1. Introduction aggression used to reinforce an imbalance of power (Kowalski, Limber, & Agatston, 2008; Olweus, 1993). It can involve tormenting, threa- The Internet has created new markets and is profoundly changing tening, harassing, humiliating, embarrassing,
    [Show full text]
  • State of Scholarship on Weblogs Definition of Weblogs
    Introduction: Weblogs, Rhetoric, Community, and Culture Laura Gurak, Smiljana Antonijevic, Laurie Johnson, Clancy Ratliff, and Jessica Reyman, University of Minnesota State of scholarship on weblogs During the past two decades, we have witnessed the introduction of many new digital spaces for writing and communicating, from hypertext, to chat rooms, to newsgroups, to discussion boards, to MOOS and MUDs, to wikis, to peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The proliferation of new spaces for communicating via the Internet has evoked scholarship in the fields of communication, rhetoric, composition, and writing studies from researchers seeking to address the social, rhetorical, and discursive implications. Recently, there has emerged a new object for study of great rhetorical impact: the weblog. The scholarly exploration of weblogs is still new, having up to this point taken place at primarily at conferences. Some examples include Computers and Writing 2003 and 2004, Conference on College Composition and Communication 2004, the Association of Internet Researchers 2003, and Harvard Law School's BloggerCon, a conference devoted to "the art and science of weblogs." At these conferences, scholars have recognized that blogs are more than mere tools for communicating online; rather, they provide new possibilities for the Internet as a rhetorical space. Blogs, some would argue, have revolutionized the way we receive information and connect with each other in online environments. Enthusiasts claim that blogs allow anyone's voice to be heard and resist hierarchical modes of information dissemination and communication. While this idealist egalitarian model of the Internet has often been criticized, we find value in the power of blogs to forego the institutionalization of communicative practices and offer spaces for writing that are more collaboratively constructed than other online spaces, as bloggers freely link to, comment on, and augment each other's content.
    [Show full text]
  • Seismic Shift: Understanding Change in the Middle East
    Seismic Shift: Understanding Change in the Middle East Project Director Ellen Laipson Contributing Authors Richard Cincotta James C. Clad F. Gregory Gause, III Robert Grenier Andrew Houk Andrew Marshall David Michel Courtney C. Radsch Corey Sobel Mona Yacoubian May 2011 Copyright © 2011 The Henry L. Stimson Center ISBN: 978-0-9845211-8-0 Cover and book design by Shawn Woodley and Lacey Rainwater All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent from the Stimson Center. Stimson Center 1111 19th Street, NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Telephone: 202.223.5956 Fax: 202.238.9604 www.stimson.org Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................v Timeline of Events ............................................................................................................. vi Understanding Change in the Middle East: An Overview ............................................1 Ellen Laipson Sector Reports Academic and International Organizations The Middle East Academic Community and the “Winter of Arab Discontent”: Why Did We Miss It? ...............................................................................................11 F. Gregory Gause, III Socioeconomic Studies ............................................................................................29 Richard Cincotta Democracy and Human Rights Non-Governmental Organizations Non-Governmental
    [Show full text]