Cover -- Barriers to Democracy: The Other Side of Social Capital in Palestine and the Arab World -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- Note to the Reader -- Chapter One: Introduction: Democratic Outcomes and Associational Life -- Associations in Western Democratic Contexts -- Associational Life in Palestine -- The Associational Puzzle -- Clientelism and Patronage -- Chapter Two: Associational Life in the Centralized Authoritarian Context of the West Bank -- The Failure of Oslo, PNA Corruption, and Democracy -- Political Contextual Difference and Associational Life -- The Polarization of Associational Life in the West Bank: Historical Overview -- Palestinian Political and Civil Life under Occupation -- Associational Life Post-Oslo -- Corruption, Patronage, Clientelism, and the PNA -- The PNA and the PLC -- Rule of Law, the Judiciary, and the PNA -- Associational Life and PNA Corruption -- Conclusion -- Chapter Three: The Polarization of Palestinian Associational Life -- The Palestinian Associational Terrain -- Factionalism -- The Peace Process with Israel and the Realities Associated with Oslo -- Donor Monies -- Conclusion -- Chapter Four: Trust, Engagement, and Democracy -- The Polarization of Palestinian Civil Society -- Association Membership and Support for the PNA -- Examining Interpersonal Trust and Civic Engagement -- The Associational Landscape -- A Note on Self-selection and Causality -- Conclusion -- Chapter Five: Beyond Palestine: Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt -- Trust and Associational Life in Morocco -- Consolidating the Moroccan Monarchy: A Historical Overview -- Solidifying Authoritarianism or Political Liberalization -- Historical Patterns: The Evolution of Associational Life -- Associations and the Regime -- Political Parties and the Moroccan Regime -- The Media -- Civic Attitudes and Associational Realities in Morocco.

Beyond Palestine and Morocco: Jordan and Egypt -- Associational Life in Jordan and Egypt -- Civil Society and Polarization -- Conclusion -- Chapter Six: Conclusion: Toward a Theory of Democratic Citizenship in State-Centralized Nations -- Interpersonal Trust and Associational Realities in the West Bank -- Civic Engagement, Support for Democratic Institutions, and Associational Realities in the West Bank -- Civic Engagement and Interpersonal Trust among Association Members -- The Art of Association -- A Note about Democratization -- Appendixes -- Appendix A: Survey Questions and Coding of Association Members -- Appendix B: Survey Questions and Coding of General Palestinian Population -- Appendix C: Survey Questions and Coding of General Moroccan Population (World Values Survey Questions) -- Bibliography -- Index.

Democracy-building efforts from the early 1990s on have funneled billions of dollars into nongovernmental organizations across the developing world, with the U.S. administration of George W. Bush leading the charge since 2001. But are many such "civil society" initiatives fatally flawed? Focusing on the Palestinian West Bank and the Arab world, Barriers to Democracy mounts a powerful challenge to the core tenet of civil society initiatives: namely, that public participation in private associations necessarily yields the sort of civic engagement that, in turn, sustains effective democratic institutions. Such assertions tend to rely on evidence from states that are democratic to begin with. Here, Amaney Jamal investigates the role of civic associations in promoting democratic attitudes and behavioral patterns in contexts that are less than democratic. Jamal argues that, in state-centralized environments, associations can just as easily promote civic qualities vital to authoritarian citizenship--such as support for the regime in power. Thus, any assessment of the influence of associational life on civic life must take into account political contexts, including the relationships among associations, their leaders, and political institutions. Barriers to Democracy both builds on and critiques the multifaceted literature that has emerged since the mid-1990s on associational life and civil society. By critically examining associational life in the West Bank during the height of the Oslo Peace Process (1993-99), and extending her findings to Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan, Jamal provides vital new insights into a timely issue.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.