Studies Department
The understanding of local communities formed a pillar of the EMI functional philosophy and how to implement projects. If this understanding misses local advocates and interests and mechanisms are not clear it becomes impossible to set up successful and effective programs responsive to the needs of the community. Failure to connect the program strategies with factors that cause the conflict is a fundamental reason for the absence of influence.
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute seeks to actively establish an active partnership with local communities in the framework of the search thereby acting hand in hand to identify needs and develop solutions and their implementation on the ground.
The EMI team is specializes in the research field and conducting opinion polls in complex environments, including the raging conflict areas, slums adjacent to the cities, and gatherings of internal displacement, and refugee camps. Given that some of the participants in the Eastern Mediterranean Institute programs are survivors of torture, arbitrary detention, they enrich the work of researchers who draw from their extensive experience to carry out their studies with full professional commanding empathy and ethics of working with vulnerable groups.
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute can provide answers to strategic questions that arise in areas of conflict and fragile environments, including those relating to, for example, the impact of the permanent struggle for security and justice within the community, and the local positions on international political initiatives, and exploring the evolution of the conflict.
Events are accelerated in areas where the Eastern Mediterranean Institute works. So research and analysis are not consider “first stage” for a particular project, but are an ongoing process through which analysts constitute the main element in the work teams within the programs.
Qualitative Tools
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute uses quality research tools such as research groups and interviews with uniform or semi-uniform pattern to understand the diverse points of view that require more precise clarification in relation to the environments in which they operates.
Quantitative Tools
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute designed a set of research tools which include quantitative surveys on the living conditions of the random samples of households within the refugee camps, and reconnaissance over the Internet in areas that prevent the ongoing armed conflict without doing the field work. They are often using research groups to help designing the surveys in order to ensure the appropriateness of research topics and how to appropriately address in line with the ethics of research and the protection of the participants. In addition, the institute collaborates with researchers from the areas covered by the programs to convert the project ownership to local destinations and to ensure the continuity of that.
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute researches are committed to the British Sociological Association statement on professional ethics and behavior. As it guarantees to participants in surveys prior approval and on condition of anonymity
Research Groups
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute established a special unit for research groups. Those groups provide accurate knowledge about the social and behavioral mechanisms that drive human beings to adopt certain attitudes or actions. Often form concepts and vocabulary and phrases used by persons to explain their views within research groups, the basic material that delivers their message across. So participants are encouraged to discuss and express their opinions in the event of non-compliance in order to seek differentiation between different points of view and urging them to disclose their views.
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute has established a number of research groups that have addressed a wide range of issues, including views on the effectiveness of local governance and the problems of domestic security and peace initiatives as well as to address the same programs.
The adaptation of the participants is of the most important steps involved in research studies groups. The Eastern Mediterranean Institute depends on local networks and their employees to select potential participants from wide available groups.
Programs and Projects Design and Management
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute does not give ready-made solutions in advance, but spends its time in the study of the situation and work with the people concerned and to gain knowledge from them, and then employ this knowledge and diverse set of skills they have in the design of complex social, economic and political problems that generate instability solutions. So the data base is driving programs and not assumptions or biased attitudes for one party without the other.
The Eastern Mediterranean Institute works in the ongoing programs within the fields of civil defense and local governance, security, justice, human rights, institution-building, media and civil society in the Middle East and North Africa.