As the world looks back on the events that convulsed much of the Middle East a decade ago during what became known as the Arab Spring, the Ash Center sat down with Tarek Masoud, Professor of Public Policy and Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman Professor of International Relations to discuss the prospects for democracy in the region today. In our conversation, Masoud, who recently published an article in the Journal of Democracy arguing that the Middle East retains considerable democratic potential, pushes back on the notion that authoritarian states in the region can successfully hold back the demand for freedom so vividly exhibited during the height of the Arab Spring.

Cambridge, MA -- In a new study released today by Harvard Kennedy School, Linda Bilmes, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, and a team of researchers published a detailed examination of the costs and benefits that accrue to capital cities that come from hosting state government. Specifically, the study, launched at the request of Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, examined the unique costs incurred by the City of Trenton and the overall economic value...