Unrest Among the Unemployed? The Significance of Employment Status for Participation in Political Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa

Unemployment has long been presumed to heighten not only demonstrations but also political violence and armed conflict. Yet there is scant empirical evidence to support this assumed link. In this event, TAPRI (Tampere Peace Research Institute) doctoral researcher Kari Paasonen will present two of his research articles on the relationship between employment status and political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Welcome to the seminar Unrest Among the Unemployed? The Significance of Employment Status for Participation in Political Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa

Unemployment has often been presumed to intensify demonstrations, political violence, and even armed conflicts. However, little research evidence actually supports this presumed correlation.

During the seminar, TAPRI doctoral researcher Kari Paasonen will introduce two scholarly articles examining the connection between employment status and political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. The findings reveal that unemployed and employed individuals alike took part, with roughly equal zeal, in the Arab Spring uprisings. Yet when it comes to young people in the region—both those involved in political violence and those demonstrating—job quality seems to make a difference. For instance, those dissatisfied with their work or working fewer hours were more often found to participate.

Paasonen’s research articles are openly available here:

• https://doi.org/10.1515/peps-2019-0007
• https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433241261551

The latter article was published in October 2024 by the Journal of Peace Research, one of the world’s most prestigious social science journals. Paasonen has also authored a Policy Brief on the same topic.

Following Paasonen’s presentation, there will be time for discussion.

The session will be moderated by Maria Mekri, Executive Director of the peace and security think tank SaferGlobe.

We warmly welcome you to join us!