Politics and Society Institute Releases New Study On Student Activism in Jordanian Universities
A Field-Based Study Calling for Greater Youth Engagement in Public Life and Enhanced Performance of Student Councils
Amman – The Politics and Society Institute (PSI) will launch a new research study next Monday under its broader project “Generation of Modernization”. The study examines student activism in Jordanian universities and its role in advancing democratic transformation and political modernization. It aims to diagnose the current state of student unions and movements while exploring ways to strengthen youth participation in political and civic life both on and off campus.
According to Ahmad Al-Qudah, PSI’s Media and Communications Officer, the study is part of a two-year training initiative implemented in partnership with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Jordan. The project involves ten public and private universities and seeks to develop and institutionalize student movements in alignment with Jordan’s political modernization philosophy. It also aims to enhance the role of student unions as representative bodies for Jordanian students and to promote their engagement in political and public spheres.
Hussein Al-Sararira, PSI’s Program Director, stated that “the study’s findings-which will be announced soon-provide a detailed analysis and evaluation of student activism across participating universities. It assesses the status of student movements, the level of political and partisan involvement among students, and how the modernization process has influenced youth integration into public life. The study also outlines key priorities, challenges, and a roadmap to strengthen this vital national path”.
Assistant researcher Abrar Al-Abwini, who contributed to the study, explained that it includes three main sections. The first is a theoretical-comparative framework analyzing international university experiences with student movements, their relationships with university administrations, and the structure and authority of student unions at both national and institutional levels. The second is quantitative, involving a PSI-led survey of nearly 900 students across eight universities to assess their attitudes toward political and partisan engagement and perceptions of modernization’s impact on student life. The third is qualitative, consisting of focus groups conducted in nine public universities and interviews with stakeholders in higher education. Together, these approaches enable a comparison between global experiences and the Jordanian case, integrating quantitative and qualitative findings to identify national priorities and challenges for improving student representation and empowering university unions.
Dr. Mohammad Abu Rumman, PSI’s Academic Advisor and the study’s principal researcher, noted that the study sought to address several critical questions. “The first question concerns the theoretical and analytical frameworks best suited to interpret Jordan’s experience with student movements and political engagement,” he explained. “The second examines international best practices regarding student movements and union structures, both at institutional and national levels. The third explores the relationship between student movements and political parties’ youth wings-an essential issue for developing party capacity and activity within Jordanian universities”.
Abu Rumman added that other questions focus on the Jordanian context before and after political modernization: “The study analyzes the university environment’s suitability for student activism and partisan engagement, the extent of student participation in political parties, and the factors-academic, institutional, and political-that shape the success or failure of this engagement. It also evaluates student perceptions four years after the modernization process began, assessing how university and parliamentary elections in 2024 affected student and party activism, and examining the roles of university deanships, government, media, and political parties as key actors in this ecosystem”.
For her part, Dr. Rasha Fityan, PSI’s Executive Director, emphasized the study’s dual academic and practical significance: “Beyond being a pioneering academic contribution, this study serves as a baseline reference for the ongoing project to enhance student and partisan engagement in Jordanian universities. It maps the priorities, challenges, and stages needed to build a vision grounded in real institutional dynamics and emerging issues”.
The Politics and Society Institute is a non-profit think tank specializing in political research and youth studies. It regularly publishes books and policy papers on Jordan’s domestic and foreign affairs and provides training and capacity-building programs for young people interested in public and political life.