Research Library

The authors examine a proposal for new human embryo and embryoid guidelines, writing that before conducting any research beyond day 14, scientists must develop clear, thoughtful and culturally sensitive guidelines that include limitations and oversight procedures to ensure that science responds to societal needs and values.

Global deworming programs for children were once believed to improve a child’s chances for health, growth and success in school. New research that claims to debunk the merit of such programs has set off so-called “worm wars” between investigators. The authors aim to resolve the issue through an extended comparison of findings from key economics and epidemiological studies.

The authors compare views on the relationship between faith and health for two groups that are overrepresented in American Christianity and underrepresented in medical careers (African Americans and Latinos) with a group that is similarly religious but comparatively well-represented in medical professions (Korean Americans).

Nonresident fellow Valentine Moghadam argues that women’s legal status, social positions, and collective action prior to the Arab Spring helped shape the nature of the 2011 mass protests as well as the political and social outcomes of individual countries.

Using the work of the women’s caucus in Iran’s Sixth Parliament as a case study, the authors examine women’s struggles to obtain a voice and influence within an authoritarian polity and a male-dominated political body.

What has the Arab Spring meant for women’s rights in the region? Three years after the mass social protests of January and February 2011, when and where can we expect the promises of democracy and equality, and the revolutionary spirit of unity and purpose, to be realized? This article takes stock of significant events and possible future directions, with a focus on prospects for a women-friendly democratization.

This article focuses on three early cases of the Arab Spring — Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco — to discuss causes and likely outcomes, gender dynamics, prospects for genuine democratization, and the connection between feminist movements and democratization. A comparative and international perspective highlights similarities and differences across the Arab cases and between the Arab Spring and other "democracy waves."