Four studies explore how culture shapes the contents of gender stereotypes, demonstrating that men serve as "cultural ideals," such that they are perceived as possessing more of whatever traits are culturally valued.

On May 26-28, 2008, the Global Development Network and the Dubai School of Government jointly hosted a two-day development workshop entitled "Bridging Research and Policy." The workshop aimed to initiate a dialogue among a select group of experts with the objective of strengthening the policy relevance and influence of research. This report is a summary of findings from the meeting.

International branch campuses (IBCs) have a significant presence in Dubai’s higher education sector, yet the role of these institutions is not yet fully understood. Moreover, the evolution of the roles of IBCs in Dubai may be strongly influenced by public policy designs. This brief provides an overview of key public policy issues and presents a set of questions to help frame the ongoing conversation.

In this editorial, Theodore Karasik and Stephen Brannon illustrate the trade-off between legitimate security concerns and maintaining an open, business-friendly climate in the context of the UAE's ban on BlackBerry smartphones.

Visiting Scholar Taufiq Rahim has authored "Failing Pakistan’s Minorities" for the AfPak channel of Foreign Policy’s online magazine.

In this editorial, Theodore Karasik and Wayne James highlight the growing importance of food security as a public policy issue for countries of the GCC.

In partnership with Microsoft, DSG conducted an Executive Education course on "Innovative Government" from 7 to 9 March 2010, which explored concepts of innovation in the public sector and ways to foster innovative governance approaches. Academics, industry leaders and government officials collaborated to understand the implications of new technology trends for the public sector, in terms of both opportunities and challenges. This proceedings report covers presentations and discussions, and highlights the main themes and recommendations from the course.

This report is based on an exhaustive review of source material in Arabic, French and English, including interviews with members of the Dubai and Djiboutian business communities, shipping and logistics agents and traders, and international aid organizations. It is the first systematic investigation of the origins and economic impact of a 10-year partnership, one the author argues holds potentially serious implications for the aid/investment balance in Africa.The full monograph will be published in late summer, 2010.

The author argues that in spite of the extremely high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rates, GCC members will benefit economically, environmentally and geopolitically by constructing a harmonized pan-GCC carbon trading platform that will allow them to make cost-efficient decisions about greenhouse gas abatement. This paper is the first of a series of working papers published jointly by the Dubai School of Government and the Dubai Initiative.

"Healthcare Challenges in the Gulf Cooperation Council," a one-day conference jointly organized by the Dubai School of Government (DSG), The Harvard Medical School Dubai Center for Postgraduate Education and Research (HMSDC), and the Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR), was held on November 19, 2009 at the Dubai School of Government. The event was held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Hanif Hassan, UAE Minister of Health, and was hosted jointly by Dr. Tarik Yousef, Dean of the Dubai School of Government, and Dr. Ajay Singh, Chief Academic Officer of the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center.