Iraq Research

Reports, workshops and events 

The LSE Middle East Centre has a long established history of working with local partners to carry out world renowned research on Iraq. This page is an overview of research projects undertaken in and on the country.

 

 

basra-waterway-500x707

PeaceRep Iraq

PeaceRep is a seven-year research consortium led by the University of Edinburgh Law School. The LSE Middle East Centre's research focuses on peacebuilding, conflict and democratisation in Iraq.

This research is funded by the FCDO.

 

Kirkuk-Luce-500x733

Managing Religious Diversity in the Middle East: Al Muhasasa Ta'ifia in Iraq, 2003-2018. 

Principal Investigator: Professor Toby Dodge 

This project examines the creation and evolution of Al Muhasasa Ta’ifia and its influence on Iraq’s politics.

This research is funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. 

gender-quota-500x733

Gendered Networks of Power: The parliamentary quota and women’s substantive political representation in Iraq  

Principal Investigator: Taif Alkhudary 

This project examines the effectiveness of Iraq’s gender quota in enabling women’s substantive political representation since 2005. 

This research is funded by the British Institute for the Study of Iraq. 

For more information about the MEC's current and past Iraq research, please contact Kendall Livingston, Projects and Research Development Manager, at k.livingston@lse.ac.uk

Past Projects


Conflict Research Programme 
 

The Conflict Research Programme (CRP) ran between October 2017 and March 2021. It addressed the drivers and dynamics of violent conflict in the Middle East and Africa and informed  measures being used to tackle armed conflict and its impacts. The programme focused on Iraq, Syria, DRC, Somalia and South Sudan, as well as the wider Horn of Africa/Red Sea and Middle East regions. 

The LSE Middle East Centre worked closely with local Iraqi organisations to lead research on drivers of conflict in Iraq and the wider Middle East. The CRP funded 24 projects on Iraq.  Publications produced as part of this programme due to be published in the summer of 2021 are listed below. 

This programme was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Kirkuk Women-500x707

Patriarchal Norms and Legal Discrimination Against Women  in Iraq

Principal Investigator: Taif Alkhudary, LSE Middle East Centre 

This project examines legal discrimination against Iraqi women.

World Bank_500x707

Undemocratic Parties in a "Democratic" System

Principal Investigator: Omar Al-Jaffal

This project examines the formation and internal functioning of Iraq's political parties.

Disinformation-Iraq-500x707

Disinformation in the Iraqi Media 

Principal Investigator: Aida Al-Kaisey 

This project examines the key narratives of disinformation in the Iraqi media and the impact it has on policy debates. 

Basra-Kuwait St-500x707

After the Uprising: Post-Mobilisation Strategies in Southern Iraq

Principal Investigator: Benedict Robin D'Cruz

This project looks at the tactical and strategic decisions that activists make during mobilisation and after protests abate. 

Community police-500x707

From Green to Blue? Local Policing in Iraq After ISIL 

Principal Investigator: Jessica Watkins, LSE Middle East Centre 

This project seeks to contextualise internationally-backed centralised efforts to demilitarise the local Iraqi police post-2017.

Basra-plant-500x707

Water Governance in Basra

Principal Investigator: Michael Mason, LSE Middle East Centre 

This project examines the extent to which water infrastructure interventions are sustainable and meet the expectations of Iraqis.

Basra-500x733

A Locality in Crisis: A Study of the Local Governance Crisis and Public Protests in Basra

Principal Investigators: Omar Al-Jaffal and Safaa Khalaf

This project examined challenges  local governance in Basra. 

Iraq-Ballot Box-500x707

Insights into the 2021 Iraqi Federal Elections

Principal Investigator: Sajad Jiyad 

This project analysed the upcoming federal elections and their potential impact on the political order in Iraq. 

West Baghdad-500x707-1

Baghdad's Market Spaces and the Politics of Urban "Renewal"

Principal Investigator: Omar Sirri 

This project examined the political economy of space in Baghdad.

Protest-500x733

Understanding the Failures of Decentralisation in Iraq

Principal Investigators: Ali Al-Mawlawi and Sajad Jiyad

This project explored the extent to which decentralisation has been enforced and implemented in Iraq. 

Demography Destiny_500-707

Is Demography Destiny? 

Principal Investigator: Alexander Hamilton

This project examines the economic implications of Iraq's fast-expanding demographic profile. 

Barzani-500-707

Conflict Drivers within the KRI: The Role of Patronage Networks

Principal Investigators: Zmkan Ali Saleem and Mac Skelton

This project examined the state of the patronage networks of the two major political parties in Kurdistan.

PoliticalEconomyIraq-500x707

The Political Economy of Economic Policy in Iraq

Principal Investigator: Alexander Hamilton

This project examined the impact of the post-2003 political system on the implementation of economic policy.

Gender-violence-500-733

Conflict, Gender and Violence in Iraq

Principal Investigator: Zeynep Kaya, LSE Middle East Centre 

This project examined how gender norms are contested, manipulated, and influence the conflict economy in Iraq.

Payroll- 500x733

Payroll Expansion and the Political Marketplace in Iraq

Principal Investigator: Ali Al-Mawlawi

This project examined Iraqi government corruption by looking at the rapid expansion of payrolls after 2003.

pocketsofmediacivicness-500-733

'Pockets of Media Civicness' in a Conflictual Political Landscape: A Case Study of Iraqi Media

Principal Investigator: Aida Al-Kaisy 

The project examined ‘pockets of civicness' in the Iraqi media. 

Al Jazeera-500x707_1

Moral Populism and Satellite Sectarianisation

Principal Investigator: Jessica Watkins, LSE Middle East Centre 

This project re-assessed assumptions about whether and how satellite channels promote sectarianisation in the MENA. 

Public auhtority-500x733

Public Authority and Iraq's Disputed Territories

Principal Investigator: Mac Skelton

This project looked into how the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq drive conflict. 

Elections-500-733

Reporting the Iraqi Federal Elections 

Principal Investigator: Christine van den Toorn 

This project examined the mobilisation strategies and results of the 2018 Iraqi elections. 

GenderedLegalReform-500x733

Reforming Legal Responses to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region

Principal Investigator: Güley Bor 

This project analysed the extent to which domestic laws on conflict-related SGBV responses and reparations are being implemented.

mosul-workshop-500x707

Iraq and its Regions: Iraqi Governance Structures after the Liberation of Mosul 

The LSE Middle East Centre hosted two workshops examining the institutional structures used to govern Iraq and test their sustainability, following the liberation of Mosul from Islamic State and the Kurdish independence referendum in 2017.

Baghdad-provincial relations-500x707

Baghdad–Provincial Relations after Mosul and Kirkuk

This workshop examined the major dynamics that shaped Iraqi politics following the liberation of Mosul and the arrival of Iraqi troops in Kirkuk. 

Read a summary of workshop proceedings in Arabic and English. 

future-of-the-KRI-500x733

The Future of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq after the Referendum

This workshop examined the major dynamics shaping Iraq-Kurdish politics following the independence referendum held in September 2017.

Read a summary of workshop proceedings in Arabic and English.

Other reports

Woman protesting-500x707

The Iraqi protest movement: From identity politics to issue politics

Principal Investigator: Faleh A. Jabar

This project examined the 2015 protest movement in Iraq. 

 

soldier_500-733

The Iraqi Constitution: Structural Flaws and Political Implications 

Principal Investigator: Saad N. Jawad

This project examined the flaws and political consequences of Iraq's 2005 consitution.