Mohamed Shedeed, a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science at The Ohio State University, has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship by the U.S. Department of Education, International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office. Doctoral candidates can engage in full-time dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies through the DDRA grant. Nationwide across all disciplines approximately 90 Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowships were awarded.
Shedeed will conduct research for his dissertation in Jordan for ten months examining Tribal Identity and the Politics of Water Management in Jordan.
Shedeed’s project examines the role power differentials between tribal elites play in distributing water across Jordan and asks whether these dynamics lead to inequitable service outcomes. He will build upon previous research connecting local demographics to socioeconomic outcomes alongside anthropological literature on Jordan’s tribal dynamics to answer these questions. Conceptualizing tribes as distinguishable units rather than interchangeable ones, Shedeed argues that municipalities with larger proportions of the governorate-level tribal majority often experience greater access to essential services compared to areas primarily inhabited by a minority tribe.
He will interview actors from government agencies and private water companies to assess the implementation of water sector reforms and gather data on water provision throughout the country. Shedeed will also interview members of governorate councils in several regions of the country to better understand their role in this process. For estimates of local demographics, he will rely on previous research concerning surname-tribe affiliations and validate the findings using interviews with knowledgeable tribal members. Lastly, he will evaluate his arguments using a survey conducted in collaboration with a Jordanian research institute to assess the reliability of water delivery in Jordan.
Shedeed earned his Bachelor of Science in diplomacy and international relations and Bachelor of Arts in economics from Seton Hall University. He is a currently a PhD candidate specializing in comparative politics and political methodology at Ohio State. His faculty advisor is Jan Pierskalla.
The Office of International Affairs administers the Fulbright-Hays program for Ohio State, and grant competitions are held annually. Doctoral candidates interested in applying for the award must contact Fulbright-Hays program director, Joanna Kukielka-Blaser.
