Economic development is the topic for this edition of Scholar Forum. With nearly one-third of the world living on less than $2 a day, the need to lift people out of poverty has become a central challenge for governments and policymakers, the private sector, international organizations, and NGOs around the world. While some countries, including many in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, have had remarkable success in recent decades, much of the world continues to grapple with considerable pockets of extreme poverty. The emerging responses to this poverty are taking a variety of forms, from large-scale investments to microfinance initiatives to education and health care. Contributors to this issue of Scholar Forum examine several strategies that not only spur economic growth but also encourage and strengthen open societies.

The Middle East is the regional focus for this issue. Led by the Palestinian Rule of Law Program and the Palestinian Faculty Development Program, Scholarship Programs has expanded its reach in the region, most recently funding scholars from Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan in the OSI-Chevening Scholarship Program. The articles in this section seek to contribute to the vibrant political debates shaping the Middle East as well as to offer readers a bit of the region’s flavor, literally.

Additionally, contributions to the Personal Accounts section cover studying abroad and going home, chronicling stories from Mongolia to Arkansas with several stops along the way.