Striving for Protection: Whistleblowers in Jordan

Whistleblowers take it upon themselves to protect public goods and resources by blowing the whistle on corruption. Yet, they are at risk of facing retaliation from their employers, as well as of experiencing firing, unfair appraisal, and isolation at work. In this article, we investigate the extent of whistleblower protection in Jordan. We discuss whistleblowers’ significant role in reporting wrongdoings and fighting corruption, as well as the price that whistleblowers pay to protect the public interest. In this study, we used the protection analysis approach by identifying the potential risks to which whistleblowers are exposed. Specifically, we used official documents analysis. The results are based on the analysis of Jordanian laws and policies, regional and international conventions, the investigation of whistleblower cases in the media, transparency international reports, and the Jordan Transparency Center. The review of spoken whistleblower cases revealed that legal policies stipulate protection; still, whistleblowers in Jordan face retaliation. We recommend considering judicial review to close the loopholes and to include protection principles into the rules of organizations’ procedures to provide better guarantees for protecting whistleblowers in Jordan

The Impact of Syrian Refugees on Jordan: A Framework for Analysis

The civil war in Syria has caused a mass influx of Syrian refugees all over the world. Jordan has received a large share of Syrian refugees, now reaching an alarming number. The presence of Syrian refugees drains Jordan, as it is a vulnerable state with limited resources. In an effort to better understand the impact of the humanitarian crisis and the challenge to the Jordanian government, this study examined the impact of Syrian refugees on the total public expenditure and the spending of the health care sector and public education in a step toward assessing the burden of Syrian refugees on the Jordanian government. Alongside that, a comprehensive analytical framework was developed to explore the impact of refugees on receiving states. Particularly, it goes on to provide evidence from Jordan to describe the effect of Syrian refugees’ presence on Jordan as a receiving state. This study utilized quasi-mixed designs as research strategies: quantitative analysis of governorate-level data and systematic reviews of gray literature and peer-reviewed articles. It concluded that the presence of Syrian refugees has increased the public spending at the expense of the public investment projects in northern and centered governorates that received more refugees. The analytical framework addressed the political, economic, sociocultural, and environmental impact of Syrian refugee adoption in Jordan. The analysis has resulted in a better capacity to discover the potential consequences of a massive refugee influx, including vital factors that contribute to shaping refugees’ burden and formulating policies based on specific critical arenas that need more attention and resources in response to the influx of the refugee crisis

Central-Local Government Coordination During the COVID-19 Response: A Case Study Analysis of Jordan and Morocco

This study seeks to understand the coordination of national and subnational governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan and Morocco. Utilizing a case study analysis strategy, this study provides a better understanding of the governmental response to the COVID-19 crisis in light of the relationship between the national and subnational levels of government. The examination of the two case studies, namely, Jordan and Morocco, was conducted through a document analysis strategy that implemented the READ approach. The results illustrate that pandemic management occurred through coordination between the central government, which is responsible for formulating response policies, and the subnational government, which is responsible for implementing these policies. Jordan formulated and institutionalized its response to the pandemic through the activation of Defense Law No. 13 of 1992. The governorates and municipalities worked together to implement the defense orders. Similarly, the government in Morocco established national response policies, and the local and territorial levels were responsible for executing these policies

Multiple streams theory: Insight into the global compact on migration

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) was founded based on the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants to address the immigrants\u27 needs and hosting states\u27 responsibilities. This study aims to better understand how GCM became part of the global public policy agenda and was formulated through the interactions of three main streams to create the window of opportunity. This study reflects upon the knowledge of the policy process through leveraging the multiple streams theory (MST) and modifying it to reconcile the differences between the national and the global public policies. The synthetic review shows the convergence of the problem, regime, and policy streams to affect the global agenda on the basis of global partnership and the global community. It also recognizes the actors who participated in creating GCM and their influence on this process. The utilization of a modified version of MST apprehends the interactive drivers of the GCM issue to enter the global public policy agenda and the global agora of formation. This study provides a structural explanation of the GCM\u27s composition and illustrates that focusing events in a state require global cooperation to mitigate the turmoil and potential spillover effects of the crisis. Lastly, the review reveals the main phases in GCM development