Center for Strategic Studies - University of Jordan

What Center for Strategic Studies - University of Jordan does

The Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) is an academic research center housed within the University of Jordan in Amman, established by royal decree in June 1983 and operating continuously for over 40 years. It is the country's primary policy research institution, employing approximately 31 staff and conducting strategic studies, public opinion polling, and policy advisory work focused on Jordan, the broader Middle East, and regional international relations. The Center sits in the historic Old Presidential Building on the University of Jordan campus and serves government institutions, international organizations, and academic partners rather than commercial customers.

The Center's core deliverables fall into three buckets: (1) analytical publications — Studies and Research, Policy Papers, Situation Assessments, Opinions and Articles, and Books and Reports on regional conflicts, security, and political-economic issues; (2) recurring public opinion surveys — the Democracy Barometer (continuous since 1993), Jordanian Street Pulse, Government Performance Surveys conducted at formation/100/200-day/one-year milestones, and the National Gender Barometer; and (3) specialized surveys at scale for institutional clients (e.g., the WHO STEPS NCD survey on 6,000 respondents, the EU-funded Jordan Adult Tobacco Survey on 8,000 respondents). Methodology is conventional survey research rather than digital analytics. The Center anchors Jordan's participation in the Arab Barometer regional network and runs a Training and Fieldwork Program that has built the country's primary pool of trained field interviewers.

As a non-profit academic unit under the University of Jordan, the Center does not sell products or services commercially. Operating funds flow from institutional partners — the Government of Jordan, international donors (Japan/JICA, EU, World Bank), international NGOs (IRI, WHO), and academic institutions (Sophia University, University of Birmingham, Korea University). Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The Center's economic value, rather than financial scale, lies in its 30-plus-year longitudinal public opinion dataset, royal-founding institutional legitimacy, and unique position as the interface between survey research and Jordanian policy-making.

Name

Center for Strategic Studies - University of Jordan

Legal name

Center for Strategic Studies - University of Jordan (مركز الدراسات الاستراتيجية - الجامعة الأردنية)

Website

https://jcss.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan is a non-profit academic research center conducting strategic studies and public opinion polling on Jordan and the Middle East since 1983. It serves the Jordanian government, international donors, and academic partners with policy papers, recurring barometers, and large-scale surveys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Policy Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB)

Keywords

• Strategic policy research
• Public opinion polling
• Academic research center
• Regional security studies
• Democracy barometer surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan is a non-profit academic research institution that conducts strategic studies, policy analysis, and public opinion polling focused on regional conflicts, international relations, security, democracy, and political, economic, and social issues affecting Jordan and the Arab world. It produces studies, policy papers, situation assessments, books, and reports, and operates the Jordanian Barometer, Jordanian Street Pulse, Government Performance Surveys, and participates in the Arab Barometer regional network.

Product overview

The Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan is an academic research institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of strategic research products and services. Its core offerings include Studies and Research, Policy Papers, Situation Assessments, Opinions and Articles, and Books and Reports focused on regional conflicts, international relations, and security. The center also operates extensive public opinion research through its Democracy Barometer (measuring democratic transformation since 1993), Jordanian Street Pulse surveys, and Government Performance Surveys. Additional services include various thematic surveys and a Training and Fieldwork Program. The center collaborates with the Arab Barometer network for regional public opinion research. This is a unified institutional research service rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arab Barometer (الباروميتر العربي): A regional public opinion network covering Arab countries, administered by the center.
• Jordanian Barometer (الباروميتر الأردني)
• Jordanian Street Pulse (نبض الشارع الأردني)

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 1993, the Center has conducted annual democracy surveys tracking public attitudes toward democratic transition in Jordan
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sophia University (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025MoU signed in May 2025 for academic cooperation including joint seminars on peacebuilding and mediation in the Middle East. The partnership has led to multiple online seminars including 'Challenges of Peacemaking and Peacebuilding in Gaza' and international webinars on mediation challenges.
• National Center for Human Rights - JordancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 December 2021MoU signed December 2021 for joint studies and opinion polls in human rights areas. The agreement includes exchange of expertise and information, training programs for staff, and annual joint conferences. The partnership aims to develop human rights indicators within the Jordanian Barometer program.
• Arab BarometercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center is the Jordanian partner for Arab Barometer, a regional network conducting cross-national public opinion surveys on democracy, governance, and social attitudes across Arab nations. This partnership provides access to comparable data and positions the Center within a premier regional research network.
• Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and scientific cooperation agreement for joint studies on strategic, international, and energy issues of mutual interest to both institutions.
• InterRegional for Strategic Analysis FZ-LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of understanding for strategic analysis cooperation.
• Palestine Institute for National Security ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for cooperation in research on national security issues relevant to both Palestinian and Jordanian strategic interests.
• Ten Minds Center for Consulting, Studies, and ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for consulting and research cooperation.
• Center for Analysis of International Relations (Azerbaijan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for cooperation in international relations analysis and strategic studies.
• International Republican Institute (IRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership since 2016 for periodic studies measuring the state of democracy in Jordan, political participation, public freedoms, and institutional trust. Phase Three conducted in 2024 on sample size of 3,000 respondents.
• University of Birmingham (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for survey on Jordanians' perceptions of social protection programs, examining how the performance of social protection systems affects social cohesion.
• Human Asis - Korea UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudy on creating sustainable green jobs for refugees and host communities through the green economy in Jordan, conducted in East Amman, Zarqa, Mafraq, Irbid, Ajloun, and Jerash on sample of 1,000 respondents.
• Crown Prince Foundation - JordanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch on quality of life and equality of access to opportunities among youth (ages 18-35) in Zarqa Governorate, conducted on sample of 2,000 Jordanians.
• Ministry of Health - JordanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCooperation on Jordan Adult Tobacco Survey (JATS), a national survey on smoking practices funded by European Union grant. Sample size of 8,000 respondents aged 15-79.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Palestine Institute for National Security Research: Palestinian strategic research institute that is an explicit MOU partner of JCSS. Directly comparable in focusing on national security and strategic studies in the Jordanian-Palestinian context, with similar target audience and methodology.
• International Crisis Group: Global conflict prevention think tank with extensive Middle East coverage and policy reports on Jordan and regional security. Directly comparable in producing situation assessments and policy briefs on regional conflicts, serving the same international donor and policymaker audience.
• Carnegie Middle East Center: Beirut-based Carnegie center conducting policy research and strategic analysis on Middle East conflicts, regional security, and Arab political economy. Directly comparable in mission (strategic studies, regional conflict analysis) and audience (governments, international donors). JCSS competes with Carnegie for MENA-focused grants and policy influence.
• Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT): Bahraini think tank focused on strategic, international, and energy studies. JCSS has an explicit MOU with DERASAT, and the two are directly comparable in mandate (regional strategic studies), structure (royal/state-affiliated research centers), and audience (governments, regional actors).
• Al-Sharq Strategic Research: Doha-based strategic research organization focused on Middle Eastern geopolitics, international relations, and regional security. Directly comparable in mandate (regional strategic studies), methodology (policy papers, reports), and target audience (policymakers, regional stakeholders).
• Arab Barometer: Princeton-based regional public opinion network covering Arab countries. JCSS is the Jordanian partner within this network, so the two are operationally intertwined and directly comparable in survey methodology, comparability, and target audience (researchers, donors, policymakers).

Broad incumbents

• IISS - International Institute for Strategic Studies: London-based global think tank covering strategic studies, military balance, and regional security. Closely comparable in the strategic-studies-and-conflict-analysis domain, but operates at a much larger global scale with broader geographic scope than JCSS.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): London-based international affairs think tank producing research on global issues including Middle East politics and security. Comparable in academic-policy hybrid model and audience, but operates at significantly larger scale with broader geographic mandate.
• Wilson Center - Middle East Program: Washington-based think tank with a dedicated Middle East program covering regional security, governance, and public opinion research. Comparable in producing research and policy convening on Jordan and the region, but operates as part of a broader global institution.

Emerging players

• Economic Research Forum (ERF): Cairo-based regional research network producing economic and social research on the Arab world. Comparable in producing evidence-based research serving policymakers and donors, and conducts comparable survey work in Jordan, but with broader economic-development focus rather than strategic-studies specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jcss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Strategic Studies - University of Jordan