Education, Political Participation, and Islamist Parties: The Case of Jordan’s Islamic Action Front

It has been argued that the charitable activities and religiosity of Islamist political parties may attract less-educated citizens and reverse the standard positive correlation between education and political participation. We surveyed active members of Jordan’s Islamic Action Front (IAF), and found them to be far more educated than other Jordanians. They elected yet more educated leaders, which combined with their low unemployment suggests that an IAF government would value technical competence and avoid a “populist” economic program.