Elite compromise is associated with the emergence of democracy, while elite conflict is likely to give rise to various forms of political rule. But what explains elite preferences for compromise or conflict? To answer this question, the ERC-funded MENA-PERC project will collect and analyse individual-level data on political elites in Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey from the late 19th century up to the present. In order to gain a better understanding of how patterns of elite conflict are linked to forms of regime change, this information will be embedded in a series of comparisons drawing on 12 regime spells in these three countries over more than a century. In-depth fieldwork, elite surveys and experimental work will provide evidence on causal mechanisms linking elite conflict to regime outcomes via elite preferences for compromise or conflict.