Development, Growth and Policy Reform in the Middle East and North Africa since 1950

Abstract

The September 11 terrorist attacks ignited global interest in the Middle East. Observers in the region and abroad were quick to highlight the development "deficits" in Middle Eastern countries which have been linked to everything from structural economic imbalances to deficient political systems, the curse of natural resources, and even culture and religion. This paper reviews the development history of the Middle East and North Africa region in the post-World War II era, providing a framework for understanding past outcomes, current challenges and the potential for economic and political reform.

Expanding Youth Employment in the Arab Region and Africa

“…For the low skilled youth, lacking higher education, large-scale public employment programs should be considered while investing in improved education and skills. Yet, all these programs need to be considered in a context of broader economic policy reform and not in isolation (Yousef 2004). …”

Desalination and the commons: tragedy or triumph?

“…Desalination, in contrast, allows current behaviour and growth to continue at a small cost to the average customer. It also gives local leaders greater security in their interdependent relations with Met (Yousef, 2004).…”

“…The best part of the end of commons and the rise of desalinated water as a private good is the reduction in risk to politicians who try to protect remaining groundwater (Yousef, 2004). The availability of desalinated water will make it much harder to claim that regulations are killing agricultural jobs by shifting the discussion of opportunity costs from lost jobs to lower profits.…”

Migration from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe: Past Developments, Current Status and Future Potentials

“…The population increase in Morocco and Turkey today even lies below the average for all MENA states. Only Egypt is still growing at about the average rate of the entire MENA region (Yousef 2004). In its migration activity as well as in many other political and economic respects the MENA region is closely aligned to its southern neighbours.…”