Debt clouds over the Middle East
A number of MENA countries face high debt levels. Egypt, ...
COVID-19 pandemic and the Middle East and Central Asia
The number of confirmed COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East ...
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Mahmoud Mohieldin and Ishac Diwan on the Political Economy of COVID 19
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as the rest of the world, is facing human, economic and social crises. A decade of political instability, violence and austerity had left critical public institutions insufficiently prepared and underfunded to deal with this perfect storm. While the countries of the region are all exposed to this storm, they are not in the same boat. Their initial conditions, preparedness to shocks and readiness to adapt, change and rebuild are different. Within countries their has also been increasing inequality, and in many cases countries suffered from significant increase in extreme poverty. Despite some efforts there are alarming indicators of drifting from the path towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) Comprehensive socioeconomic actions are needed to meet the requirements of response and recovery within as well as across countries. While there has been a great deal of discrepancies in crisis response, the recovery may take different paths and widen the existent gaps and deepen the divergence in the region. Building back better and creating resilience includes addressing the inequality which have made some societies more vulnerable than others. The comprehensive nature and magnitude of the crisis requires very different approach of policy design including the political economy of responses to the crisis and plans for recovery.
In focus
Sources of the 2020 crisis in Lebanon
The devastating financial tsunami that is engulfing Lebanon has been ...
Lebanon must learn from the Syrian disaster
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Economic roots of early marriage in Iran
Despite the documented harms of being married off before the age of 18, particularly for girls, early marriage remains common in parts of Iran. This column summarises research that sheds light on the economic factors that drive this practice, using unique provincial data to show that poverty, inflation and income inequality are key determinants –while religiosity is not. The findings suggest that economic policies can play a crucial role in reducing the prevalence of child marriage.
Natural disaster literacy in Iran: survey evidence from Tehran
The frequent floods, earthquakes, and heat waves in the Middle East and North Africa underscore the urgent need to assess the region's preparedness for natural disasters. This column summarizes the state of 'natural disaster literacy' in various parts of Tehran, the capital of Iran and one of the most populous metropolitan areas in MENA. Data from a survey conducted in the winter of 2020/21 enabled the development of a disaster literacy index, which helps to identify the city's most vulnerable districts.
Should Arab countries join the WTO’s agreement on government procurement?
Not all members of the World Trade Organization are signatories of the institution’s Agreement on Government Procurement – the GPA. Indeed, although many developing economies are now joining the agreement or at least acquiring observer status, it has long been thought that the costs outweigh the benefits. This column re-evaluates the pros and cons of GPA accession for Arab countries.
Financial development, corruption and informality in MENA
Reducing the extent of informality in the Middle East and North Africa would help to promote economic growth. This column reports evidence on how corruption and financial development influence the size of the informal economy in countries across the region. The efficiency of the financial sector in MENA economies reduces the corruption incentive for firms to seek to join and stay in the formal sector.
EU climate policy: potential effects on the exports of Arab countries
The carbon border adjustment mechanism aims to ensure that Europe’s green objectives are not undermined by the relocation of production to parts of the world with less ambitious climate policies – but it could impose substantial costs on developing countries that export to the European Union. This column examines the potential impact on exporters in the Arab world – and outlines possible policy responses that could mitigate the economic damage.
Climate change threats and how the Arab countries should respond
The Arab region is highly vulnerable to extreme events caused by climate change. This column outlines the threats and explores what can be done to ward off disaster, not least moving away from the extraction of fossil fuels and taking advantage of the opportunities in renewable energy generation. This would both mitigate the potential for further environmental damage and act as a catalyst for more and better jobs, higher incomes and improved social outcomes.
Exchange rate undervaluation: the impact on participation in world trade
Can currency undervaluation influence participation in world trade through global value chains (GVC)? This column reports new evidence on the positive impact of an undervalued real exchange rate on the involvement of a country’s firms in GVCs. Undervaluation acts as an economy-wide industrial policy, supporting the competitiveness of national exports in foreign markets vis-à-vis those of other countries.
Child stunting in Tunisia: an alarming rise
Child stunting in Tunisia seemed to have fallen significantly over the past two decades. But as this column reports, new analysis indicates that the positive trend has now gone dramatically into reverse. Indeed, the evidence is unequivocal: the nutritional health of the country’s youngest citizens is rapidly deteriorating and requires immediate and decisive action.
Green hydrogen production and exports: could MENA countries lead the way?
The Arab region stands at the threshold of a transformative opportunity to become a global leader in green hydrogen production and exports. But as this column explains, achieving this potential will require substantial investments, robust policy frameworks and a commitment to technological innovation.
Freedom: the missing piece in analysis of multidimensional wellbeing
Political philosophy has long emphasised the importance of freedom in shaping a meaningful life, yet it is consistently overlooked in assessments of human wellbeing across multiple dimensions. This column focuses on the freedom to express opinions, noting that it is shaped by both formal laws and informal social dynamics, fluctuating with the changing cultural context, particularly in the age of social media. Data on public opinion in Arab countries over the past decade are revealing about how this key freedom is perceived.