Despite a growing global consensus about the need for reform of costly and environmentally damaging energy price subsidies, many countries remain resistant. This column takes stock of recent developments in the context of a database of diesel prices. Environmental concerns seem to play a role in driving reform, but most reforming countries have been facing large fiscal imbalances.

Comparing the experiences of MENA and East Asia in recent decades reveals the delicate nature of the latter’s remarkable structural transformation: several parts of the economy had to be pulling in the same direction. This column explains how East Asia succeeded – and MENA failed – in generating productive employment.

Attainment of higher education is strikingly unequal in Egypt and Tunisia, and a little less so in Jordan. This column reports research showing that in all three countries, family background is the primary driver of inequality. Particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, public spending on higher education is regressive, with the result that what purports to be a meritocratic and equitable system in reality perpetuates inequality.

The World Bank’s Doing Business rankings provide a useful benchmark, but making them a key policy goal is inappropriate for Arab countries where the reform agenda needs to be far more wide-ranging. This column argues for a more practical and effective approach to creating business environments that will attract investment and foster job creation.

The first ten years of the twenty-first century saw an unprecedented surge in oil prices and highly favourable incomes for oil-exporting countries in the Middle East – yet it culminated in social and political upheaval. This column reports research on the extent to which the growth experiences of those countries in that decade may be considered to have been ‘inclusive’ of a broad swathe of society.

Standard estimates of income and consumption inequality rank Egypt as one of the world’s most equal countries. By analysing data on house prices to obtain a more accurate estimate of the top tail of the income distribution, this column presents evidence that Egyptian inequality is considerably underestimated.

The World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Government Procurement aims to ensure that public procurements in signatory countries are conducted in a competitive, non-discriminatory and transparent manner satisfying the conditions of integrity. This column reports research showing that the agreement promotes competition, reduces corruption and delivers better value for taxpayers’ money.

Under what circumstances is a country most likely to make a successful transition to democracy? This column outlines the roles of both human agency and structural factors such as class or economic interests. Key to the process of democratisation is the kind of incentives that encourage elite groups in society to reach compromises even in the face of ideological differences.

Educational reforms in Turkey 20 years ago led to a significant improvement in the attainment of young men and women. This column reports research indicating that the children of women who were required to extend their time at school from five to eight years are healthier at birth and less likely to die by the age of five.

Job creation in the formal private sector is vital for inclusive economic growth in many MENA countries, but in some cases, it is being hampered by over-protective labour regulations. This column emphasises the importance of a balanced approach between flexibility in the labour market and the security of workers’ earnings.

For the Gulf monarchies, the only long-term solution to lower oil prices is to diversify the economy, which can be done either with or without citizen labour. This column argues that given employers’ preference for foreign labour, the only alternative is to bifurcate the job market, creating enclaves where citizen labour can be used productively. This requires strong state institutions that can impose labour market regulations on businesses.

The development of a vibrant private sector is essential for delivering the sustainable employment and inclusive growth that are so urgently needed in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa. This column summarises findings on the key constraints on doing business from Enterprise Surveys conducted in eight economies in the region during the period 2013-15.

How should oil-producing economies in the Middle East and North Africa respond to the potential persistence of low oil prices? This column argues that governments need both to find alternative revenue sources and to make the non-oil economy more productive. It is time to think about the next chapter in the region’s development history – the post-oil chapter.

Governments’ core objective of providing a secure environment for their people is traditionally understood to mean ‘national security’. This column advocates replacing that idea with a broader concept of ‘human security’. Such an approach can provide a consistent framework for handling multiple challenges, including natural disasters and global crises as well as military threats.

In 2005, Turkey extended basic healthcare services to its entire population under a free-of-charge, centrally administered system. This column reports research showing that the programme was successful in lowering mortality rates across provinces, particularly for the most vulnerable. The findings provide compelling evidence in support of providing accessible healthcare services to all citizens.

The Middle East was once the cradle of civilisation: can it prosper once again? Looking back at lessons from the European Enlightenment, this column argues that if the region wants to advance economically, it needs to advance in terms of its treatment of women. Female agency is central to understanding the West’s technological leadership of the past two centuries.

The current low oil price environment, in part driven by the US shale oil revolution, has important macroeconomic implications for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This column reports research evidence on its likely impact on both oil-exporting and oil-importing countries in the region.

How can developing economies escape from the trap of middle- or low-income status in which the majority has been for decades? Drawing lessons from the experiences of China, this column argues that an economically successful country must have the market as its foundation and on top of that the state playing an active, facilitating role.

Today’s rulers of the three largest Middle Eastern economies all look to religious authorities as a key source of legitimacy. Drawing on a broad sweep of historical analysis, this column explores what this might mean for the region’s economic future. One notable danger is that the types of people who would push for policies that promote long-run growth are excluded from the political bargaining table.

What are the implications of low oil prices for the economic and political stability of Arab oil-exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia? This column explores the impact of the US fracking boom on Arab oil revenues – and how policy-makers in these countries should respond.

As energy-producing economies strive to reduce their reliance on oil revenues, they must strike a balance between the competing demands of fiscal sustainability and steady growth of the non-energy sector. This column outlines how the United Arab Emirates is addressing this challenge.

What can be done to reduce income inequality in Arab countries? This column explores issues of measurement as well as potential policy measures. It concludes by calling for a new multipurpose pan-Arab survey that would allow for an evidence-based decision-making process on the impact of proposed policies on poverty and inequality.

What are the prospects for democracy in the Arab world? This column expresses the hope that as conflict-afflicted countries embark on their programmes of economic reconstruction, autocratic institutions will not be re-established under the pretext of the need for a speedy and steady recovery. The optimal path of development necessarily includes robust growth, equity as well as democracy.

Following a period of rapid economic growth, the Turkish economy has slowed significantly since 2007. This column argues that these economic ups and downs reflect institutional improvements in the aftermath of the country’s 2001 financial crisis, followed by an ominous slide in the quality of these economic and political institutions.

Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has created more refugees and more internally displaced persons than anywhere else in the world. This column suggests that the international community can no longer afford simply to accept the growing costs of civil wars like Syria’s and should intervene to end them and promote reconstruction.