by Julia C Devlin (University of Virginia, USA)

Table of Contents (135k)
Chapter 1: Introduction (95k)

This book surveys major economic issues in the development of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region since World War II. It presents a framework of analysis highlighting underlying continuities in the region's approach to issues of growth, management of oil and natural resources, post-conflict environments, progress in trade liberalization and regional integration, the use of industrial policy, labor market adjustment and unemployment, educational attainment and poverty incidence. At the same time, this book focuses on emerging differences across countries in the region in the prevailing approach to addressing such challenges most notably between the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other MENA countries.

This book also incorporates a discussion of tools and methods used by development practitioners and briefly examines issues of aid effectiveness. The approach used is intended to appeal to a wide audience including students of economic development, political scientists and development practitioners.

• Is MENA Exceptional?
• State Formation, Consolidation, and Development, 1960s–1980s
• Toward Greater Use of Markets and the Global Economy?
• Oil, OPEC, and the Challenges of Surplus Management
• Water Scarcity and Agricultural Policy in the MENA Region
• Building a New Future: Development in the Post-Conflict Context and Post-Disaster Recovery
• Is the MENA Region “Open” for Business?
• Making Global Integration Work for MENA Countries
• Are Market Disciplines Sufficient? Industrial Policy and Technology Transfer
• The Keys to the Future: Human Capital Development in the MENA Region
• Are MENA's Labor Markets the Key to Growth?
• Closing the Poverty Gap in MENA
• Development Assistance and Its Effectiveness in MENA Countries
• Pathways to Future Prosperity