MidEast Brief::Development

In fact, there has already been quite a bit of change in Egypt in the last decade, and most Egyptians are simultaneously pleased, eager for more, and uneasy about it. The question is not whether to change but how fast and how well change can be managed.

Ahmadinejad the Weak

Arang Keshavarzian

The Middle East Channel - Foreign Policy - July, 2010

The bazaar protests had little to do with the nuclear impasse or the Green Movement, but they are a sign of popular economic discontent and a likely harbinger of further turmoil to come.

No Paradise: Most Egyptians Put up with a Lot

The Economist - July, 2010

Even Egyptian government economists admit that even as the rich get much richer and Egypt's small middle class is expanding somewhat, the rest have struggled to keep up with an inflation rate that is far higher than in most comparable countries.

Running the Gaza Blockade

John Lyons

The Australian - June, 2010

As the siege of Gaza enters its fourth year, its problems are starting to run into each other; because Gaza's sewage, untreated, runs into the beaches, children are getting sick; because electricity is cut for eight to 12 hours a day, some of those who can afford a generator are being brought to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning; because food is scarce, mothers are sometimes breastfeeding their children until the age of two, leading to malnutrition.

Justice for All: The Struggle for Worker Rights in Egypt

The Solidarity Center - April, 2010

There are some hopeful signs for Egyptian workers however. A new workers movement is starting to take root. A little over a year ago,municipal real estate tax collectors staged a nationwide strike and a 12-day, 10,000 people sit-in in front of the prime minister's office in Cairo. Its success has inspired Egypt's postal workers and education administrators to mobilize as well.

Checkpoints and Barriers: Searching for Livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza - Gender Dimensions of Economic Collapse

World Bank Report - February, 2010

This study, through qualitative sources, provides insights into a chain of events that have and are moderating social behavior and gender relations associated with work. The study also captures what the deteriorating situation has meant for Palestinian females and males of all ages in terms of their economic engagement, their ability to seek alternate livelihoods, their coping strategies, their social and human investments (for example, education, marriage), and their future aspirations.

Gaza: Treading on Shards

Sara Roy

The Nation - February, 2010

The decline and disablement of Gaza's economy and society have been deliberate, the result of state policy--consciously planned, implemented and enforced. Although Israel bears the greatest responsibility, the United States and the European Union, among others, are also culpable, as is the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. All are complicit in the ruination of this gentle place. And just as Gaza's demise has been consciously orchestrated, so have the obstacles preventing its recovery.

Why Are there No Arab Democracies?

Larry Diamond

Journal of Democracy - January, 2010

Plan for All Seasons

Issandr Amrani

The National - January, 2010

Troubled Waters - Palestinians Denied Fair Access to Water

Amnesty International - October, 2009

"Fixing Broken Windows": Security Sector Reform in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen"

Yezid Sayigh

Carnegie Endowment - October, 2009

Grading Places

Marc Lynch

The National - July, 2009

The Arab World: Waking from its Sleep

The Economist - July, 2009

Snapshot of the Economic Crisis

Intissar Fakir

Arab Reform Bulletin, Carnegie Endowment - July, 2009

Arab Human Development Report 2009 - Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries

ReliefWeb - July, 2009

Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development

World Bank - April, 2009

Beyond Reconstruction: What Lies Ahead for Young Palestinians?

Navtej Dhillon

Brookings Institute - March, 2009

Update on the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Arab Countries

World Bank - February, 2009

The Arab World's (Uneven) Progress

Kristin M. Lord

Brookings Institute - February, 2009

First Gaza Damage Estimate: $1.4 billion

Karin Laub

Associated Press - January, 2009

The Economic Effects of Restricted Access to Land in the West Bank

World Bank - October, 2008

Palestinian Economic Prospects: Aid, Access and Reform

Economic Monitoring Report to Ad Hoc Liaison Committee

World Bank - September, 2008

Strengthening MENA's Trade and Investment Links with China and India

World Bank - September, 2008

Egypt: Will the Dam Burst?

The Economist - September, 2008

Kuwait: Rentierism Revisited

Riad Al Khouri

Arab Reform Bulletin, Carnegie Endowment - September, 2008

Economic Reform and Political Openings: Lessons from Algeria

Mohamed Ratoul

Arab Insight - August, 2008

Failed Responsibility: Iraqi Refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon

International Crisis Group - July, 2008

2008 MENA Economic Developments and Prospects: Regional Integration for Global Competitiveness

World Bank - June, 2008

The Food Price Crisis in the Arab Countries: Short Term Responses to a Lasting Challenge

Ibrahim Saif

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - June, 2008

E.U. and U.S. Free Trade Agreements in the Middle East and North Africa

Riad al Khouri

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - June, 2008

Youth in the Middle East and North Africa

Series of articles

Financial Times - June, 2008

The Costs of Youth Exclusion in the Middle East

Jad Chaaban

Brookings Wolfensohn Center - May, 2008

Implementing the Palestinian Reform and Development Agenda

Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee

World Bank - May, 2008

Uprooted and Unstable: Meeting Urgent Humanitarian Needs in Iraq

Refugees International

- April, 2008

Underbelly of Egypt's Neoliberal Agenda

Joel Beinin

MERIP - April, 2008

The Road Not Traveled : Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa

World Bank - February, 2008

Knowledge as Necessity

Amr Hamzawy

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - January, 2008

Investing in Palestinian Economic Reform and Development

Report for the Pledging Conference

World Bank - December, 2007

The Economic Imperatives of Marriage: Emerging Practices and Identities Among Youth in the Middle East

Diane Singerman