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IDL-21619.Pdf Research for Development in the Middle East and North Africa Edited by Eglal Rached and Dina Craissati INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE Ottawa • Cairo • Dakar • Johannesburg • Montevideo • Nairobi New Delhi • Singapore Published by the International Development Research Centre PO Box 8500, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9 © International Development Research Centre 2000 Legal deposit: 4th quarter 2000 National Library of Canada ISBN 0-88936-930-5 The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the International Development Research Centre. Mention of a proprietary name does not constitute endorsement of the product and is given only for information. A microfiche edition is available. The catalogue of IDRC Books and this publication may be consulted online at http://www.idrc.ca/booktique. Contents Foreword — Maureen O'Neil v Opening Address — Marie-Andree Beauchemin xi Introduction — Eglal Rached and Dina Craissati 1 R&D and S&T in MENA 2 MENA's critical development crises 4 MENA's solid potentials 6 A modest contribution 7 Part I. Workshop papers Keynote Address to the Workshop — Heba Handoussa... 11 Chapter 1. An Emerging Agenda for Development in the Middle East and North Africa — Max Rodenbeck 19 Introduction: Scope and methodology 19 Section 1: The Middle East and North Africa in the global context 19 Section 2: Emerging issues in development research 24 Bibliography 58 Chapter 2. Science and Research for Development in the Arab Region — Nader Fergany 61 Introduction 61 The region's human condition: the challenge 67 The state of science in the Arab region 75 An attempt at understanding 84 What needs to happen? 98 Bibliography 99 Annex: Statistical tables 103 Chapters. Arab Social-Science Research in the 1990s and Beyond: Issues, Trends, and Priorities — Saad Eddin Ibrahim 111 Introduction 1ll Major Arab debates of the 1990s 112 Assessment of Arab social-science research 129 List of social-science research centers consulted for this paper 138 Bibliography 139 Chapter 4. The Research Environment in Egypt — Karima Korayem 141 Introduction 141 The institutional setup in Egypt 141 The research funding 144 The research personnel 148 The research product 152 Bibliography 159 Chapter 5. The Development Research Environment in Morocco: Situation and Prospects — Driss Khrouz, Ali Hajji, Mohamed Boussetta 161 Introduction 161 Evaluation of current resources 169 Diagnosis and prospects 174 Conclusions 184 Bibliography 185 iii iv CONTENTS Chapter 6. Science for Policy and Development: Discussion Notes from the Workshop 187 The political environment. 187 Institutionalization of the research environment 188 Relevance of research topics to policy making and development 189 Research quality 190 Data availability and dissemination 191 PART II. The R&D Environment in the MENA Chapter 7. Social and Economic Development 195 1. Socioeconomic development in the Arab world: challenges for the next century — Galal Amin 195 2. The politics of MSME development in the Middle East and North Africa — Tamer El-Meehy 199 3. Change and the transition to democracy: issues in the Moroccan context—MohamedTozy 207 4. IDRC current programming concerning employment and socioeconomic development in the region — Brent Herbert-Copley 218 5. Discussion notes 222 Chapter 8. Natural Resource Management 227 1. MENA: Environmental issues — Mohamed Kassas 227 2. IDRC current programming in environment and natural resources management in the region — David B. Brooks 233 3. Discussion notes 237 Chapter 9. Information and Communication Technologies 241 1. Information and telecommunication technologies intheMENA — Sherif Reda Hashem 241 2. IDRC current programming in information and communication technologies — Renald Lafond 248 3. IDRC's Acacia program— Marc VanAmerigen 250 4. Discussion notes 251 PART III. Conclusion Chapter 10. Toward a more Qualified and Pertinent Research Agenda 257 Narrowing the gap between research and policy: research on knowledge systems 257 Sectors of development intervention in the Arab region 260 Editors and Contributing Authors 265 Workshop Participants ..273 Foreword With a population of more than 250 million people and a notable strategic position between the North and South, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) constitutes a distinct region of the developing world. Its future development is a matter of crucial importance to the world and to Canada. As an organization that funds research for development and helps the countries of the South to strengthen their research capacity, IDRC needs to listen as much and as often as possible to researchers, development workers and policymakers. We need to understand the context for decision-making in developing countries. This includes the research environment — by which we mean the institutional, human, and financial resources involved in research, their linkages to other parts of society, and to those doing related research in other countries and regions. Also included is how developing countries see the priorities for the research agenda. From our point of view, this interaction should ensure that the strategy we pursue is attuned to the realities of the countries and institutions we work with, and that the research we support addresses at least some key issues. We have a number of ways in which we carry out this consultative interaction. We are fortunate that, at the level of the governance of IDRC, we have a Board of Governors with members from all regions of the world who set IDRC policy and strategy, and who have a broad overview of their region. We have seven regional offices in major regions of the world. In part, they remind us of the realities and priorities of the countries with which they work. Our program staff, based in regional offices or Ottawa spend a lot of time "on the road", meeting with their peers in the South on particular projects, as well as on broader issues of development and research. We do, however, very much need and benefit from more formal occasions to consult with development actors, researchers and policymakers in the South. This enables us to hear their perspectives on development experience and problems, and to understand how they perceive that research makes a difference, and to gain insight into the areas they think provides particular promise. This meeting provided us with just such an opportunity, and I am very grateful to all who have accepted the invitation to participate and to share their ideas and experience with us. Since we at IDRC were in the process of V vi FOREWORD reviewing our strategic and program framework for the next three-to-five years, the timing of this particular consultation was excellent, and the papers and discussion certainly provided valuable ideas and insights. There are several aspects of the Arab region that we need to consider in channeling our consultations: The vast majority of the population in the region suffers from acute development problems. The region continues to entertain a poor competitive position in the global economy. Income from rents and consumer-oriented industries still predominates over income from productive enterprises. The context of market globalization and the gradual withdrawal of the state from the social and economic sectors encourages an environment of weak national planning and inefficient management of national budgets. GDP growth and integration in the world economy have not been paralleled by social and human development. An estimated 100 million people live in poverty, without sufficient income to obtain a nutritionally adequate diet. Rising unemployment, growing social inequalities, and serious quantitative and qualitative retreats in the delivery of social services in education, health, and housing are creating social and political tensions. Environmental degradation and accrued depletion of water and arable land are working against economic growth, food and water security, and qualitative human and social development. The weakness of representative, accountable, and democratic governments in addition to bureaucratic bottlenecks threaten already bleak development prospects. Indeed, the Algerian experience carries dangers of regional and international spillovers. There are numerous potentials for sustained economic growth, social development, environmental protection, and democratic governance. Arab countries have now begun to implement economic reforms to stimulate private investment, spur economic growth, support the transition to a market economy and improve living standards. There are efforts to redefine national strategies, and to engage in administra- tive reforms to induce the intervention of a variety of actors in the development process and to combat poverty. Public agendas are now emerging — and gaining momentum — on the need to balance economic growth and environmental protection, and for the effective and rational mobilization of existing natural resources. FOREWORD vii Arab countries are also undergoing a political transition through the mainstreaming of elections, policy dialogues and other moves towards the liberalization of politics. More active civil societies are encouraged, and human rights issues are reaching public visibility. Due to its strategic position, the region has important and long- standing trade ties with the rest of the world. It is in a privileged position to act as a social, political, and cultural bridge between the North and South. Regional integration and linkages are of great importance. Despite obvious differences
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