The Role of the State: the Case of Egypt
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Malaysia's Development Challenges: Graduating from the Middle
bs_bs_banner BOOK REVIEWS In the Quest for Prosperity, Lin proposes that observing that countries will fail by investing so governments of poor countries can promote far from their comparative advantage to a govern- growth by providing the ‘hard’ (power, telecom- ment knowing what ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ infrastruc- munications, roads, etc.) and ‘soft’ (education, ture and provision of information will be of most financial, and legal) infrastructure necessary to use to certain infant industries. support the structural transformation that has to While being critical of Lin’s central thesis, I take place continuously for an economy to grow have to say that this is an enjoyable and instructive based on its comparative advantage. Moreover, book. The reader is treated to a wide range of its comparative advantage will change as the eco- developing country experiences drawn from Lin’s nomic structure changes. travel in his World Bank job. These experience are The new line in Lin’s thinking about the eco- used very well to illustrate important points about nomic growth process that may make some econo- the development process—especially about the mists uncomfortable is his emphasis on mistakes made by developing countries in government provision of the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ attempting capital-intensive import substitution. infrastructure to reduce the transaction costs for There is also an excellent summary of the eco- new firms. The justification for such government nomic theory of growth (Chapter 5). However, it actions is that the process of industrial upgrading is a contentious book and hopefully will foster and structural transformation is beset by market much debate over the growth paradigm. -
Rethinking U.S. Economic Aid to Egypt
Rethinking U.S. Economic Aid to Egypt Amy Hawthorne OCTOBER 2016 RETHINKING U.S. ECONOMIC AID TO EGYPT Amy Hawthorne OCTOBER 2016 © 2016 Project on Middle East Democracy. All rights reserved. The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, Washington, D.C. based 501(c)(3) organization. The views represented here do not necessarily reflect the views of POMED, its staff, or its Board members. Limited print copies are also available. Project on Middle East Democracy 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 617 Washington DC 20036 www.pomed.org CONTENTS I. Introduction. 2 II. Background . .4 III. The Bilateral Economic Aid Program: Understanding the Basics. 16 IV. Why Has U.S. Economic Aid Not Had A Greater Positive Impact? . 18 V. The Way Forward . 29 VI. Conclusion . 34 PROJECT ON MIDDLE EAST DEMOCRACY 1 RETHINKING U.S. ECONOMIC AID TO EGYPT I. INTRODUCTION Among the many challenges facing the next U.S. administration in the Middle East will be to forge an effective approach toward Egypt. The years following the 2011 popular uprising that overthrew longtime U.S. ally President Hosni Mubarak have witnessed significant friction with Egypt over issues ranging from democracy and human rights, to how each country defines terrorism (Egypt’s definition encompasses peaceful political activity as well as violent actions), to post-Qaddafi Libya, widening a rift between the two countries that began at least a decade ago. Unless the policies of the current Egyptian government shift, the United States can only seek to manage, not repair, this rift. The next U.S. -
The Grain Economy of Mamluk Egypt by Ira M. Lapidus
THE GRAIN ECONOMY OF MAMLUK EGYPT BY IRA M. LAPIDUS (University of California, Berkeley) Scholarly studies of the economy of Egypt in the Middle Ages, from the Fatimid through the Mamluk periods, have stressed two seemingly contradictory themes. On the one hand, the extraordinary involvement of the state in economic affairs is manifest. At different times, and in various ways, the ruling regimes of Egypt monopolized or strictly controlled certain primary or strategic products. Wood and metals, both domestic and imported, were strictly controlled to assure the availability of military supplies. Certain export products like natron were sometimes made state monopolies. So too products of unusual commercial importance were exploited, especially by the Mamluk Sultans, to gain monetary advantages. Sugar production, often in the hands of rulers and oflicials, was also, on occasion, a state monopoly. At another level, the state participated in economic activity it did not monopolize. Either the governing bureaus themselves, or elite members of the regime, were responsible for irrigation and other investments essential to agricultural productivity. In the trading sphere, though state-sponsored trading expeditions are unknown, state support for trade by treaty arrangements, by military and diplomatic protection, and direct participation in the form of investments placed with mer- chants were characteristic activities. How much of the capital of trade was "booty" or political capital we shall never know. In other spheres, state participation gave way to state controls for the purposes of taxation. Regulation of the movements of merchants, or the distribution of goods, facilitated taxation. For religious or moral reasons state controls also extended to the supervision, regulation, or prohibition of certain illicit trades. -
EXTENDING DECOLONIZATION: How the UNITED NATIONS MIGHT HAVE ADDRESSED Kosovo
ARTICLES EXTENDING DECOLONIZATION: How THE UNITED NATIONS MIGHT HAVE ADDRESSED Kosovo Thomas D. Grant TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .......................................... 10 II A PROBLEM OF UN POLITICS ............................... 12 m. A PROBLEM OF RIGHTS AND STATEHOOD ..................... 21 IV. DECOLONIZATION ....................................... 26 V. EXTENDING THE PROCESS OF DECOLONIZATION ................ 33 VI. THE RISKS ............................................. 39 VII. CONCLUSION ........................................... 52 GA. J. INT'L & COMP. L. [Vol. 28:9 EXTENDING DECOLONIZATION: How THE UNITED NATIONS MIGHT HAVE ADDRESSED Kosovo Thomas D. Grant* I. INTRODUCTION Use of force against Yugoslavia, initiated on March 24, 1999, raised vexing problems about international governance. This article identifies two problems in particular and suggests an alternative approach which may have averted them. The Kosovo crisis can be characterized as a crisis of self-determination. When a group of human beings achieves self-determination, it is manifested by the participation of the group in the governance of a state. Where there are no other groups in the territory of the state, this will mean a monopoly by the group over governance. Where more than one group lives within a state, (which is to say, in most states) self-determination means shared participation in governance either through democratic institutions constituting a unitary government or through sub-state territorial units possessing their own competencies such as "autonomy" or "self-government." An important incident of self-determination when expressed this way is the right of the state to maintain its territorial integrity. Not all groups however have achieved self- determination. Where a group has not achieved self-determination, it may later be achieved through a change in the organization of the state in which the group lives. -
Differentiation Between Developing Countries in the WTO
Differentiation between Developing Countries in the WTO Report 2004:14 E Foto: Mats Pettersson Differentiation between Developing Countries in the WTO Swedish Board of Agriculture International Affairs Division June 2004 Authors: Jonas Kasteng Arne Karlsson Carina Lindberg Contents PROLOGUE.......................................................................................................................................................... 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................................... 5 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Purpose of the study............................................................................................................................. 9 1.2 Limitations of the study ....................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Background to the discussion on differentiation................................................................................ 10 1.4 Present differentiation between developing countries in the WTO.................................................... 12 1.5 Relevance of present differentiation between developing countries in the WTO .............................. 13 1.6 Outline of the new differentiation initiative...................................................................................... -
Rethinking Islamist Politics February 11, 2014 Contents
POMEPS STUDIES 6 islam in a changing middle east Rethinking Islamist Politics February 11, 2014 Contents The Debacle of Orthodox Islamism . 7 Khalil al-Anani, Middle East Institute Understanding the Ideological Drivers Pushing Youth Toward Violence in Post-Coup Egypt . 9 Mokhtar Awad, Center for American Progress Why do Islamists Provide Social Services? . 13 Steven Brooke, University of Texas at Austin Rethinking Post-Islamism and the Study of Changes in Islamist Ideology . 16 By Michaelle Browers, Wake Forest University The Brotherhood Withdraws Into Itself . 19 Nathan J. Brown, George Washington University Were the Islamists Wrong-Footed by the Arab Spring? . 24 François Burgat, CNRS, Institut de recherches et d’études sur le monde arabe et musulman (translated by Patrick Hutchinson) Jihadism: Seven Assumptions Shaken by the Arab Spring . 28 Thomas Hegghammer, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) The Islamist Appeal to Quranic Authority . 31 Bruce B. Lawrence, Duke University Is the Post-Islamism Thesis Still Valid? . 33 Peter Mandaville, George Mason University Did We Get the Muslim Brotherhood Wrong? . 37 Marc Lynch, George Washington University Rethinking Political Islam? Think Again . 40 Tarek Masoud, Harvard University Islamist Movements and the Political After the Arab Uprisings . 44 Roel Meijer, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and Ghent University, Belgium Beyond Islamist Groups . 47 Jillian Schwedler, Hunter College, City University of New York The Shifting Legitimization of Democracy and Elections: . 50 Joas Wagemakers, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands Rethinking Islamist Politics . 52 Carrie Rosefsky Wickham, Emory University Progressive Problemshift or Paradigmatic Degeneration? . 56 Stacey Philbrick Yadav, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Online Article Index Please see http://pomeps.org/2014/01/rethinking-islamist-politics-conference/ for online versions of all of the articles in this briefing . -
Fact Sheet on the Kyoto Protocol
The U.S. View FACT SHEET ON THE KYOTO PROTOCOL t a conference held December 1–11, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, the Parties to A the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to an historic Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by harnessing the forces of the global marketplace to protect the environment. Key aspects of the Kyoto Protocol include weather, either of which could spike emissions targets, timetables for industrial- emissions in a particular year. ized nations, and market-based measures for meeting those targets. The Protocol • The first budget period will be makes a down payment on the meaning- 2008–2012. The parties rejected bud- ful participation of developing countries, get periods beginning as early as but more needs to be done in this area. 2003, as neither realistic nor achiev- Securing meaningful developing country able. Having a full decade before the participation remains a core U.S. goal. start of the binding period will allow more time for companies to make the transition to greater energy efficiency Emissions Targets and/or lower carbon technologies. A central feature of the Kyoto Protocol is a set of binding emissions targets for • The emissions targets include all six developed nations. The specific limits major greenhouse gases: carbon diox- vary from country to country, though ide, methane, nitrous oxide, and three those for the key industrial powers of the synthetic substitutes for ozone-deplet- European Union, Japan, and the United ing CFCs that are highly potent and States are similar—8 percent below 1990 long-lasting in the atmosphere. emissions levels for the European Union, 7 percent for the United States, and 6 • Activities that absorb carbon, such as percent for Japan. -
Fault Lines: Sinai Peninsula 20 OCT 2017 the Sinai Peninsula Is a Complicated Operational Environment (OE)
Fault Lines: Sinai Peninsula 20 OCT 2017 The Sinai Peninsula is a complicated operational environment (OE). At present, there are a number of interconnected conditions creating instability and fostering a favorable environment for the growth of Islamic extremist groups. Egypt is battling this situation with large-scale security operations, yet militant activity is not diminishing. The Egyptian government, in coordination with the Israeli government, is placing renewed interest on countering insurgent actors in the region and establishing a lasting security. Despite its best effort, Egypt has been largely unsuccessful. A variety of factors have contributed to the continued rise of the insurgents. We submit there are four key fault lines contributing to instability. These fault lines are neither mutually exclusive nor are they isolated to the Sinai. In fact, they are inexorably intertwined, in ways between Egypt, Israel, and the Sinai Peninsula. Issues related to faults create stability complications, legitimacy concerns, and disidentification problems that can be easily exploited by interested actors. It is essential to understand the conditions creating the faults, the escalation that results from them operating at the same time, and the potential effects for continued insecurity and ultimately instability in the region. FAULT LINES Egypt-Israel Relations - Enduring geopolitical tension between Egypt and Israel, and complex coordination needs between are “exploitable dissimilar and traditionally untrusting cultures, has potential for explosive effects on regional stability. sources of Political Instability - Continued political instability, generated from leadership turmoil, mounting security concerns, and insufficient efforts for economic development may lead to an exponentially dire security situation and direct and violent instability in the challenges to the government. -
39 40 Industrial Countries 20 17 16
Human Capital and Economic Development* Simon Appleton** and Francis Teal 1. Introduction Health and education are both components of human capital and contributors to human welfare. One index of human welfare, which incorporates income, education and health, shows that Africa’s level of ‘human development’ is the lowest of any region in the world. In this paper we will frequently compare Africa with South Asia. While Africa’s level of human development is lower than that of South Asia, its per capita income is higher. Africa’s poor economic performance has been most marked in its growth rate which has been half that of South Asia. As Africa has found since 1980, slow economic growth severely limits the ability of governments and households to fund further investments in health and education. Low investments in human capital may impinge on already low growth rates of income. Such interrelations might be thought to imply a vicious circle of development, but this should not be overstated. Poor countries have considerable discretion over how much to invest in health and education. Since Independence, Africa has achieved a rapid growth of some aspects of human capital - particularly in the expansion of education - despite starting from a low level of income. The expansion of the human capital stock has not been matched by a commensurate rise in physical capital. The result has been low growth of incomes and low returns to the educational investment. This paper provides an overview of Africa’s achievements in the formation of human capital, and its impact on economic growth and welfare. -
345100Egy0economic0growth.Pdf
34510 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Economic Growth in Egypt: Constraints and Determinants Anton Dobronogov and Farrukh Iqbal Middle East and North Africa Social and Economic Development Group October 2005 Discussion papers are not formal publications of the World Bank. They represent preliminary and often unpolished results of country analysis and research. Circulation is intended to encourage discussion and comments; citation and the use of the paper should take account of its provisional character. The findings and conclusions of the paper are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. Table of Contents 1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................1 2. Growth Performance in 1961-2003: Phases and Trends ....................................................1 3. Empirics of Growth Performance in 1986-2003 .................................................................10 4. What constrains Growth in Egypt? A Diagnostic Approach .........................................13 5. Inefficiency of Financial Intermediation: Causes, Nature, and Implications for the Economy.........................................................................................................................19 6. Concluding Remarks.................................................................................................................23 -
ANALYSIS and MAJOR FINDINGS Analysis and Major Findings
Preface PART3 ANALYSIS AND MAJOR FINDINGS Analysis and Major Findings 3.1 OVERVIEW (AFCEs), individual government consumption expenditures Purchasing power parities are used to contrast estimates of the size (IGCEs), collective government consumption expenditures of a country’s economy, its aggregate welfare, the well-being of its (CGCEs) and investment. Africa regional values include only the residents and how its prices compare with those in other countries. 48 African countries that participated in 2005 ICP-Africa. The main results are presented in tables and figures. The main indi- The results of 2005 ICP-Africa are presented below. The descrip- cators used are price level indices (PLIs) and per capita GDP, its tive analysis covers gross domestic product (GDP) and some of expenditure components and their expenditure shares in terms its main components: actual final consumption expenditures of the total Africa region. Figure 1: Real GDP By Country in Billion AFRIC, 2005 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 e r os de r r oon ogo Mali e r T occo Niger Chad unisia Benin r V Egypt Kenya Sudan Liberia Ghana T Congo Gabon Malawi Nigeria Angola Guinea Djibouti Zambia anzania Gambia Uganda Ethiopia Senegal Lesotho Namibia Rwanda T Mo Mauritius Como Botswana Swaziland Mauritania Zimbabwe Came Cape South Africa Madagascar Sierra Leone Côte d'Ivoi Mozambique Burkina Faso Guinea-Bissau ome and Principe Equatorial Guinea T Sao Central African Republic Congo, Democratic Republic Note: For more details, see Table T10 in part 6. Burundi is not shown because it did not supply national account data. -
Growth and Economic Thought Before and After the 2008-09 Crisis1
WPS5752 Policy Research Working Paper 5752 Public Disclosure Authorized Learning from Developing Country Experience Growth and Economic Thought Before and After Public Disclosure Authorized the 2008–09 Crisis Ann Harrison Claudia Sepúlveda Public Disclosure Authorized The World Bank Public Disclosure Authorized Development Economics Vice Presidency August 2011 Policy Research Working Paper 5752 Abstract The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it documents the Second, it explores what these global economic changes changing global landscape before and after the crisis, and the recent crisis imply for shifts in the direction of emphasizing the shift towards multipolarity. In particular, research in development economics. The paper places it emphasizes the ascent of developing countries in the a particular emphasis on the lessons that developed global economy before, during, and after the crisis. countries can learn from the developing world. This paper is a product of the Development Economics Vice Presidency. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://econ.worldbank.org. The author may be contacted may be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected]. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly.