There is a growing consensus that what you export matters for growth (see for instance, Haussman and al. 2007 and Krishna and Maloney (2011)). This paper examines whether and to what extent Jordan and...
This paper characterizes the trade performance of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the past 15 years. Cross-section results show that MENA's exports to the outside world were only one third...
In this paper the author analyze the link between spatial agglomeration, spatial disparities and political governance with an emphasis on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The agglomeration...
In this paper, the authors examine broadly the intergovernmental structure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which has one of the most centralized government structures in the world. The...
Israeli security measures, which were increased in response to the Intifada in 2000, have imposed a major cost on the economy of the West Bank and Gaza, and are heavily undercutting its current and future...
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is experiencing its strongest economic expansion in three decades. This paper addresses the labor market effects of the ongoing economic boom. While labor...
According to the national accounts of Iran, during the period of 1988-2003 the annual change in inventories in this economy was highly variable and averaged 7.3 percent of GDP if calculated at current...
This paper breaks down the contingent liability of a mandatory pension system into two components: the implicit pension debt and the pay-as-you-go asset. It then estimates these two components for 12 pension...
The Middle East and North Africa (MNA) region is one of the most water scarce regions in the world, with a regional annual average of 1,200 cubic meters per person (world average is close to 7,000). Water...
Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is analyzed for six Tunisian manufacturing sectors: food processing, electrical and metal products, chemical activities, textiles, clothing and leather, building materials...
This paper discusses a trade strategy for the Maghreb countries, with a particular focus on regional initiatives, as trade expansion could generate higher and sustained growth rates, and employment. The...
This paper attempts to numerically measure the respective impacts of trade and competition-policy based liberalization of Lebanese markets within an applied general equilibrium framework. The authors estimate...
Egypt accelerated its ongoing transition from a public sector dominated economy to a private sector led and market oriented economy after the collapse of oil prices in the mid-1980s. Some aspects of the...
This report examines the geographic aspects of poverty and social outcomes, and public program and spending responsiveness to that geographic heterogeneity for Morocco. The analysis uses spending allocations...
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is going through a difficult demographic transition that is putting enormous pressures on its labor markets. MENA countries are increasingly unable to generate the number...
This paper assesses the sustainability of public debt in Egypt in light of recent fiscal trends. It discusses different estimates of the public debt in Egypt, analyzes key fiscal trends underlying recent...
Despite some progress in economic policy - in macroeconomic stability in the 1980s, and in structural reforms in the 1990s - the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries have failed to attract foreign...
Morocco's national survey of living standards to measure the short-term welfare impacts of prior estimates of the price changes attributed to various agricultural trade reform scenarios for de-protecting...
The report discusses the imperatives for trade reform in the MENA region as well as an overview of the process and rules of multilateral negotiations and MENA countries' involvement. It also examines the...
This paper analyzes the linkages among economic reforms, human capital, physical infrastructure, and growth for a panel of 44 developing countries over the period of 1970-80 to 1999. The authors generate...