The Governance and Development program promotes regional development and prosperity by working to identify solutions to the most pressing socioeconomic and governance challenges facing the MENA region.
The program conducts research to understand the underlying causes and consequences of these challenges; convenes meetings with leading thinkers, practitioners, and policymakers to develop viable policy solutions; and works with leading regional and international institutions to launch innovative programmatic initiatives.
A visualization that tracks cumulative deaths officially associated with COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries over the 2020-2022 period on a comparable per capita basis.
May 17, 2023Excess Mortality and the Impact of COVID-19 in Egypt
Over the COVID-19 pandemic, Egyptian data on confirmed cases and deaths remained strikingly low, particularly given rates in neighboring countries, high comorbidities within the population, and evidence of infection among many traveling from Egypt. Despite governmental assertions of limited viral spread, COVID-19 was prevalent across the country—as it was in nearly all countries—and it had led to an uncertain number of deaths.
June 8, 2023Global Financial Reintegration Key to Türkiye’s Earthquake Recovery
Türkiye’s vulnerability to earthquakes, exemplified by the earthquakes of 1999 in Izmit and recently in Anatolia, highlights the urgency for improved earthquake resilience. Despite efforts to upgrade housing stock, a significant portion of the country’s buildings remain vulnerable.
February 28, 2023Breaking the Cycle: How Can the MENA Region Tackle Food Insecurity?
Food insecurity has become a pressing issue worldwide. The repercussions of the war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of COVID-19, amidst a global economic slowdown, have all intensified the global state of food insecurity. Food systems have been disrupted leaving many without access to sufficient nutrition. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 222 million people (2.8 percent of the global population) are currently suffering from acute food insecurity, and undernourishment currently stands at around 10 percent of the population. The situation is projected to worsen, with the United Nations (UN) estimating that by 2030, eight percent of the global population will face hunger.
April 30, 2023Voice, Accountability, and Economic Growth in the MENA Region
Polling data from across the Arab world suggests a growing disillusionment with democracy and its role in fostering economic development. While such disillusionment is understandable, it is not necessarily accurate. This paper reviews analytic work and empirical data on governance, economic growth, foreign direct investment, and export diversification in an effort to understand whether metrics of “voice and accountability” (which are often used as proxies for democratic development) are correlated with higher levels of economic growth and performance.
March 28, 2023Women of the Gulf Break Labor Market Barriers: A Journey in Progress
Women nationals in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have made remarkable progress in terms of educational attainment and labor force participation. GCC countries now lead the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in terms of female employment among nationals (i.e., citizens). The rapid improvement in female economic participation in the Gulf has propelled them to the forefront of women’s economic empowerment in the MENA region. This goes against persistent historical narratives that depict the Gulf states as outliers in terms of repression of women’s economic, social, and political freedoms.
