ESCWA Publication: E/ESCWA/EDID/2019/TP.1
Country: Arab region, Arab Republic of Egypt, Republic of Tunisia
Publication Type: Working papers
Cluster: Shared Economic Prosperity
Focus Area: Financing for development, Governance & enabling environment
Initiatives: Sustainable urban development
SDGs: Agenda 2030
Keywords: Arab countries, Economic reform, Governance, Macroeconomics, Economic aspects, Social aspects
Socioeconomic impacts of macroeconomic reform policies in the Arab region
January 2019
The technical paper aims to test that hypothesis by evaluating Tunisia and Egypt’s experiences with neoliberal adjustment against the SDGs.
The UNESCWA expert group meeting Towards Inclusive Development for Conflict Prevention, from 25 to 27 June 2019, acknowledged the need to re-examine the relationship between macroeconomic policies and their socio-economic impacts. This paper contributes to the debate and explores the tension between IFI-led reforms and the SDGs in the Arab region, using a comparative case study of Tunisia and Egypt. It is argued that both nations have faced challenges related to economic growth, job creation and wealth inequality since implementing neoliberal policies. Each country’s public institutions struggled, and continue to struggle, to prevent elite capture of state resources.
Related content
Financing for development
, Governance & enabling environment
,
The technical paper aims to test that hypothesis by evaluating Tunisia and Egypt’s experiences with neoliberal adjustment against the SDGs.
The UNESCWA expert group meeting Towards Inclusive Development for Conflict Prevention, from 25 to 27 June 2019, acknowledged the need to re-examine the relationship between macroeconomic policies and their socio-economic impacts. This paper contributes to the debate and explores the tension between IFI-led reforms and the SDGs in the Arab region, using a comparative case study of Tunisia and Egypt. It is argued that both nations have faced challenges related to economic growth, job creation and wealth inequality since implementing neoliberal policies. Each country’s public institutions struggled, and continue to struggle, to prevent elite capture of state resources.
