المنتدى

The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn, Germany, The MENA Social Policy Network (Institute for Policy Research) University of Bath, UK, and The Economic Research Forum (ERF), Cairo, Egypt announce a joint call for papers for two panels at the 5th World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), which will take place on July 16-20 2018, in Seville, Spain. 

Panel 1:
Title: Building Prosperity through Sound Economic Policies in MENA: Industrial Policy, Growth, Investment, Informality, and International Trade
Discipline: Economic policies
Organizing Institutions:

The Arab Spring left behind severe frustrations for the masses in the MENA region. Civil wars have since sparked in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Egypt is moving away from the goal of a market economy. The fall in oil prices has caused a sharp drop in the Gulf countries’ current and future wealth. Economic reforms in Jordan, Algeria, and Morocco are stalling creating challenges for both sets of countries. Iran and Turkey face economic challenges of their own. Even Tunisia struggles in its transition to democracy and its transformation into a dynamic economy.

What reforms can and should these countries adopt given the mounting pressure of a bulge of unemployed and frustrated youth. What are the features of an inclusive Industrial Policy that promotes growth in the region? How can the framework conditions be improved to ensure growth and productivity enhancing structural transformation that balances between jobless versus penniless growth? How is trade policy involved and how can the trend of labour transition into low-productivity informal sectors be curbed? What role can multilateral and bilateral donors play in the regions’ efforts to achieve for sound economic policies. What role can they play to boost investment and trade in the region?
Organisers:

Please send your 500-word abstracts by November 25, 2017 to both organisers and your full papers by December 30, 2017 for a final decision. ERF will cover the cost of ERF Research Associates and Affiliates.

 

Panel 2:
Title: Social Policies in MENA Countries: Do They Pursue Social, Economic or Political Goals?
Discipline: Economic and social development

Organizing Institutions:

The current interest in social protection in the MENA region sparks a wider debate about the nature of social contracts and social policies there. The aim of this panel is to interrogate the nature of these conceptual and policy linkages further because social policies play a key role in the development of every country by virtue of them having not only social but also economic and political functions. Their social function is to guarantee a minimum standard of living for everybody and thereby reduce multidimensional poverty and inequality. Their economic function is to prevent people from falling into poverty because of risks such as old age, illness or unemployment. As such, social protection systems also encourage people, even those with limited income, to invest their savings in better means of production or human capital instead of hording them in case a risk occurs. In this way, they promote pro-poor growth. And the political function of social protection is to alleviate peoples' concerns about the future, contributing to their general satisfaction and stabilising the political system.

Papers presented in the panel “Social Policies in MENA Countries: Do they pursue social, economic or political goals?” discuss to what degree the social policies of MENA countries fulfil their three functions: How effective are they in fighting multidimensional poverty and inequality? How well do they protect vulnerable people and help them to engage more in economic activities? How do they do in strengthening social inclusion and social cohesion? Are they well-tailored to the needs of people? Or do they mainly serve the political interests of those who have set them up: authoritarian governments, religious NGOs, international donors? Papers exploring contemporary or past policies are welcome as well as both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. We also encourage think pieces, which can offer new ideas about the potential way forward for research in this field.
 

Organisers:

Please send your 500-word abstracts by November 25, 2017 to both organisers and your full papers by December 30, 2017 for a final decision. ERF will cover the cost of ERF Research Associates and Affiliates.