Arab Human Development in the Twenty-first Century: The Primacy of Empowerment

About the Book

With its emphasis on the primacy of change, this study arrives at a particularly auspicious moment, as the Middle East continues to be convulsed by the greatest upheavals in generations, which have come to be known as the Arab Spring. Originally prepared as the tenth-anniversary volume of the UNDP's Arab Human Development Report, Arab Human Development in the Twenty-first Century places empowerment at the center of human development in the Arab world, viewing it not only from the vantage point of a more equitable distribution of economic resources but also of fundamental legal, educational, and political reform. The ten chapters in this book follow closely this political economy framework. They look back at what Arab countries have achieved since the early 2000s and forward to what remains to be done to reach full development. Supported by a wealth of statistical material, they cover the rule of law, the evolution of media, the persistence of corruption, the draining of resources through armed conflict, the dominance and increase of poverty, the environment, and religious education. The concluding chapter attempts an inventory of the world literature and different experiences on democratic transition to explore where the region could be heading. This critical and timely study is indispensable reading to development specialists and to Middle East scholars and students alike, as well as to anyone with an interest in the future trajectory of the region.

Table of Contents:

Part 1
1. Redefining Development for a New Generation: A Political Economy Analysis
Bahgat Korany
Part 2: Empowerment Begins at the Top
Introduction
Bahgat Korany
2. From the Law of the Ruler to the Rule of Law
Mhamed Malki
3. Transforming the Media: From Tool of the Rulers to Tool of Empowerment
Lina Khatib
4. Fighting Corruption: From Missing Link to Development Priority
Mustafa Khawaja
Part 3. Supporting Empowerment Processes
Introduction
Bahgat Korany
5. Ending Persistent Poverty: Pathways to Reform and Empowerment
Sabria El-Thawr
6. A New Approach for Managing Conflicts
Louisa Ait-Driss
7. Urbanization, Climate Change, and the Environment
Zeyad Makhamret
Part 4. Rooting Empowerment in Identity
Introduction
Bahgat Korany
8. The Role of Education in Individual and Sustainable Development
Najoua Fezza
9. The Formation of Religious Leaders and Impact of Enlightened Imams
Baqer El-Najjar
Part 5.
10. The Birth Pangs of Transitioning from Authoritarianism: The Long Spring of Empowerment
Bahgat Korany

About the Author :
Bahgat Korany is professor of international relations and political economy at the American University in Cairo, and director of the AUC Forum. He is the co-editor of The Foreign Policies of Arab States (AUC Press, 2008) and Arab Spring in Egypt: Revolution and Beyond (AUC Press, 2012) and editor of The Changing Middle East: A New Look at Regional Dynamics (AUC Press, 2010).

Review :
"Bahgat Korany and his colleagues have assembled a vast amount of up-to-date information on the lamentable state of Arab development, including valuable material on the period since the 'Arab Spring' began at the end of 2010. Their work supplements and updates the important series of Arab Development Reports initiated by the UNDP in 2002. But the authors have gone beyond the mere descriptive to delve into the multiple causes of the present Arab malaise. . . . Comprehensive essays . . . provide insight into what they describe as the 'riddle' of Arab development and highlight what they call the 'adaptation deficit."--Michael C. Hudson, National University of Singapore

"A fine-grained, unflinching interrogation of the hindrances to development that continue to haunt the Arab world well into the new millennium, and the complex and multifarious ways in which stagnant modes of governance in the region feed and sustain them. At the dynamic heart of this analysis lies the symbiotic relationship between human empowerment and development, but its conclusions in terms of the structural transformations necessary to unleash the Arab world's formidable potential are both far-reaching and profound. An urgently important book."--Ghassan Salamé, Paris School of International Affairs

"Bahgat Korany and his team present a prescient set of guidelines for development in the Arab world in the twenty-first century. In doing so, they unpick the riddle of Arab development with surgical precision, offering diagnoses and remedies in the form of massive restructuring that are both realistic and achievable. Their work is ambitious but grounded in detailed analysis, concise but informed by profound historical, political, and economic depth and breadth. This book is destined to become one of the main sources for the study of the political economy of the Arab world for years to come."--Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University-Qatar

"A timely collection of essays by scholars from the region on some of the key political-economy and institutional challenges facing the Arab world today. Arab Human Development in the Twenty-first Century is essential reading for students, scholars, and policy-makers who desire a way forward in achieving broadly based human development in the Arab world. Bahgat Korany succeeds in contextualizing the debates and framing the analyses in a rigorous, clear, and accessible manner."--Fawaz A. Gerges, London School of Economics and Political Science