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Early childhood education is not a luxury
Observers of the educational landscape in the Maghreb countries are often left with the impression that early childhood education is more a luxury than a necessity. While child-care centers,...
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What is a university degree worth in the Arab world?
Graduation—a long-awaited day in most students' lives. Yet, according to Amir Fakih, himself a recent graduate from Lebanon’s Notre Dame University, a graduation ceremony also comes with grievances. To...
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Education in Egypt needs permanent solutions, not “band-aids”
“Is this meant to be a band-aid?” one participant intervened. This intriguing comment, made during consultations held in Cairo on an education initiative by the World Bank Group and Islamic Development...
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Piles of garbage, blackouts, water shortages welcome students back to school
A dismal garbage disposal crisis, long, unregulated power cuts and water shortages, coupled with deepening financial hardship, have exposed a ruling political class as being too busy squabbling in...
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My young children give me hope
With the start of the new school year, my children are eager to get back into their classrooms, like all students after a long summer vacation. Perhaps, they feel as they grow and advance to the next...
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Why Fatima had to lose her house
I’ve just returned from a mission to Palestine. During the visit, I met Fatima. She was happily married until last summer, when suddenly she lost everything. She lived with her husband and step-son in...
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Does legal aid reduce poverty?
This blog originally appeared in Future Development.Last week I attended a gathering of legal aid providers, a somewhat informal group mostly from rich countries but with a slowly growing number of...
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Much ado about nothing? The economic impact of refugee ‘invasions’
To those European Union citizens who think that the ongoing “refugee invasion” into the EU is quickly becoming economically unsustainable: If the experience of Syria’s neighbors is anything to go by,...
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Think regional, act local: a new approach for Maghreb countries
Every organization, no matter how large, needs to pause occasionally and take a good, hard look at itself. It is vital for measuring the gap between intention and achievement, and charting a new...
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Conflict and development: the World Bank Group’s new strategy for the Middle...
In February 2012, I wrote a blog about the relevance to the Arab revolutions that had swept the region of the UN’s then recently unveiled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future worth Choosing,”...
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Tunisian civil society: from revolutionaries to peace keepers
Who would have thought, on January 14th 2011, when the Tunisian people took to the streets shouting “Degage!” or “Get out!” to former dictator Ben Ali’s regime, that they put in motion a series of...
View ArticleWhat are the prospects for economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa?
. World Bank Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, Shanta Devarajan discusses potential economic scenarios for the region. Back in January we were cautiously optimistic about the...
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After the nuclear agreement: What’s next on the economic front for Iranians?
Guest blogger, Professor Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou looks at the internal economic challenges Iran will have to confront to reap any of the potential benefits from the lifting of sanctions.The much...
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Refugee crisis turns Tunisian fishermen into rescue teams
Tunisia’s southern coastal city of Zarzis The concerns of the fishermen around Tunisia’s southern coastal city of Zarzis now extend beyond weather conditions and the day-to-day Tuna and Dorado...
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Vaccine Sukuks: Islamic securities deliver economic and social returns
“Ethical finance” is a term used to describe finance that is put to good social and environmental use. Interest in it has risen since the 2008 global financial crisis, with Islamic finance and socially...
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Tunisia: the leaders of tomorrow also have something to say today
Like a poppy resisting the wind, Tunisia is resisting all efforts to drag the country down. The ability of this tiny country in the Middle East and North Africa region to face up to challenges has been...
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How innovation is disrupting the energy industry – and what it means for the...
This article originally appeared on the World Economic Forum blog.We are currently witnessing shifts in major industries as a result of rapid technological innovation and industry interconnectivity....
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“The dreams that we have are rights for others”: Listening to disadvantaged...
Participants in the Sidi Slimane Youth Workshop In my years of service with the World Bank, I have never come across such poignant testimony. I thought I had heard it all—everything I could ever know...
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Morocco’s social contract and civil liberties
This article was first published on Future Development The Arab Spring and its aftermath have inspired much discussion of the social contracts that had defined the relationship between citizens and the...
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What is the social contract and why does the Arab world need a new one?
The ‘social contract’ is an idea that dates back to the ancient Greeks, and refers to the implicit agreement among members of a society that defines their relationship with each other and the state....
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