Thursday 21 April 2011

FT Tilt - Post-revolution MENA: A new narrative for economic reform(Registration)

Last week's IMF/World Bank meetings saw policy-makers grapple with the challenge of crafting economic assistance packages to MENA countries, experiencing political transition. But the stakes are high and the devil is in the detail. As policy-makers flesh out the format and substance of these assistance packages, they will need an effective communications strategy to address the concerns of the local population.

Unlike the aftermath of the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe and the subsequent break-up of the Soviet Union, which were accompanied by a broad acceptance of the need for economic reform, many MENA countries have been adhering to economic liberalisation agendas for years.

Yet despite these broad-reaching and sometimes painful reforms, many citizens in the region, particularly among the younger generations, perceived that their personal economic opportunities have only become increasingly limited, especially as a result of corruption and weak job prospects (Figures 1- 2).

Youth unemployment in MENA and corruption levels in MENA vs other EMs


1 comment:

  1. Great blog, I wasn't familiar with these graphs which I find fascinating. However, it's interesting to see how there is no correlation between the level of corruption and youth unemployment, and that surprises me.

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