The Quest for Subsidy Reforms in the Middle East and North Africa Region

The Quest for Subsidy Reforms in the Middle East and North Africa Region PDF Author: Paolo Verme
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319529269
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
This book is an analysis of energy and food subsidies in the MENA region between 2010 and 2014. Using the World Bank’s proprietary SUBSIM model, the book studies the distribution of subsidies and the simulation of subsidy reforms across eight countries within in a partial equilibrium framework. The distributional analysis of subsidies provides information on who benefits from existing subsidies, while the simulations of subsidy reforms provide information on the outcomes of the reforms in terms of government budget, household welfare, poverty, inequality, and the trade-offs between these outcomes. This focus provides governments with the essential information they need to make decisions on subsidy reforms and consumers with a clear sense of which programs and reforms are successful. The book highlights the historical roots of subsidies, the real trigger of subsidy reforms, and the complexity of subsidy reforms. It discusses the pros and cons of radical and gradualist approaches to reforms, the use of compensation mechanisms and their implications, the advantages and disadvantages of public information campaigns, the political economy of targeting different economic populations, the political timing of reforms, and whether, overall, the reforms observed in the MENA region have been successful. The first book on subsidies in the MENA region that is based on primary micro data, this book is useful for researchers and graduate students studying political economy and working with microsimulation modelling instruments as well as government officials engaged in subsidies reforms, research institutes and private consulting groups advising governments on subsidy reforms.

The Quest for Subsidy Reforms in the Middle East and North Africa Region

The Quest for Subsidy Reforms in the Middle East and North Africa Region PDF Author: Paolo Verme
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319529269
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is an analysis of energy and food subsidies in the MENA region between 2010 and 2014. Using the World Bank’s proprietary SUBSIM model, the book studies the distribution of subsidies and the simulation of subsidy reforms across eight countries within in a partial equilibrium framework. The distributional analysis of subsidies provides information on who benefits from existing subsidies, while the simulations of subsidy reforms provide information on the outcomes of the reforms in terms of government budget, household welfare, poverty, inequality, and the trade-offs between these outcomes. This focus provides governments with the essential information they need to make decisions on subsidy reforms and consumers with a clear sense of which programs and reforms are successful. The book highlights the historical roots of subsidies, the real trigger of subsidy reforms, and the complexity of subsidy reforms. It discusses the pros and cons of radical and gradualist approaches to reforms, the use of compensation mechanisms and their implications, the advantages and disadvantages of public information campaigns, the political economy of targeting different economic populations, the political timing of reforms, and whether, overall, the reforms observed in the MENA region have been successful. The first book on subsidies in the MENA region that is based on primary micro data, this book is useful for researchers and graduate students studying political economy and working with microsimulation modelling instruments as well as government officials engaged in subsidies reforms, research institutes and private consulting groups advising governments on subsidy reforms.

Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the Middle East and North Africa

Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Mr.Hamid R Davoodi
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 9781589062290
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an economically diverse region. Despite undertaking economic reforms in many countries, and having considerable success in avoiding crises and achieving macroeconomic stability, the region’s economic performance in the past 30 years has been below potential. This paper takes stock of the region’s relatively weak performance, explores the reasons for this out come, and proposes an agenda for urgent reforms.

Political Economy in the Middle East and North Africa

Political Economy in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Author: Rachid Mira
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040263046
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue to face major economic and political challenges, including volatile economic growth, low economic diversification, high unemployment levels, and, in some cases, pervasive authoritarian regimes. These economic and political challenges are interdependent, and reform is needed in both spheres if structural, long-lasting change is going to be achieved. This book combines the World Bank’s concept of “good governance” with other analytical tools of political economy – including rent-seeking theory, political settlements approach, the resource curse, and Dutch Disease – to explore how government institutions in the region affect economic reforms and vice versa. The book also examines the role of institutions and performance of governance on rent distribution, evaluating how governments manage their, sometimes-abundant natural resources. In some “rentier states,” governments are clearly utilizing these resources for their own political ends even at the cost of negatively impacting economic growth, job creation, and social service provision. Economic growth is also constrained by low flows of both private and public investment toward productive sectors that need it. The book analyzes the differences between countries in the Middle East and North Africa in their economic and political structures to show how sustainable economic growth and a level of political democratization can be achieved through enhancing governance institutions. This book will be invaluable reading for researchers on the political economy of the Middle East and institutional economics.

Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia

Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia PDF Author: International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 59

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Book Description
In a worsening global environment, economies in the Middle East and Central Asia are being buffeted by a confluence of shocks: a global slowdown, high and volatile food and energy prices, faster and stronger than expected tightening of financial conditions, and the risk of fragmentation. The region’s emerging market and middle-income economies (EM&MIs) and low-income countries (LICs) are hit hard, with many facing curtailed access to market financing, while oil-exporting countries are being buffered by still-high energy prices. The adverse impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) has thus far been milder than expected. Still, the CCA’s strong ties to Russia entail substantial risks to the region’s outlook. The most urgent policy challenge for all countries is to tackle the cost-of-living crisis by restoring price stability, protecting vulnerable groups through targeted support, and ensuring food security. Policy trade-offs in EM&MIs and LICs have become more pronounced than ever, as they also need to preserve debt sustainability and financial stability. Oil exporters have the opportunity to maximize the benefits of the oil windfall by building buffers and advancing their diversification plans. CCA countries should carefully assess the magnitude and durability of the initial spillovers from the war in Ukraine and adjust their policy mix accordingly. Limited policy space in many countries raises the urgency of structural reforms to bolster economic growth while transforming economies to become more resilient, sustainable, diversified, and inclusive.

From Privilege to Competition

From Privilege to Competition PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821378899
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
'From Privilege to Competition: Unlocking Private-Led Growth in the Middle East and North Africa' sheds new light on the difficult quest for stronger and more diversified growth in a region of unquestionable potential. It underlines the need to strengthen reforms in many areas specifically, by reducing policy uncertainty and improving credit and real estate markets. It also highlights other important issues that restrain the credibility and impact of reforms in many parts of the region: conflicts of interest between politicians and businesses, an investment climate that favors a few privileged firms, and a dominant private sector that often opposes reforms. The book recommends that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) engage in more credible reform agendas by improving the implementation of policies in a manner that will reduce discretion and privileges. This renewed commitment to stronger growth would entail several developments. First, governments will need to reduce opportunities for rent-seeking and foster competition. Second, they will need to work to reform institutions: private sector development policies will need to be systematically anchored in elements of institutional and public sector reforms in order to reduce discretion and opacity and improve the quality of services to firms. Third, they will need to mobilize all stakeholders, including larger representations from the private sector, around dedicated long-term growth strategies. Short of such a fundamental shift in the way private sector policies are formulated and implemented, investor expectations that governments are committed to reform will be limited. It will take political will and time to support sustained reforms that credibly convince investors and the public that changes are real, deep, and set to last. MENA countries are endowed with strong human capital, good infrastructure, immense resources, and a great deal of untapped creativity and entrepreneurship. The economic and social payoff of embarking on a more ambitious private-led growth agenda could thus be immense for all.

Prices and Welfare

Prices and Welfare PDF Author: Abdelkrim Araar
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030174239
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Book Description
This book provides a general framework for the use of theoretical contributions in empirical works, addressing the question of what is the effect of a price change on household well-being. This simple question is one of the most relevant and controversial questions in microeconomic theory and one of the main sources of errors in empirical economics. In particular, this book aims to 1) Review the essential microeconomics literature since the first seminal papers by Hicks in the 1930s; 2) Organize and simplify this literature in a way that can be easily used by analysts with different backgrounds providing algebraic, geometric and computational illustrations; 3) identify and measure the essential differences across methods and test how these differences affect empirical results; 4) Provide guidelines for the use of alternative approaches under imperfect information on utility, demand systems, elasticities and more generally incomes and quantities; 5) Provide computational codes in Stata for the application of all methods. The focus of the book is on developing economies and the poor, and the assumptions made will relate primarily to these countries and group of people, presumably the main policy focus of international organizations and national governments.

2017 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition

2017 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251301115
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 75

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Book Description
The 2017 Near East and North Africa (NENA) edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition comes under the theme of “building resilience for food security and nutrition in times of conflict and crisis”. The report establishes a baseline against which to measure future progress towards achieving SDG 2 on ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in NENA by monitoring the latest indicators for the SDG targets on hunger and food insecurity (SDG Target 2.1) and malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2). Beyond numbers, the report focuses on the fundamental factors that have driven improvements in food security and malnutrition: poverty reduction, economic growth, improvements in maternal and childhood nutrition and public health, increases in the quantity and quality of the food supply and cessation of violence. Moreover, the report brings into sharp focus the issue of conflict, which is the major driver of food insecurity in the NENA region. Food security in the NENA region is fast deteriorating, driven by conflict and leading to a widening gap in well-being between conflict and non-conflict countries. Conflicts have long-lasting impacts on the food security and nutrition of both affected and surrounding countries in the region. Not only is food security deteriorating in the conflict and spill over countries, but the high costs of perpetrating, containing, preventing and dealing with the consequences of violence undermine their ability to mitigate the decline in living standards.

The Handbook of Energy Policy

The Handbook of Energy Policy PDF Author: Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811967784
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 970

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Book Description
The Handbook of Energy Policy is a unique and novel reference for addressing the policy implications of energy demand and supply from their economic, political, social, planning, and environmental aspects. The Handbook of Energy Policy provides several studies from the global, regional, national, or local perspectives that are of wider policy significance. Studies provided in this book are of interest to the international organizations, governments, public and private sector entities, local communities, universities, research institutions, and other non-governmental organizations. Topics covered in the Handbook of Energy Policy are including energy security, energy poverty, energy finance, energy pricing, energy and environment, energy and sustainability, energy and growth, energy efficiency, energy trade, technological innovation and energy, energy transition, energy nexus studies, economics, and policy of fossil fuels, economics, and policy of renewable and green energies. The policy recommendations provided in all chapters are supported by a rigorous empirical or theoretical analysis.

Food subsidies and cash transfers in Egypt: Evaluating general equilibrium benefits and trade-offs

Food subsidies and cash transfers in Egypt: Evaluating general equilibrium benefits and trade-offs PDF Author: Breisinger, Clemens
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 23

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Book Description
Most Egyptians receive food subsidies, which are the cornerstone of the country’s social protection system. The government recently attempted to reduce subsidies, with limited success, and introduced a cash transfer program targeting the poor. We use a dynamic general equilibrium model of the Egyptian economy to evaluate the growth and distributional impacts of subsidy reforms and cash transfers. We find that the welfare of poor households would be enhanced by a smaller, but better targeted food subsidy program, and that, if the cost savings from reforms are channeled into investment, faster economic growth would eventually outweigh any short-term welfare losses. However, most of the gains from subsidy reforms accrue to nonpoor households. Combining subsidy reforms with cash transfers leads to the largest welfare gains for the poor, while leaving the welfare of nonpoor households largely intact. The latter is crucial to maintaining support for ongoing subsidy reform efforts.

Green Management

Green Management PDF Author: Swati Gupta
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
ISBN: 1837974446
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Green Management brings together works by specialists from different disciplines and continents to reflect on the nexus between Green Management and its impact on businesses.