Djavad Salehi-Isfahani presents at Harvard University's Arab Weekend
On November 15, MEYI scholar Djavad Salehi-Isfahani delivered a presentation on human capital development in the Middle East at the 3rd annual Harvard Arab Weekend. The conference covered a wide range of themes of relevance to the Arab world today, including: social media, international trade and development, energy and sustainability, and entrepreneurship.
Salehi-Isfahani presented findings from MEYI’s recent book, Generation in Waiting: The Unfulfilled Promise of Young People in the Middle East (Brookings Press, 2009), discussing the state of Middle Eastern youth in the areas of education, employment, access to housing, financial independence and family formation. He highlighted the role of outdated institutions and signals in creating the outcomes that are found in many countries in the region today. He also discussed recommendations that policymakers can being to adopt in order to align youth incentives and micro-behaviors with macro-level development goals such as:
- reforming education systems so that students gain relevant skills;
- cultivating a skilled and entrepreneurial labor force;
- expanding the role of the private sector as an engine of job creation;
- reducing the appeal of public sector employment; and
- building a solid foundation for the region’s future middle class.
