MEYI Conference Proceedings: "From Oil Boom to Youth Boon"

• Ragui Assaad, Regional Director, West Asia and North Africa at Population Council 
       Youth Exclusion in Egypt 
  
• Navtej Dhillon, Fellow/Director Middle East Youth Initiative, Wolfensohn Center at the Brookings Institution 
  
• Nader Kabbani, Director of Research, Syria Trust  
      Social-Economic Exclusion & Youth Employment Outcomes in Syria 
• Djavad Salehi Isfahani, Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution 
      Youth Exclusion in Iran: The State of Education, Employment, and Family Formation
  
• Jean-Louis Sarbib, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, the Brookings Institution 
•  Diane Singerman, Associate Professor at the Department of Government, American University 
      The Marriage Imperative and "Waithood": Youth Transitions & Economic Challenges in the Middle East 
• Hilary Silver, Associate Professor of Sociology, Brown University 
  
• Tarik Yousef, Dean of Dubai School of Government and Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution 

Audio Transcript: 

A full transcript of the proceedings of the conference can be downloaded here.

• In countries discussed, the youth bulge coincides with transitions from state-led to a private sector economies. This transition poses a special challenge in the effort to benefit from the “demographic gift” of the large youth population.
• In many Middle Eastern states, a generally positive economic outlook has not translated into increased prospects for youth inclusion.
• The role of education and the necessity of reform were seen as critical by the panelists, especially given the high rates of unemployment among educated youth.
• In this regard, many panelists expressed concern that the education system was not able to receive or respond to properly signals from the labor market, leaving students unprepared for the demands of the new economy.  
• A key issue is the redefinition of the social contract. Past generations benefited from a state-led social contract, which provided public sector employment and security. But as one panelist noted, this old social contract is dead, and (in part due to conflicting signals drawn from misguided policies) a new one is not yet born.
• Panelists underscored the point that exclusion is a multifaceted phenomenon, with economic, social, and institutional causes and consequences.
• Delayed marriage and the phenomenon of “waithood” in the transition from adolescence to adulthood pose serious challenges but also provide opportunities for analysis and policy recommendations.
• Panelists expressed concerns that stopgap solutions that do not address the underlying structural issues have the potential to exacerbate the problems of youth exclusion. 
• In this regard, several panelists addressed the importance of coordinated reform encompassing education, labor market, housing availability and marriage affordability.