Point of View

Last week the World Bank announced "up to $6 billion in new Bank support over the next two years for Egypt and Tunisia" to assist in political transitions and economic reform.  Shortly after the G-8 Summit at Deauville, France announced the formation of a "Deauville Partnership" and pledged to raise "more than USD 20 billion" over the next two years to strengthen institutional development in Tunisia and Egypt especially as it links to inclusive economic growth and job creation among young people. The Middle East Youth Initiative sat down with Edward Sayre, MEYI's Director of Research and a nonresident fellow at Brookings Institution, to discuss the potential impact of the G-8 and World Bank development packages on private sector development, youth participation in the labor market, and critical issues surrounding educational quality, employment, and social inclusion.

Edward Sayre and Samantha Constant analyze how the youth bulge in the Middle East and associated pressures in the education and labor markets have triggered recent political events in the region and what governments must do to meet the economic challenges that remain and will remain even in the context of political reforms. This commentary was originally published in the National Journal on February 19, 2011.

The Middle East is currently experiencing an unprecedented youth bulge, the effects of which are being felt in protests and demands for reform across the region. In a recent interview, Ragui Assaad discusses the region's unique demographic situation and ways to transform unrest into economic opportunity. The transcript of this interview was originally published by the Council of Foreign Relations on 14 February 2011.

Tarik Yousef, Raj Desai, and Anders Olofsgård discuss the authoritarian bargain--"an implicit contract between ruling elites and citizens whereby citizens relinquished political influence in exchange for economic benefits"--highlighting the need for new reforms in the wake of the authoritarian bargain's collapse. This analysis was originally published by Brookings Institution on 09 February 2011.

Raj Desai assesses the authoritarian bargain in the Middle East, examining the two shocks--economic recession in the 1980s and 1990s, and an unprecedented youth bulge--that brought about its undoing in Egypt and Tunisia. This opinion piece was originally published in Politico on 01 February 2011.

Ragui Assaad reflects on what the recent historic events in Tunisia mean for youth in Tunisia, Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. This commentary was originally published by the Brookings Institution on 24 January 2011.

Samar Mezghanni joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Tunis, Tunisia, where she is currently studying psychology at the High Institute of Human Sciences in Tunis.

Samar Mezghanni joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Tunis, Tunisia, where she is currently studying psychology at the High Institute of Human Sciences in Tunis.