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Economic Policy
Reform in Egypt
by Iliya Harik
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this Book now
Focusing on six areas of economic policy reform in
Egypt--industry, agriculture, subsidies, foreign exchange,
education, and housing--Iliya Harik outlines the development
strategy of a country that once led the nonaligned nations of the
Third World and explains its slow transition from an
authoritarian to a more open and competitive system.
Harik observes that Egypt's poor economic performance under
Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak has resulted from a development
strategy emphasizing balance over growth. While some analysts
have claimed that Egypt's economy has suffered under a heavy
welfare burden, Harik shows to the contrary that the bulk of
spending has gone to support a form of economic nationalism aimed
at controlled self-sufficiency--an economic strategy that has
ultimately proved detrimental both to growth and to social
welfare.
Beyond his analysis of Egypt’s economic model, with its bias
for slow growth and high cost, Harik shows how unrealistic
policies have engendered a culture that is not civic-minded and
explains the political and economic reasons for the regime's
gradualist approach to change. In his concluding chapter, he
explores the possibility of a development strategy wherein
creative talent is emphasized and public agencies work with
organized labor to generate growth, employment, and equity.
Iliya Harik is professor of political science at
Indiana University and author and editor of numerous books and
articles, including The Political Mobilization of Peasants
(1974) and Privatization and Liberalization in the Middle
East (1992).
1997. 344 pp. 6 X 9.
19 tables, notes, works
cited, index.
ISBN 0-8130-1483-2
Cloth, $55.00s
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"Harik traces the persistent but mainly unsucessful attempts at reform through three periods. . . All in all, this is highly recommended reading."--Journal of Peace Research
"Harik has selected important variables for his study and has produced a useful analysis of economic policy reform that will appeal to those interested in the political economy of development as well as to specialists on Egypt and the Middle East." --
MESA Bulletin
"The thoroughness of the empirical research in this book makes it a valuable collection for all those who study Egypt or work on the Middle East. Highly recommended for libraries with collections on the subject and agencies engaged in the process."
--African Studies Review
"This book is a major interpretation of the choices made in the Nasser era to design a managed economy to promote order and balance, and only secondarily to foster
growth. All in all, a very impressive book."--Foreign Affairs
"This book is an engaging study of the economic reforms of Gamal Abdal Nasser and his successors In Egypt. . . .This is a stimulating book, written with care. Highly recommended for all libraries."--Choice
"Provides a new perspective on public policy in
postrevolutionary Egypt, breaking theoretical ground in the
development debate. . . . Students and scholars in the fields of
Middle East studies and development studies will find this work
seminal."--Tareq Y. Ismael, University of Calgary
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