Transparency in a Time of Crisis and Long-Term Growth in MENA

The Novel Coronavirus presents a global challenge, but the economic shocks may be particularly transformational in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Decades of deliberately opaque governance in the region have bred broad distrust in state institutions at a time when credibility is needed to “flatten the curve” of the virus. In addition, the economic fallout of the pandemic—the collapse in oil prices and foreign worker remittances—complicates chances of recovery.

The 2020 World Bank report “How Transparency Can Help the Middle East and North Africa,” authored by Dr. Daniel Lederman and Dr. Asif Islam, examines the economic and societal structures at stake in the MENA region, as well as the best path forward. Join the authors for two days of discussion moderated by Dr. Todd Eisenstadt, professor in the School of Public Affairs (SPA) and faculty associate at the Center for Environmental Policy (CEP). Dr. Shadi Mokhtari and Dr. Tamar Gutner, both of the School of International Service, will also join the conversation.

RELATED ARTICLES

- Transparency for a time of crisis and beyond

https://theforum.erf.org.eg/2020/04/29/transparency-time-crisis-beyond/

- Data capacity and transparency in MENA: why they might matter for growth

https://theforum.erf.org.eg/2020/05/10/data-capacity-transparency-mena-might-matter-growth/

FULL REPORT (download): https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33475

May 13, 3 p.m. EST “The Costs of the Dual Shock of the Novel Coronavirus and the Oil Price Collapse across MENA,” featuring Dr. Daniel Lederman, deputy economist for the MENA region at the World Bank, and Dr. Shadi Mokhtari, assistant professor at the School of International Service.

May 14, 3 p.m. EST “The Challenge of Chronic Low Economic Growth and the Role of Data Measurement and Transparency,” featuring Dr. Asif Islam, senior economist at the World Bank, with comments by Dr. Tamar Gutner, School of International Service.