The 'Arab Spring' of 2011 requires businesses, governments and development agencies to rethink their approaches to the Middle East and North Africa, to question their understandings of stability and to reassess their ideas about risk. 

Our work, led by Senior Research Fellow Jane Kinninmont, seeks to help address these issues and provide a greater depth of understanding about the current political economy of the Arab world.

'Bread, Dignity and Social Justice'
Unrest has increased Egypt’s economic challenges, however the period of political change presents an opportunity to build a stronger, more inclusive and politically legitimate economy, writes Jane Kinninmont in this new Briefing Paper.

New Actors
Jane Kinninmont offers a comparative analysis of the economic and political role of entrepreneurs in various North African countries, giving special attention to the role that entrepreneurs are playing in the transition. Read

Middle East Energy
Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister and OPEC's Secretary General delivered speeches at this year's energy conference. HE Ali I Al-Naimi said 'dynamic changes' were taking place in the oil industry.
Read

Egypt's Economy: Recommendations
Recent workshops, held in Cairo, focused on Egypt's economy. The first workshop paid attention to social justice and job creation. Read. The second workshop focused on the role of international loans and capital. Read. 

Further Resources:

New Socio-Political Actors in North Africa: A Transatlantic Perspective
German Marshall Fund publication, Jane Kinninmont, February 2012

Investing for the Future in Turbulent Times
Transcript, HE Ali I. Al-NaimiMinister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
January 2012

The MENA Region in the International Arena
Transcript, HE Abdalla El-Badri, Secretary General, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

Yemen's Economy: Oil, Imports and Elites
Programme Paper, Peter Salisbury, October 2011

Opportunities and Obstacles for Yemeni Workers in GCC Labour Markets
Programme Paper, Jessica Forsythe, September 2011

Egypt's Economy inthe Transitional Period
Workshop Report, September 2011

The Role of International Loans and Capital in Egypt's Transition
Workshop Report, September 2011

Shaky Economies for Egypt, Tunisia
Interview with the Council for Foreign Relations, June 2011

Libya's Key Challenges for Economic Stability
BBC News, August 2011 

Libya: Policy Options for the Transition
Workshop Report, August 2011