|
on MENA - Middle East and North Africa |
| By: | International Food Policy Research Institute; United Nations Development Programme |
| Abstract: | Analysis of a comprehensive survey of Sudanese rural households conducted from November 2023 to January 2024 by IFPRI and UNDP reveals significant socioeconomic impacts of the ongoing armed conflict on the Sudanese population, underscoring the need for immediate and targeted policy and programmatic interventions. The conflict has severely disrupted rural household incomes and exacerbated existing vulnerabilities related to their housing and access to infrastructure and services. Most households live in inadequate housing conditions, with disparities in access to water, electricity, and sanitation services posing additional challenges. Rural households’ low access to assets, including agricultural land, further complicates their livelihoods. The conflict, primarily concentrated in urban areas, particularly Khartoum, has triggered mass migration, with significant numbers relocating to states like Aj Jazirah and Gedaref. These migrants, often from relatively better-off backgrounds, face substantial income losses, necessitating basic needs support and enhanced provision of public services, particularly for the large families that are more likely to migrate. Agriculture, a critical sector for rural livelihoods, has been significantly affected across all states. Most households reported not cultivating land during the summer season of 2023 due to the conflict. The sharp reduction in the area of crops planted underscores the need for support for farming activities, particularly for smallholder households. The survey highlights extensive exposure to shocks among rural households, with personal shocks, such as illnesses among household members, being the most common. Natural and climatic shocks, although less prevalent, alongside conflict-related shocks, like theft and violence, emphasize the complex challenges faced by these communities. Market access and disruptions have further impacted rural households, with a considerable proportion of rural households unable to sell or buy goods, primarily due to high prices and sharp reductions in income for most households. These market challenges, coupled with the overall economic instability, necessitate interventions aimed at maintaining and improving market accessibility and functionality to promote recovery and resilience. The findings from the analysis of the survey data lend support to designing and implementing comprehensive strategies that address the immediate needs of displaced populations and other rural households affected by income losses and market disruptions. Enhancing public services, supporting livelihoods, building resilience through shock-responsive social protection systems, agricultural and economic interventions, and ensuring equitable access to resources and markets for all households, particularly those headed by women and vulnerable groups, are the principal policy recommendations that emerged from this analysis. This study of rural household livelihoods amid the armed conflict in Sudan provides a foundation for targeted interventions and policy reforms aimed at mitigating the conflict’s impacts and fostering long-term resilience and economic stability. |
| Keywords: | livelihoods; armed conflicts; household surveys; impact assessment; migration; resilience; food security; assets; market access; shock; Africa; Northern Africa; Sudan |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:resrep:140797&r=ara |
| By: | Ayub, Mishael H.; Paul, Anju Mary (New York University Abu Dhabi) |
| Abstract: | Saudi Arabia scored 4.00 (out of 10) in the GCPI, placing it in the “Emerging” band of the Index. Its limited maternity protections and lack of provisions for flexible working arrangements or dependent care leave contributed to its low score in Sub-Index A. Its relatively better performance in Sub-Index B is due to the introduction of Resolution No. 310 in 2012 which provided basic legal protections for domestic workers. Nevertheless, enforcement of labor protections for migrant domestic workers tends to fall short of the minimal provisions in its laws. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch highlight a significant policy-practice gap. |
| Date: | 2022–04–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:pbrn3&r=ara |
| By: | Elbadawi, Ibrahim; Amin, Magdi; Elobaid, Amir; Alhelo, Alzaki; Osman, Abdelrahman; Suliman, Kabbashi |
| Abstract: | Sudan is currently embroiled in high-intensity, catastrophic, and factional military warfare which is a culmination of an acrimonious transition following a popular uprising that managed to depose the long-reigning kleptocratic regime of General Omer al-Bashir in December 2018. During the previous regime, Sudan experienced a major economic decline due to the loss of more than three-quarters of its oil revenues. In this paper, we argue that the same entrenched economic interests that explain the failure of the former regime to prepare for the massive economic and political shock waves associated with the partitioning of the country are also relevant in explaining why the military leadership reneged on their commitment to the constitutional transition to civilian democratic rule. |
| Keywords: | Sudan, South Sudan, military warfare, civil war, kleptocracy, sudden stops, post-conflict financing and reforms, long-term growth, catastrophic economic cost, peaceful renaissance growth, agricultural potential |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpm:notfdl:2312&r=ara |
| By: | Tabaqchali, Ahmed |
| Abstract: | The Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) dollar auction has been a continuous source of controversies and conspiracy theories. The main accusations facing it include: the siphoning of dollars to Iran, money laundering, and currency smuggling. Missing from this melee is an understanding of the economy’s key structural imbalances: mainly that the Iraqi economy is wholly dependent on oil export revenues, and demand for goods and services is met through imports handled by a largely informal private sector. Consequently, the government’s oil revenues are the economy’s major source of dollars, and the private sector depends on the auction as a significant source of dollars to pay for these imports. As such, it is the inherent imbalances in the economy’s structure that led to contradictory and unsustainable compromises within the functioning of the auction, and not unsubstantiated conspiracies. This piece aims to demystify the role and the functioning of the auction. It does so through reviewing (1) the oil and dollar lifecycle within Iraqi economy, (2) the private sector’s dollar supply-demand dynamics, and (3) the causes of the currency’s upheavals in November 2022, and their aftermath. It concludes that the measures undertaken in response to the upheavals have helped resolve most of the compromises that bedevilled the dollar auction in the past. However, lasting change requires addressing the economy’s structural imbalances head-on through implementing fundamental economic reforms centred around redefining the oversized role of the government in the economy and society. |
| JEL: | F3 G3 E6 N0 |
| Date: | 2024–04–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:122652&r=ara |
| By: | Badr Bentalha (ENCGF - Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion De Fès - USMBA - Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah) |
| Abstract: | Historically, tourism was an elitist phenomenon. As a result of economic development, a new model of mass tourism has emerged, reaching a wide swathe of society and conveying a standardized and unique vision. Today, mass tourism is criticized for both its high ecological footprint and its low contribution to local development. At the same time, the structure of the tourism market has undergone profound change, with the emergence of an alternative offer that is more respectful of the environment and local populations. On the one hand, this alternative tourism makes it possible to internalize the negative externalities of mass tourism and, on the other, to enhance the specific resources of the region. It also aims to reveal and promote the assets of each territory. Hiking is a form of tourism based on walking in the great outdoors on marked trails. With their low ecological footprint, local impact and cultural dimension, hiking is fully in line with the principles of alternative, sustainable tourism. So, to what extent do the emerging activities of alternative tourism via hiking contribute to the sustainable development of the Fez-Meknes region? The results of the qualitative study carried out show the importance of hiking for the local population and the preponderance of cultural dimensions. Nevertheless, poor communication and safety issues persist, calling for a comprehensive approach to developing hiking tourism in the Fez-Meknes region. |
| Abstract: | Historiquement, le tourisme était un phénomène élitiste. Suite au développement économique, un nouveau modèle de tourisme de masse a émergé, touchant une large frange de la société et véhiculant une vision standardisée et unique. Le tourisme de masse se voit aujourd'hui critiqué tant pour son empreinte écologique importante que pour sa faible contribution au développement local. Parallèlement, le marché touristique a connu une profonde mutation dans sa structure avec l'émergence d'une offre alternative plus respectueuse de l'environnement et des populations locales. Ce tourisme alternatif permet d'une part d'internaliser les externalités négatives du tourisme de masse et d'autre part, de valoriser les ressources spécifiques des territoires. Il vise également à révéler et à promouvoir les atouts de chaque territoire. Les randonnées sont une forme de tourisme basée sur la marche à pied en pleine nature, sur des sentiers balisés. Par leur faible empreinte écologique, leurs retombées locales et leur dimension culturelle, les randonnées s'inscrivent pleinement dans les principes d'un tourisme alternatif et durable. Ainsi, dans quelle mesure les activités émergentes de tourisme alternatif via les randonnées participent-elles au développement durable de la région Fès-Meknès ? Les résultats de l'étude qualitative menée montrent l'importance des randonnées pour la population locale et la prépondérance des dimensions culturelles. Néanmoins, une faible communication et des problèmes de sécurité persistent et nécessitent la mise en place d'une approche globale pour développer le tourisme par les randonnées dans la région Fès-Meknès. |
| Keywords: | Alternative tourism, Hiking, Sustainable development, Fez-Meknes region, Tourisme de masse, Tourisme alternatif, Randonnées, Développement durable, Région Fès- Meknès |
| Date: | 2024–04–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04543776&r=ara |
| By: | Rahmatali Saberi Haghayegh (Bandar Anzali Branch, Islamic Azad University); Alireza Farrokhbakht Foomani (Bandar Anzali Branch, Islamic Azad University); Peiman Alidoust Zoghi (Bandar Anzali Branch, Islamic Azad University); Amir Hossein Ebrahimizadeh Pishvari (Bandar Anzali Branch, Islamic Azad University) |
| Abstract: | This research article deals with the effect of social responsibility on customer loyalty with the mediating role of company image, customer satisfaction and trust in the insurance industry. The noticeable decline of brand from the sales analysis can be the main problem of businesses regarding loyalty and also the rate of customer loss as the main evaluation criteria and proves the importance of attention and the influence of interpersonal relationships in them.This research is descriptive according to the purpose of applied research, according to the method of data collection, and correlative in terms of method. The statistical population of the research was all the customers of Iran Insurance Co. in Bandar Anzali. The number of 384 people was selected as a sample. The research data collection tool was a standard questionnaire and SPSS and PLS software were used for data analysis. The results showed that the social responsibility of the company with the mediating role of the company's image, satisfaction and trust has a positive effect on the loyalty of Iran insurance customers in Bandar Anzali. Also, the business capabilities moderates the effect of corporate social responsibility on customer loyalty.Based on these results, effective actions can be taken to improve customer loyalty and maintain them. These actions include: using integrated marketing communication tools, focusing on improving the feelings of regular customers, making customers more aware of core competencies, focusing on identifying and strengthening factors affecting the perceived quality of customers, and providing more facilities for regular customers. |
| Keywords: | Company image, Customer loyalty, Customer trust, Satisfaction, Social responsibility |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iefpro:14115917&r=ara |
| By: | Stephane Hallegatte (World Bank); Florent McIsaac (World Bank); Hasan Dudu (International Monetary Fund); Charl Jooste (World Bank); Camilla Knudsen (World Bank); Hans Beck (World Bank) |
| Abstract: | In 2022 the World Bank Group launched a new core diagnostic tool: the Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR). Published for 42 economies so far, CCDRs use resilient and low-emission development scenarios to identify synergies and tradeoffs between development and climate objectives. There are several modeling challenges associated with the analysis of the macroeconomic consequences of these development pathways, including those related to the nonmarginal nature of the required transformation, the role of technologies, and the replacement of fossil fuel-based assets with greener ones. To address some of these challenges, several CCDRs have used a hybrid modeling approach that combines a set of sectoral analyses with macroeconomic models. Specifically, sectoral techno-economic models are employed to construct resilient and low-emission development trajectories in key sectors. The macroeconomic implications of these sectoral transitions are then assessed by linking the sectoral models with two macroeconomic frameworks: a multisector general equilibrium framework and an aggregate macrostructural model. This hybrid approach combines the advantages of multiple tools and captures the various dimensions of the transition, including the need to tackle multiple market failures, beyond the emissions externality; analyze price and nonprice policies and their interactions; represent explicitly the replacement of assets and infrastructure; assess the macroeconomic feasibility of the sectoral transitions and the required investments. This paper uses the case of Turkey to describe the methodological approach and summarizes the results of the CCDRs that have been published to date. Findings suggest that, despite large investment needs, the transition can contribute positively to economic growth, especially when indirect mitigation benefits are taken into account, but only if structural challenges can be managed, climate and development policies are well designed, and negative impacts on some sectors or communities are mitigated. |
| Keywords: | Macroeconomic modeling; climate change; technological change |
| JEL: | E60 Q43 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iie:wpaper:wp24-6&r=ara |
| By: | Ugarte, Ana C. Gomez; Acosta, Enrique (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research); Basellini, Ugofilippo; Alburez-Gutierrez, Diego |
| Abstract: | The Israel-Hamas war, triggered by the October 7th 2023 Hamas-led attack in Israel, has caused extensive mortality and sparked a major humanitarian crisis in the region. Direct conflict mortality has been mostly concentrated among non-combatants in the Gaza Strip. Here, most of the population has been internally displaced and faces limited access to food, water, shelter, sanitation, and essential health services. We aim to assess the impact of conflict deaths reported between October and December 2023 on life expectancy at birth (LE) in Palestine —including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. For this, we combine multiple sources of data on combatant and non-combatant fatalities and use demographic methods to impute the missing sex and age distribution of conflict mortality. We focus on LE because it is a widely used mortality indicator that is not affected by the population's age distribution and can be meaningfully compared across populations and over time. |
| Date: | 2024–04–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:8smy2&r=ara |
| By: | Sobhy, Hania |
| Abstract: | Can campaign messaging propel candidates to the forefront of a historic election, despite poor political resources? In the first round of the 2012 Egyptian presidential elections, the two main pro-Revolution candidates, Sabahi and Futuh, jointly secured more votes than the ‘old regime’ and Muslim Brotherhood candidates possessing far superior resources, with Sabahi very close to entering the runoffs. Based on one-of-a-kind research with the two campaigns, this research note analyses the strategies of campaigners on the ground in translating the central tropes of the Revolution: freedom and social justice. It shows how campaigner perceptions of voter preferences shaped their messaging on issues of critical importance to democratization and to elections in global South contexts: clientelism, socioeconomic rights, public safety and political rights. To theorize the differentiated framings deployed by social movements, it develops the notion of “citizenship imaginaries, ” as a device for conceptualizing the differentiated lived experiences, narratives and emotions through which subjects orient themselves vis-à-vis the state as central to. It illustrates how progressive pro-democracy campaigners on the ground in Egypt spoke to dominant citizenship imaginaries by understating freedom, emphasizing security, improvising translations of social justice and evading revisionist readings of Islamism and state-socialism/ Nasserism. |
| Date: | 2024–04–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:qkme8&r=ara |
| By: | da Cruz, Nuno F.; Alrasheed, Dhari; Alrabe, Muneerah; al-Khonaini, Abdullah |
| Abstract: | As a city-state, Kuwait represents an instructive case-study to investigate barriers to sustainable urban development. Among the many challenges faced by the country, the spatial configuration of the metropolis – and the various adverse effects that stem from it – is a key area of concern. In this study, we focus on spatial segregation and measure it at the metropolitan and governorate levels to determine just how serious the problem really is. The results confirm the existence of a highly divided society. Without being able to make causality claims (given the limitations in the data), our evidence points to potential drivers of different nature. A key working hypothesis of our investigation was that urban governance arrangements in Kuwait may be an important part of the story behind these spatial patterns. The empirical findings of our analysis of the governance network of spatial planning in Kuwait strongly support this notion and allow us to draw some policy recommendations to break urban Kuwait’s ‘vicious cycle’, where popular aspirations around unsustainable practices send strong signals to the institutions tasked with formulating policy which, once implemented, recreate societal expectations. |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2024–04–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:122858&r=ara |