event

The Economics of the Arab Spring and Its Aftermath

Tue. November 10th, 2015
Washington, DC

The Arab uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria over the past five years represent a conundrum. Standard development indicators failed to capture or predict the outburst of popular anger during the so-called Arab Spring of 2011.

The World Bank’s Elena Ianchovichina and Shantayanan Devarajan discussed the findings of their recent report Inequality, Uprisings, and Conflict in the Arab World, and reflected on the economic origins of the Arab revolts. While many believe that income inequality was the most significant cause of the uprisings, the report weighs the role of other major drivers, mainly citizen frustrations with a shortage of quality jobs in the formal sector, poor quality public services, and governance issues. Carnegie’s Joseph Bahout moderated.

Elena Ianchovichina

Elena Ianchovichina is lead economist in the chief economist Office of the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa region.

Shantayanan Devarajan

Shantayanan Devarajan is the chief economist of the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa Region.

Joseph Bahout

Joseph Bahout is a visiting scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program.  

Political ReformMiddle EastNorth Africa
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Joseph Bahout

Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program

Joseph Bahout was a nonresident fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. His research focuses on political developments in Lebanon and Syria, regional spillover from the Syrian crisis, and identity politics across the region.

Elena Ianchovichina

Shantayanan Devarajan

World Bank