This person is no longer with the Carnegie Endowment.
Sufyan Alissa is an economist and specialist on Palestinian and Middle Eastern affairs. Prior to joining the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center he served as a Project Coordinator at Nuffield College-University of Oxford. He previously taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies-University of London, City University in London and Bethlehem University-West Bank. He was a researcher at the Development Studies Program of Bir Zeit University and the coordinator of the 2001/2002 Human Development Report for Palestine.
Selected Publications: Arab States: Corruption and Reform (Arab Reform Bulletin, February 2007); The Economic Viability of an Independent Palestinian State on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A chapter in ‘Where Now for Palestine’, (Zed Books Press, December 2006); Youth Employment in Syria. Country Report, (International Labor Organization, Regional Office for the Arab States, December 2006); Poverty and Poverty Reduction in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Working Paper, (The Development Studies Programme at Bir Zeit University, Summer 2003); Human Development Report for the West Bank and Gaza Strip 2001/2002, (UNDP and Bir Zeit University, 2002).
Are economic and political reforms an effective way to combat corruption, or do changes such as privatizing state industries actually increase opportunities for corruption? There is not a single answer to the question, but a closer look at the types of corruption
On June 24, 2008, the Carnegie Endowment hosted a discussion on EU and U.S free trade agreements (FTAs) in the Middle East with Riad al Khouri, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center. While Europe has historically been active in negotiating FTAs in the Middle East, U.S. FTAs in the region have primarily been motivated by strategic concerns rather than economic impacts.
Economic reform measures in the region have had many flaws. Nowhere have they been part of a comprehensive economic plan that coordinated with social policies and different economic sectors. Nowhere have they been sustained. The reform process suffers from lack of consensus around the meaning and ramifications of reform among key national stakeholders.
Recent economic growth and stabilization in Egypt has been largely fueled by external factors which may not be sustainable. During the same period, Egypt has failed to address pressing social and economic challenges, according to a new paper from the Carnegie Endowment.
The Carnegie Endowment organized a discussion in which Sufyan Alissa, Associate at the Carnegie Middle Easter Center, presented the findings of his recent paper "Rethinking Economic Reform in Jordan: Confronting Socioeconomic Realities."
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has stated that economic reform is one of his top priorities, yet it remains hindered by two major obstacles: a lack of public support, and the government’s inability to implement deep reform.
On June 23, 2007, the Carnegie Middle East Center and Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies held a workshop on the challenge of economic reform in Egypt. The presenters were Othman Mohamed Othman, Minister of Economic Development, Sufyan Alissa, Carnegie Endowment Middle East Center Associate, Ragui Assaad, Population Council, and Sherine El Shawarby, World Bank.
On May 9, 2007 Sufyan Alissa, associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center, presented his paper “The Challenge of Economic Reform in the Arab World: Toward More Productive Economies.” Mustapha Nabli of the World Bank served as discussant and Marina Ottaway of the Carnegie Endowment moderated.
Previous attempts at economic reform have not alleviated the economic problems of Arab countries, failing to dismantle state-dominated economies with high restrictions on private investments.
On April 30, 2007 the Carnegie Middle East Center hosted a workshop on economic reform in Jordan. The discussion centered on the nature of recent reform programs, the type of social and economic challenges currently facing Jordan, the factors behind the failure to sustain deep reform, the main actors that influence reform, and steps that could be taken by the donor community to further reform.
