Economic Policy Reform in Egypt.

Provides a new perspective on public policy in postrevolutionary Egypt, breaking theoretical ground in the development debate. . . . Students and scholars in the fields of Middle East studies and development studies will find this work seminal."--Tareq Y. Ismael, University of CalgaryFocusing on six areas of economic policy reform in Egypt--industry, agriculture, subsidies, foreign exchange, education, and housing--Iliya Harik outlines the development strategy of a country that once led the nonaligned nations of the Third World and explains its slow transition from an authoritarian to a more open and competitive system.Harik observes that Egypt's poor economic performance under Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak has resulted from a development strategy emphasizing balance over growth. While some analysts have claimed that Egypt's economy has suffered under a heavy welfare burden, Harik shows to the contrary that the bulk of spending has gone to support a form of economic nationalism aimed at controlled self-sufficiency--an economic strategy that has ultimately proved detrimental both to growth and to social welfare.Beyond his analysis of Egypt s economic model, with its bias for slow growth and high cost, Harik shows how unrealistic policies have engendered a culture that is not civic-minded and explains the political and economic reasons for the regime's gradualist approach to change.