Weekly Program Highlights
Egypt – To promote civic education and entrepreneurship in Egypt, CIPE signed a contract with Horizon, winner of its e-content national competition, to develop student and teacher manuals for eight topics related to democracy and the market economy. Modules will be developed in Arabic for students of government schools in the 12- to 15-year-old age group. The curriculum will include education material and activities on democracy, active citizenship, business ethics, the role of government in a market economy, market systems, how the economy functions, critical thinking, and decision-making techniques.
Egypt – As part of CIPE’s strategy to engage the private sector with policymakers in the policy debate and enhance the private-public dialogue, CIPE Egypt drafted a paper on the protection of minority shareholders according to Egyptian laws, to be presented in a conference in Port Said on March 30. Three Egyptians representing the private sector and minority shareholders will present their cases to showcase the status of minority shareholder protection vis-ŕ-vis majority shareholders. The cases will focus on the problems they face in enforcing Egypt laws and regulations. A representative of the General Authority for Investment will represent the government in the debate. The conference aims at enhancing corporate governance practices through protecting minority shareholders rights, and is organized with the Port Said Small and Medium Enterprises Association.
Palestinian Territories – As part of the program Enabling Women Entrepreneurs in Civil Society, the Business Women Forum (BWF) held a workshop in Ramallah on project management by introducing innovative means of approaching management. Seventeen businesswomen attended the half-day event. Participants worked through a number of exercises to solidify management concepts such as planning, time management, and teamwork, listening to and learning from others’ experiences.
Background and Overview
The Middle East and North Africa extends some 7,000 miles
from Morocco to Iran. Within this area are 19 countries
whose political and economic cultures, while not homogeneous,
share a heritage shaped by Islamic, Arab, Persian, Ottoman,
and European rule. Political and economic developments
vary greatly from country to country but also share
common features. The national economic systems in the
region are either statist or mixed economies. The political
systems run the gamut from full authoritarian regimes
to emerging democracies.
Many countries in the region suffer from weak economies,
illiteracy, and high unemployment—a situation
that particularly affects the burgeoning young population,
which feels increasingly marginalized and disillusioned
with government. While structural reforms have somewhat
lessened the role of the state in the economy, there
is a sense of unbridled and unrestricted commerce in
the region, which is often referred to as the bazaar
or souk economy. Though a number of countries are seeking
to enter the global economy by adopting market-opening
reforms, they often lack the self-correcting market
mechanisms and institutions necessary to create modern
economies.
Over the past year, an internal movement towards political,
economic, and social reform has begun throughout the
region. These reform movements are in various stages
of development. Pressure to reform, however, is not
only coming from external forces, internal intellectual
movements, or opposition parties, but also from the
reality of increasing poverty and unemployment, which
have become serious problems. In addition, conflicting
economic policies are limiting investment opportunities
throughout the region. A vision of reform exists, but
often society does not have the confidence, expertise,
or information about how to pursue it. Reformists see
political reform in the form of public participation
in policymaking as a catalyst to economic and educational
reform.
CIPE’s 2006 strategy builds upon the momentum from internal
reform efforts in the region through strategic partnerships
with business associations, economic policy institutes,
and economic journalists. Pressures to join the WTO,
engage in free trade agreements, and other international
institutions provide a platform for local business groups
to advocate for institutional reform.
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