The integration of consultation mechanisms throughout the policymaking process has proved to be a valuable instrument to help strengthen government-citizen interaction and improve the quality of government policies on key development areas by leading to better designed development projects, more...

Employment generation is a critical challenge facing policymakers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly since the Arab uprisings as citizens challenge governments to provide greater economic and social opportunities. Unemployment levels in MENA are above those of any...

The World Bank is now supporting and facilitating the establishment of the first community of practice in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in the area of employment and social safety nets. This community will provide a space where practitioners from MENA to share their operational...

Regional events continue to affect the short-term economic prospects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), while major developments in the global economy over the past six months have put the region on a two-track growth path for 2012. These developments include a significant rise in crude...

On February 29, 2012, the World Bank released an updated dataset of internationally comparable poverty estimates. Poverty is assessed against two internationally comparable poverty lines: $1.25 and $2 a day per capita (measured using 2005 purchasing power parity exchange rates). The new global...

Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are undergoing a profound transformation. From Morocco to Yemen, popular movements have called for reforms to make government more inclusive and more accountable, extend social and economic freedoms, and boost employment...

The report estimates Middle East and North Africa's (MENA's) infrastructure investment and maintenance needs through 2020 at 106 billion dollars per year or 6.9 percent of the annual regional gross domestic product (GDP). Developing oil exporting countries (OEC) will need to commit almost 11...

This quick note provides an overview of the World Bank report striving for better jobs: the challenge of informality in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The report was completed as a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests swept across the Arab world. Millions of young people...

The Middle East North Arica (MENA) region faces no greater challenge than employment generation. An expanding literature on 'gazelles' suggests that a small percentage of fast-growing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) generate the majority of new jobs in diverse economies. This paper observes...

The full report on which this Quick Note is based argues that Middle East and North Africa's (MENA's) financial systems contributed significantly to these unsatisfactory outcomes by failing to provide affordable access to finance to large segments of the enterprise and household sectors. The...