How relevant are the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the Middle East and North Africa? What consequences do they have for development cooperation, especially German development cooperation, with that world region? The study by Markus Loewe provides an answer to...

The introductory article of this special issue looks at the genesis, characteristics and challenges of social protection schemes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It argues that social protection policies in the MENA should be seen as a key ingredient of the social contract that...

In many low- and middle-income countries most micro and small enterprises (MSEs) struggle to upgrade into medium-sized and large enterprises. An extensive literature offers manifold explanations for the phenomenon but no conclusive answer on what the most important factors for MSE upgrading are:...

There are some microinsurance schemes in Western Asia but not many. The question is why? The existence of microinsurance in Western Asia shows that it is principally feasible in this part of the world. And the large range of different products offered by the existing scheme shows that the...

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are going to expire at the end of 2015r; and the United Nations are currently negotiating a new development agenda for the coming years. The proposal for ‘Sustainable Development Goals' submitted by the Open Working Group (OWG) in 2014 serves as a...

This working paper investigates what effects cash-for-work (CfW) can have on local economic development (LED). It is based on the hypothesis that CfW, which is targeted provision of jobs to vulnerable households, affects LED directly (through employment and income for workers and the creation of...

After independence, energy and food subsidies became a cornerstone of the social contracts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Governments spent heavily to reduce poverty and strengthen their own legitimacy. However, as government rents faded, subsidy spending became...

Globalisation forces all countries to become more competitive by shifting capital and labour to new economic sectors. However, while it is widely accepted today that proactive industrial policies are needed for such structural change, there is disagreement to what extent low and middle-income...