Public Policy in the Arab World

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Public Policy in the Arab World

Responding to Uprisings, Pandemic, and War

9781035312689 Edward Elgar Publishing
Edited by Anis Ben Brik, College of Public Policy, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar
Publication Date: 2024 ISBN: 978 1 03531 268 9 Extent: 342 pp
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com.

Public Policy in the Arab World dissects the layered social, economic, and governance issues that define the Middle East and Northern African (MENA) region. Paying special attention to the Arab Spring protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, this insightful book takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining governance capacity, legitimacy, and the challenges encountered in crisis response.

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Critical Acclaim
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Public Policy in the Arab World dissects the layered social, economic, and governance issues that define the Middle East and Northern African (MENA) region and evaluates whether policy is helping or hindering social vulnerabilities in the Arab World. Paying special attention to the Arab Spring protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, this insightful book takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining governance capacity, legitimacy, and the challenges encountered in crisis response.

Leading scholars delve into key social challenges within the MENA region, including the impact of Syrian refugees on Egyptian migrant workers, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and labor market policies in Bahrain. Chapters also examine issues such as poverty, inequality, child maltreatment, youth disengagement, and gender disparities, highlighting the urgent need for transformative changes in government to tackle these. Featuring rigorous case studies that offer tangible insights into complex governance issues, Public Policy in the Arab World seeks to influence policy and to ignite a dialogue that moves policy closer to a world where basic human rights are not a luxury but a guarantee.

Providing an all-encompassing analysis of the governance of social vulnerabilities, this book is a vital reference point for students and scholars of public policy and political science, sociology, and development studies. Its focus on public policy evaluation and real-world case studies also makes it an invaluable read for policymakers looking to understand and address social governance issues in the MENA region.
Critical Acclaim
‘In this important and timely volume, Anis Ben Brik assembles a group of experts to assess the challenges and opportunities posed by the aftermath of the Arab Spring and the pandemic to governance in the Arab world. Collectively, the chapters focus on how these twin crises have shaped the lived experiences of marginalized groups and highlight the key role of politics in shaping policies towards the region’s most vulnerable populations.’
– Melani Cammett, Harvard University, US
Contents
Contents

Preface x
PART I STATE OF THE ARAB WORLD
1 Introduction: grounding governance and social
marginality in the Arab world – a theoretical prologue 2
Anis Ben Brik
PART II SOCIAL VULNERABILITIES: A FOCUS ON
MIGRANT WORKERS, REFUGEES, AND
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
2 Syrian refugees in Jordan: consequences for Egyptian
migrant workers 23
Salma Abou Hussein and Darah Hashem
3 The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and internally
displaced persons: constraints and opportunities 45
Mahmood Monshipouri and Keerthana Ramaswamy
4 The parliament in Bahrain and labour market policy preferences 67
Noor Alabbas
PART III SOCIAL VULNERABILITIES: A FOCUS ON
CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND GENDER
5 COVID-19 pandemic, child maltreatment, and gender in
the MENA region 92
Samer Haitham Ali, Khoulod Elzayet Mohamed, and
Madeeha Kamal
6 Moroccan ultra groups of football: from Tifos to street politics 123
Yassir Yousfi
7 Voiceless visions: youth civic and political participation
in the MENA region – a decade in review 138
Anis Ben Brik
8 Towards social transformation in the Arab countries: the
role of education and gender 161
Zafiris Tzannatos
PART IV PUBLIC POLICY AND GOVERNANCE
9 Social protection and labor market policies during the
COVID-19 pandemic in the MENA region 193
Anis Ben Brik
10 The historical tragedy: evaluating social protection
programs in Gaza 216
Hala M. J. Al Attar and Anis Ben Brik
11 The 2011 uprisings, power structures, and reforms in Morocco 244
Lalla Amina Drhimeur
PART V GOVERNANCE LESSONS AND PATHWAYS
12 From Arab Spring to COVID-19 pandemic: a diptych of
governance challenges in the MENA region 262
Anis Ben Brik
13 Conclusion: a meta-analysis of social marginality,
governance capacity, and legitimacy in the MENA region 288
Anis Ben Brik
Index 312
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