Orientations in Development Series

Orientations in Development was launched by the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Region in 2001 to share analysis of the multifaceted development issues facing the region and to offer practical and innovative solutions.  From managing scarce water resources to preserving cultural heritage to enacting policies that promote equitable growth and reduce poverty, the region confronts a broad range of challenges.  Each contribution in this series seeks to deepen the knowledge on these topics and enrich the policy debate among development practitioners both within the region and worldwide. 

These publications are available in PDF format below. To purchase a title, click on the Infoshop logo.

Sustaining Gains in Poverty Reduction and Human Development in the Middle East and North Africa - (2006) - The report provides an overview of trends in poverty and human development indicators during the last two decades. It shows that the substantial progress in reducing poverty in earlier decades came to a halt in the latter half of the 1980s. Average poverty rates for the region, measured at the $2 per capita per day international poverty line, fell to around 25 percent by 1987, the lowest in the world at that time. But they stagnated thereafter, fluctuating between 20 and 25 percent. "This is the social cost of slow growth," says Mustapha Nabli, Chief Economist at the World Bank for the MENA region noting that "an additional 11 million people were added to the ranks of the poor between 1987 and 2001 because the region's population continued to grow but its economies didn't."

Pensions in the Middle East and North Africa: Time for Change - (2005) - As has happened elsewhere in the world, pension systems in the MENA countries today are at a crossroads. With serious problems ahead in terms of limited coverage, fragmented administration and system design that harm economic efficiency and equity, the financial equilibrium of most pension schemes in the region is under threat. Yet, countries in the region have a window of opportunity today to initiate reforms. The time for change is now. Without action, future generations will have to pay the price for the generosity of current systems - and that means they'll face drastic cuts in benefits, higher taxes and-or budget cuts in other non pension expenditures such as health and education.  This report takes stock of current mandatory pension systems in the region, assesses the magnitude and nature of the main problems, and outlines the common components of an integrated reform strategy.

HIV/AIDs in the Middle East and North Africa: The Costs of Inaction - (2003) - Recent evidence suggests that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is increasing in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Mediterranean region, and that the total number of AIDS-related deaths has risen almost sixfold since the early 1990s.  Although this figure is low compared with those for Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean, low prevalence does not equal low risk.  The situation can change rapidly, and even conservative estimates indicate that AIDS poses a real threat to the region's long-term growth.  This book reviews current knowledge of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region with the goal of stimulating discussion among policy- and decisionmakers.  



Reducing Vulnerability and Increasing Opportunity: Social Protection in the Middle East and North Africa - (2002) - Despite social and economic diversity within the Middle East and North Africa region, social protection systems share common characteristics.  This work develops a framework for an integrated approach to social protection.  After surveying the economic and historical context from which social protection systems evolved, the authors of the book discuss the strengths and weaknesses of active labor market policies, social insurance schemes, and social assistance programs across the Middle East and North Africa, and propose general lines of action to guide reforms.

Cultural Heritage and Development: A Framework for Action in the Middle East and North Africa - (2001) - The Middle East and North Africa countries are home to an extraordinary cultural heritage, secular and religious, of critical importance not only for each country but for the entire world.  This strategy research and framework for action study explores the key challenges confronted by MENA countries in integrating patrimony management within their mainstream development policies and programs, in deriving higher benefits from the economic and educational potential of the cultural heritage, and in safeguarding the patrimony against accelerated deterioration and loss.  This volume also describes and analyzes the experience of the World Bank's MENA region in supporting patrimony preservation and maps out its strategy and options for future activities in this domain.  [en francaise] 

Poverty Alleviation in Jordan: Lessons for the Future - (2001) - The incidence of poverty in Jordan declined between 1992 and 1997.  This decline is related to the change in government policies from generalized food subsidies, benefiting the rich more than the poor, to targeted cash assistance for the poor.  Yet poverty reduction remains a major policy challenge for the country since the improvement was driven by reduced inequality and not by positive economic growth.  The sustainability of Jordan's social safety net is limited by the growth of the budget and the economy.  The report therefore examines Jordan's recent experience in poverty alleviation schemes to draw lessons for future policy design improvements, concluding that resumption and sustainability of growth, as well as continued prioritization of human development policies, remain the bulwark of sustained poverty alleviation for Jordan in the future.