Economic implications of the Arab Spring: a model for future development

The Arab Spring has suddenly overturned dictatorships in a number of countries, which now have a chance to reverse decades of stagnation which has left the countries behind in development and the populations impoverished. We propose a framework which can be useful in guiding policy as these countries rebuild. It consists of six key management elements, 'M's, applied to three key domains, 'E's, which are all intimately interconnected. We briefly introduce how the framework can be applied to Egypt, probably the most important Arab Spring countries because of its traditional leading role in the Arab world. ABSTRACT The Arab Spring has suddenly overturned dictatorships in a number of countries, which now have a chance to reverse decades of stagnation which has left the countries behind in development and the populations impoverished. We propose a framework which can be useful in guiding policy as these countries rebuild. It consists of six key management elements, 'M's, applied to three key domains, 'E's, which are all intimately interconnected. We briefly introduce how the framework can be applied to Egypt, probably the most important Arab Spring countries because of its traditional leading role in the Arab world. INTRODUCTION, With population approaching 400 million and with strategic location, the Arab region should be a major factor in the world economy. Some Arab countries, of course, are major players. Their oil wealth finances the building of competitive industries and the growth of attractive markets. However, the majority of the Arab population resides in underdeveloped countries with low living standards. Countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Sudan rank 94, 113, 119, 132, 154, and 169 respectively in Human Development index according to the 2011 global ranking of 187 countries (UNDP 2012). Most of these lower income Arab countries have suffered under long-entrenched dictatorships which did little to develop the countries' potentials or improve things for the majority of their populations.