Synopses & Reviews
A Political Economy of the Middle East is the most comprehensive analysis of developments in the political economy of the region over the past several decades, examining the interaction of economic development processes, state systems and policies, and social actors in the Middle East.
The fourth edition, with new authors Melani Cammett and Ishac Diwan, has been thoroughly revised, with two new introductory chapters that provide an updated framework with which to understand and study the many changes in demography, education, labor markets, urbanization, water and agriculture, and international labor migration in the recent years. The new edition also includes: a new chapter that charts the political economy of the Gulf states and, in particular, the phenomenal growth of oil economies; a new chapter on the rise of "crony capitalism;" and increased coverage of the changes in civil society and social movements in the region, including an exploration of the causes, dynamics, consequences, and aftermath of the Arab uprisings.
Review
Praise for the previous editions: This books strength is its conceptual, rigorous approach it is a real textbook of political economy, not a pseudo-journalistic descriptive text on the Middle East.”
—Jacek Lubecki, Georgia Southern University
For those who wish to give a course on the Middle East that emphasizes economics, there really is no alternative book.”
—Michael Twomey, University of Michigan
"Given ongoing developments in the Middle East and North Africa, this updated edition is most welcome and remains a valuable resource for its comprehensive coverage of the relevant economic, political, social, and religious issues affecting the region
[T]his well-written book is the ideal text for a course on the political economy of the region and also for a variety of other courses in the growing field of Middle Eastern studies. Its nontechnical style makes it accessible to those new to the subject. Highly recommended."
Choice
"Interesting, informative, and challenging."
Choice (outstanding title)
"Richards and Waterbury successfully presented a comprehensive study of the Middle East economies in the first edition of this book, [which was] interesting, informative, and challenging, and many Middle East scholars have found it an indispensable reference source. This second edition is just as successful.
This outstanding book is a must for any library collection."
Choice
"The best text on the political economy of the Middle East. The analysis is deep and the coverage is comprehensive."
Maen Nsour, George Mason University
"This is one of the best all-around textbooks on the Middle East I know, and the updated edition even improves its status."
Uri M. Kupferschmidt, University of Haifa
"Comprehensive and readable presentation of a complex subject, treated with candor and objectivity. A unique, stand-alone text."
John Entelis, Fordham University
Synopsis
A landmark analysis of the ongoing socioeconomic transformations of the Middle East.
About the Author
Melani Cammett is associate professor of political science, a faculty associate at the Population Studies and Training Center, and a faculty fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. She is the author of
Globalization and Business Politics in North Africa: A Comparative Perspective (2007),
Compassionate Communalism: Welfare and Sectarianism in Lebanon (2014), and the coeditor of
The Politics of Non-State Welfare (2014). Cammett has also published articles in many scholarly journals including,
Annual Review of Political Science,
Comparative Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Studies in Comparative International Development, World Development, and
World Politics among others. Her current research focuses on public and social goods provision by Islamists and other types of public and private actors in several Middle Eastern countries.
Ishac Diwan is Lecturer in Public Policy and the director for Africa and the Middle East at the growth lab of the Center for International Development. In 1987, Diwan joined the World Bank in the Research Complex, where he focused on international finance, trade, and macroeconomics. In 1992, he joined the Banks Middle East department, first as the country economist for the West Bank and Gaza and later as a regional economist. Diwan lived in Addis Ababa (2002-2007) and Accra (2007-2011), as the Banks Country Director for Ethiopia and Sudan first, and then for Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. He led several ambitious initiatives, such as Ethiopias Productive Safety Net, Ethiopias Protection of Basic Services Program, and in West Africa, initiatives to support commercial agriculture, natural resources development, and jobs for the youth. Diwan has contributed to the Economic Research Forum and the Mediterranean Development Forum. He is the author of Development Under Adversity: The Palestinian Economy in Transition (1999), and has written numerous book chapters and articles for scholarly journals including the Journal of International Economics, World Bank Economic Review and International Economic Review among others.
Alan Richards is professor of economics and environmental studies, emeritus, at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
John Waterbury is William Stewart Tod Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Emeritus, at Princeton University.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction and Framework of the Study
Chapter 2 Economic Growth and Structural Change
Chapter 3 Political Regimes
Chapter 4 The Impact of Demographic Change
Chapter 5 Human Capital: Health, Education, and Labor Markets
Chapter 6 Water and Food Security
Chapter 7 Rise and Fall of State-Led Development
Chapter 8. Structural Adjustment and the Rise of Crony Capitalism
Chapter 9 Political Economy of the Gulf
Chapter 10 The Military
Chapter 11 Solidarism and Its Enemies: Civil Society and Social Movements in the Middle East
Chapter 12 Is Islam the Solution?
Chapter 13 Regional and Global Economic Integration
Chapter 14 Conclusion