Convergence : Five Critical Steps Toward Integrating Lagging and Leading Areas in the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is suffering from spatially divergent development. The uprisings of the Arab Spring in part reflected grievances of citizens who were or perceived to have been left behind, particularly by accidents of where...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/722551567149982499/Five-Critical-Steps-Toward-Integrating-Lagging-and-Leading-Areas-in-the-Middle-East-and-North-Africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32358 |
| Summary: | The Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
is suffering from spatially divergent development. The
uprisings of the Arab Spring in part reflected grievances of
citizens who were or perceived to have been left behind,
particularly by accidents of where they were born. This memo
introduces a report that one may find useful and
interesting. Focusing on actions that can put countries in
the MENA on a path to territorial convergence, it concludes
that governments can take the lead by tackling the economic
and institutional causes of spatial exclusion. Rising
spatial disparities are threatening economic growth and
social inclusion in the country and across the region. This
report shows that opportunities for the citizens are shaped
more by accidents of where they were born - much more than
in any other part of the world. One can reduce territorial
disparities more immediately and effectively by taking five
steps: strengthen coordination and complementarities across
sectoral interventions; redistribute roles and
responsibilities across tiers of government; enable greater
mobility of the people between lagging and leading areas;
build dense and connected cities; and enhance market access
for lagging areas, nationally, and regionally. |
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