Econ 344 Winter, 2008 Study sheet for first exammtwomey/econhelp/444... · Web viewThe Word...

For winter, 2014, the articles by these authors are new:MERIP (on Egypt), Robinson, MERIP (on Jordan), Yousif, World Bank (on West Bank), Eltigani, Abou Ali, [Chapter 16 - Conclusion of R&W], Galal, Hatem, Lust, Down, Krane, Ross, and Herb.

Articles by the following authors were taken out for winter, 2014:Sullivan, Zubaida, Greenwood, Kiernan, Halevi, Roy, Faour, Asdar Ali, Wrold Bank – Unlocking Employment, Fergany, Saoud, Yousef, Fareed, Baktiari, Khan, Tetreault, Keddie, Kuran, Ibrahim, Wiktorowicz, Enhaili, Karl, Telhami, Birks, Sayre, Malgesini. So questions based on these articles won’t be asked.

For winter, 2012, the articles by these authors are new:

Dahi, El-Rashidi, Springborg, Dick, Gifford, Parker, World Bank (on Jordan reproductive health), Bayat (2011, under Political Islam), Baldwin-Edwards,Eakin, Harris, Cole, and Nikou.

Correpsondingly, for winter, 2012, articles by the following authors are not included in the current syllabus, so questions pertaining to their work are not relevant for this year.

Hossein AskariSchatzMohammad FaourMoughrabi

The article by Beinin was shifted from the introduction (in 2011) to the section on ISI polices and Globalization in this year’s syllabus. So it is not on the first exam, but it is fair game for the second exam.

New Study Questions for Exam #1, Winter 2014Robinson states that “Syria as a political entity… hardly exists.” What reason(s) does he give for such a

statement, and what implications does he draw from that? To what does the ‘orgy of violence’ refer, in terms of Hama in the early 1980s.

To what do his vague reference refer, of foreign interventions in modern Syria after World War I?Compare the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, as described by Robinson, with that of the MB

in Egypt, as described in the short article “Egypt in Year Three.”How does the article entitled “Egypt in Year Three” compare criticisms of ex-President Mubarak with

those of President Mursi? In terms of economic policy, what new directions did President Mursi show?

What basis does the article on Egypt provide for rejecting the description – prominent in western media – that the depiction of the choice facing Egyptians as a dichotomy between the army and the Muslim Brothers? Why might that article claim that this tired analysis is rooted in Orientalism? As viewed by the authors, why did Basher al-Assad support the anti-Morsi coup in Egypt?

How did the Jordanian state buy time, and what will it do with this time, according to Seeley?According to Yousif, what are the reasons for the gap between Iraq’s recent growth, and what might

have been hoped? (He calls it lackluster growth). What has the government done to try to stimulate growth? Has the lifting of sanctions helped Iraq’s economy? Suggest four criteria for

judging the post-sanctions economy, and summarize Yousif’s evaluation of each indicator. In particular, what does he say about poverty?

How does Yousif view the analysis of oil as a “resource curse,” as applied to the Iraqi case? What is Eltigani ‘s basic story about the different experiences of fertility change, in Tunisia and Egypt?

New Study questions for Exam #1, Winter 2012

In talking about last year’s Arab Revolts, Dahi grants that one motive would be the authoritarian rule in the countries involved. He also mentions the question of whether these uprisings might have been responses to the neoliberal economic policies in the countries. What is his verdict with regard to Tunisia and Syria? What might it be with regard to Libya or Yemen?

The article by El-Rashidi lists a few indicators that are cited by people who don’t think the Egyptian military (SCAF) will completely give up power. Identify two of those indicators. There are common elements in the description of social services of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (in El-Rashidi’s article) and of Lebanon’s Hizballah (in Dick’s article) – describe two examples. El-Rashidi mentions that in times past in Egypt, social pressure on women’s clothing was much less severe than it is at present. He then mentions the large fraction of the Egyptian population living in poverty nowadays. Are these two issues logically related? Does El-Rashidi view the overwhelming support for the Islamist parties as the voice of Egyptians in favor of more conservative mores or of distributional economic policies?

What self-interests does Springborg attribute to Egypt’s military, in the current political process? How might they go about protecting those interests? Compare Egypt’s situation with that he describes for Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon.

Marlin Dick mentions the accusation that Hizballah in southern Beirut (and elsewhere) has a ‘state within a state’ syndrome. What does this mean. How does he evaluate this, in terms of realism and importance.

Marlin Dick mentions Hizballah’s ‘large-scale and usually efficient provision of social services to the public’ as a key element in its efforts at gaining support among the Shi’a majority. Why doesn’t the government do this? If Hizballah were to get control of the relevant government ministries, could it then provide those social services?

Marlin Dick also states that “Hizballah’s performance has not been spotless in the eyes of its base.” What examples does he give?

Would there be reasons for affirming that the Lebanese political world that M. Dick describes is a good approximation of standard give and take in a western-style democracy?

Early in the article, Gifford describes some actions that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had promised to implement. Give some examples of those actions. Was al-Assad’s inability to bring these about due to his own political naiveté, to structural problems beyond his control, or to his unwillingness to pay the political costs that these actions would have required?

Parker discusses several limits on the desires of Iraqi Kurds for complete independence . Discuss briefly two of them.

The Word Bank’s report on Reproductive Health in Jordan states “Gender equality and women’s empowerment are important for reproductive health. Identify two of the Bank’s statistical measures of reproductive health care, and three variables that are associated with improving gender equality and empowerment. According to the Bank’s data, is Jordan making progress? Is knowledge of HIV prevention high or low?

New study questions for the second exam, Econ 444, winter 2014.

Questions relating to El Araby, “Urban Growth and Environmental Degradation”

1) Obviously, the author believes that urban growth – especially of ‘slums’ has been accompanying a process of environmental degradation. But is the claim that this increased pollution is caused by the growth of the slums, in the sense that if the immigrants had higher quality housing, they would not increase pollution?

This topic naturally lends itself to a discussion of government policy.

2) Does El Araby put more blame on the lack of planning and anti-pollution efforts, or on ineffective efforts, such as might be caused by corruption, cronyism, or mere incompetence?

3) At one point (p. 390) the author notes the IMF’s description of Egypt as a “model” for countries undergoing reform. (This looks ironic to us today, post Arab-uprising). Does what El Araby calls a shift from state controlled to state-directed economy, with privatization, liberalization of market mechanisms, and manufactured export-led growth, lead to an increase or decrease in pollution?

4) Both El Araby and Madanipour discuss pollution related to auto traffic. Given that people in cities have to get around, what options are available to countries like Egypt and Iran to reduce this auto pollution, and how well have these two countries done?

5) Why is the Nile river around Cairo almost incapable of supporting fish?

Some general concepts in the elL-Araby article.

6) Does the author describe anything qualitatively different about mega-cities – as opposed to just being bigger?

7) What is more polluting, large factories or small ones?8) El Araby refers to land management policies as a means to reduce pollution. Discuss some

examples he mentions.

Links to other topics in the course.

9) While El Araby focuses of Egypt, his analysis relates to many other topics in this course. Does he and/or his data agree with:

a) Demographic transition is taking placeb) Family size is decreasingc) Rural-urban migration is motivated not just by observed rural-urban income differentials, but

also by the expectation of achieving that higher urban incomed) Economic liberalization is worsening income distribution e) Urban growth is hurting agricultural production, because of limited water

New articles are those of Abou Ali, Lust et al., Galal, and the new concluding chapter of the R&W text. Previous reading not included this year is the article by Springborg,

1. The first sentence in the Lust et al. article, published in late 2012, is “Fears that the Arab Spring will become an Islamist Winter are exaggerated.” This affirmation might be divided into two parts: the Arab Spring will not lead to domination by Islamists; and Islamists in power will not be extremists. The first part has resulted true for reasons the authors may not have foreseen, given the coup in Egypt and the voluntary stepping down in Tunisia. But these authors seem to argue in favor of the second point, when they comment that transitions shaped by religious politics will be less able to find compromise. What is their reason for that assertion? Nevertheless, they find some reason(s) for optimism. What is/are those reasons?

2. With regard to the environment, Abou Ali provides data on per capita water availability over the last three or four decades. Which are the two or three countries that have experienced the largest declines, and those that have the smallest? In terms of water use, what sector uses the highest fraction of water? How important is household use of water? How important is the construction of desalinization plants?Turning to a different issue, what are the major categories of pollution? Which countries produce the largest carbon dioxide? Which sector(s) produce the most carbon dioxide? Is that the same for sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides? That author speaks of convergence of emission levels – what are the groupings of countries that are identified? Can one speak of groups of countries in terms of production of particulate matter concentration?

3. Galal is more adventurous than R&W (in Chapter 10) in comparing levels of income inequality between MENA and other regions. What does he find? What do Galal and R&W find with respect to regional comparisons of absolute poverty? Are Galal’s findings with regard to subsidies consistent with what we have called the ‘oil curse?’ Compare what he says about ‘The Authoritarian Bargain’ with R&W’s discussion of it in Chapter 16.

What factors does R&W’s Chapter 16 identify as being important in the political economy of the Arab Spring/Uprising?

Hopefully, this last question about R&W’s Chapter 16 can be improved by extending it. Let’s try:

1. Which countries had their rulers change as a result of the uprising? What is the current status of the governments in those countries? What has happened in the monarchies - countries ruled by kings/emirs - in the MENA ?

2. Some questions about the analysis in Chapter 16: a) how important is the reliance on perceptions of economic changes? B) Do the authors assume that people are rational? C) Describe the conceptual and empirical differences between an argument based on income inequality, and one based on inequality of opportunity.

3.One of the sections is titled “The Role of Political Islam in the Arab Uprising.” What role did Islamic movements have in its outbreak, and how has the uprising affected these movements?

4.Similarly, the next section is titled “The Difficulties Ahead: Politics and Economic Reform During Transitions.” Did the authors believe that economic reforms would result from the Arab Uprising? Were they correct?

For exam #2 in 2012: It appears that there are no new articles, other than the Beinin article mentioned above.

For exam #3, winter 2014

1. In his article, Ross lists three channels by which the nationalization of foreign oil companies allows politicians to strengthen their positions, thus weakening democracy. What are those ways? What examples does he give? What alternatives are available for the citizens of the oil producing countries, and for the international community?

2. In the paper (Congressional testimony) by Downs, are China and the U.S. considered close competitors, or rather incidental? Is her description of the role of China in oil markets consistent with that of Ross? In her description, how does the role of FDI in oil in China compare with that of the U.S.? She speaks of changes in demand in these two countries, what will be their effects in MENA?

3. Krane speaks of conflicts between subsidizing domestic consumption and maintaining exports. Why doesn’t his analysis apply to Qatar? Is it because of what Qatar exports, or different policies in that country, or different histories? Is this problem consistent with the oil curse story of Ross? Is his story with regard to oil consistent with his story of pricing of electricity? Finally, he suggests that economists consider the production of hydrocarbons as a transference of wealth underground to financial wealth in the banks. Thus it is mistaken/misleading to think of it as increasing GDP. Comment.

4. The title of Gengler ‘s paper on Qatar is collective frustration, but no collective action. Briefly summarize those two points: in the author’s opinion, what are the causes of this frustration, and what actions might be taken to resolve it?

5. Herb’s comparison of Kuwait and the U.A.E. focuses on two criteria: economic diversification and political participation. Real briefly, what are the characteristics he attributes to the two countries, along these two criteria. Then, what is the point of pointing to the large bureaucracy in each one?

6. Hatem’s description of early post-Morsi Egypt states that women were active on both sides, pro-Morsi and pro-coup. Her conclusion that ‘the price of army intervention on the side of liberals is the sacrifice of democracy’ sounds like the country sacrificed democracy for stability and secularization. Does she also seem to believe that women would have been better off under Morsi?

For exam #3 {in 2012, apparently}

What does Bayat mean by post-Islamism? Discuss this idea, relating it to R&W’s use of the term ‘Political Islam.” How does the Iranian system fit in?

Deakin-Edwards cites Girgis about there having been three stages of immigration into the Gulf countries. Identify them. What is meant by the ‘feminization’ of migration? In terms of the Mashrek countries, Jordan and Lebanon are both senders and receivers of labor. Why? Is Turkey’s situation similar or different to that of Jordan and Lebanon?

Eakin mentions several ways that Qatar has affected the Arab uprisings. Discuss three. Eakin notes that Qatar has an ‘extraordinary economic situation’ – give two examples. Why does the author judge the Qatari government’s actions to be unusual: support for Hamas and Hizballah, support for Al-Jazeera, support for the Arab Spring? Does the author provide examples of unusual economic policies?

Is the position of the military in Egypt, Tunisia etc. that Springborg described, similar to that of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as described by Ghadar? Discuss.

Harris views the Iran’s Bazaaris as being “allied with other social groups, including the clergy…” He also notes that the bazaar prospered under the Pahlavi monarchy due to neglect, while currently many bazaaris have been given key positions of power. How might government trade or industrialization policy affect bazaaris, in the context of a labor surplus oil-wealthy country like Iran? Should we hypothesize that they are ‘modernizers’ or traditionalists opposed to change? Harris asserts that globalization has brought a reduction of the bazaar’s central importance in the Iranian political/economic sphere. What reasons does he give? Is this position convincing? He also states that “the bazaar is unlikely to be a potent force in undermining the regime…”

Would it be fair to summarize Nikou’s position on ‘The Subsidies Conundrum” as being another neo-liberal statement acknowledging the difficulty of liberalization? Does Nikou rely on increased democratization to lead the country to form a consensus on the need for the elimination of subsidies? Or is it a problem of western-imposed sanctions?

Juan Cole begins his comments about Iran stressing that it is a theocracy, which demands blind obedience to the clerics, and that respect and commemoration of the martyrdom of holy figures plays out in the country’s populist policies. Would his interpretation suggest that populist policies like subsidies are more likely to remain, or less likely? Cole also states that the faction he calls the ‘principalists’ attacked some of the wealthy clergymen for enriching themselves at the expense of the people. Could this be an explanation of the conflicts between Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Khamenei?

New Study Questions for Exam #1 in Econ 344, Winter, 2011.

(These refer to the new readings. There were many questions from old study guides relating to the text and to readings that have not been changed. Those old questions are also fair game.)

Some identifications:

Washington Consensus Special Tribunal for LebanonAmal

1. In Schatz’s article about Egypt, who were the alternatives as President, to Hosni Mubarak? [No]2. Schatz discusses several political parties (movements, organizations) in his article on Egypt.

Identify the two big ones, and two others. [No]

3. Beinin says, (page 20 in the article) “The political appeal of state-led development and import substitution industrialization was dramatically undermined by the massive Arab defeat of June, 1967… Arab nationalism and Arab socialism had failed to effect a revolutionary transformation of Arab societies…”)

a. According to Beinin, what has been the result of the undermining of state-led development?b. Does it make sense to state that the Arab defeat in the 1967 war with Israel indicates a failure of

this radical transformation of Arab society?

4. Marlin Dick’s article opens the door to a technical/economic – as opposed to political or religious - evaluation of Hizballah. “Whether or not Hizballah prefers to engage in domestic politics is irrelevant; it is under pressure to perform from its core constituency (about page 8 of a printout). What is this author’s evaluation of the effectiveness of the technical/economic work of Hizballah?

5. Gifford introduces her article about Syria with: (page 417) “Bashar al-Assad proposed that Syria undertake a plan of gradual economic reforms that might eventually pave the way for increased citizen participation… Now, after almost a decade, to what degree has this plan been implemented? Did Assad’s background prepare him to see through such a loft plan?” What answers does she provide to those questions?

6. You have articles about Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon/Hizbullah, plus a short one about Iraq. With regard to the first four countries on this list, what do their authors state about the importance for business people of corruption? This is not a question about voting and democracy, but rather about whether or not the private sector is hindered in its daily activities by the constraints of the political class. Moreover, this is not a question about what you yourself might happen to know about one or more of these countries because of family connections or other personal experiences. What do these authors say?

Second Exam, Winter 2011New articles:Gender

1. Moghadam is evidently critical of how non-economic forces reinforce the “patriarchal gender contract” in the three countries she discusses. She also argues that economic factors related to policy liberalization affected the labor market differently for women and men. Discuss two examples. In her view, does the existence of the informal economy help or hinder women’s employment - or does it just muddy the waters statistically? According to this author, does having a large hydrocarbon sector increase or decrease female employment (labor force participation)? Does pursuit of a policy of export led industrialization increase or decrease female employment? Discuss. Compare and contrast the visions of Moghadam and of Okten with regards to the impact of neoliberal policies and female employment in the Middle East.

2. Tetreault and al-Ghanim write of Kuwait edging unevenly toward a political and economic opening. With regard to the status of women, do they see women in the economic and business sphere as working with female politicians, or being separate from them? Is their description of the political environment consistent with the concept we’ve seen elsewhere of an oil-based ‘rentier economy’? Discuss. Is the role of private voluntary organizations in Kuwait – as mentioned by Tetreault and al-Ghanim- similar to that in Egypt as described by Clark?

Econ 344 Winter, 2011 Study sheet for the last exam Version 1.

From previous year’s syllabus, articles from the following authors have been removed, and hence previous study sheet questions relating to them will not be used this term: Khan and Yavuz, Baktiari, Beinin, Nomani&Behdad, Karshenas, Shakoori, Rivlin, Birks, Wiktorowitz; also textbook of Owen and Pamuk (O&P)

1.Adelman makes several startling comments. Explain each. “At no time has crude oil been scarce.” When speaking of US-Saudi relations , “We [the US] have no hold or leverage over any producer nations.” They (OPEC countries) will find the task (keeping the price of oil above $25) easier because policy in the consuming nations is still ruled by the irrational fear that OPEC may no produce enough for our needs.” “It the world oil market, the key role will be that of the non-OPEC producers.” Describe the pattern of oil prices during the second half of the twentieth century. Adelman discusses several factors-historical political events, market factors, OPEC, that affected prices. With regard to the first two groups, discuss three and how they affected prices. With regard to OPEC, what seems to be Adelman’s view of OPEC’s current ability to affect prices?

2. The world has many oil exporting countries. Name a couple of major non-OPEC oil exporters from the non-industrial (third world) countries. Name a couple of OPEC countries that are not located in MENA. Are there any MENA OPEC countries that are not Arab? Are there any MENA, Arab, oil exporters, that are not in OPEC?

3 Smith and Mohamedi’s discussion of the “deal” by which oil links the ruling families of the Gulf with their citizens, claims that the old deal is being undermined. Why? What is the reason for this different analyses of oil and gas? His article is a decade old. Has subsequent experience shown him correct? Discuss.

4. Telhami states that the U.S. has serious policy disagreements with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Beyond the questions relating to Israel, what are these differences? IN what ways do the policies of the US coincide with those of Saudi Arabia?

5. Why have the majority of MENA countries experienced state-led growth, and what alternatives to state-led growth are currently available? Identify some important political figures in the early period of state-led growth. What is the World Bank’s argument about the causes of the decline in efficiency in MENA production? Why did ISI fail? What do R&W mean by the “Turkish paradigm?” What does it have in common with, and different from, Arab Socialism?

6. Identify the main postulates of the Washington Consensus. As described in R&W, how has Rodrik amended that position?

7. Pick a country (from Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Israel) and describe its reform experience, in terms of time frame, actions taken, goals achieved, and overall evaluation.

8. What is meant by the real exchange rate? In an inflationary environment, what should happen to the exchange rate? According to standard textbook theory, and the Washington Consensus, how should countries respond to balance of payments deficits? Why is it difficult to maintain a constant real exchange rate in an inflationary situation?

9. Two important avenues of reform are the privatization of SOEs and the growth of local stock markets. What are the attractions and perils of these policies? Which countries have proceeded the farthest down this path? How might these policies relate to (inward) Foreign Direct Investment?

10. Why does trade liberalization contribute to economic growth-for MENA type countries, according to the Washington Consensus/standard economic theory.For which countries is a trade union a realistic possibility? For which countries is trade liberalization with Europe a possibility, and what are its attractions and perils? Which MENA countries are not members of the WTO, and why? What is involved with the proposed Gulf Currency Union- what are its advantages and disadvantages, and the current state of these plans?

11. The migration of North Africans and Turks into Europe is similar to the migration of different peoples into the Gulf States, in that both have a common economic basis, which we might describe as differences in wages or incomes. However, beyond that, identify three differences between those two migratory flows.

12. What is the situation of immigration in the Gulf countries? Is it possible for the GCC countries to coordinate immigration policies?

13. Describe the pattern of oil prices during the second half of the twentieth century. Adelman discusses several factors-historical political events, market factors, OPEC, that affected prices. With regard to the first two groups, discuss three and how they affected prices. With regard to OPEC, what seems to be Adelman’s view of OPEC’s current ability to affect prices?

14. Sariolghalam describes two major orientations towards national issues in Iran. Identify and describe them briefly – in terms of economic policy and foreign policy, and mention one or two individuals’ names who belong to each group. Also, Sariolghalam makes comparisons between the policies of China and those of Iran. Describe and comment briefly on these comparisons.[no]

15. Ghadar speaks of an ‘economic coup’ in Iran. According to that author, who has made this coup, and who is losing power because of it? How does Iran’s experience of the presidential elections of 2009 support this argument?

Econ 344 Winter, 2010 Study sheet for first exam. Second draft.

Please bring a Blue Book. The exam will be closed book, and you will have the entire class.Material covered will be those items on the syllabus up through what is covered in class on Monday, February 15, which will include chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 (to page 133), and 11 of Richards

and Waterbury, plus the several readings.

1. The exam will include identifications and map questions –relating to Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel/Palestine.

2. You should know the three presidents of Egypt, the three kings of Jordan, and the most important leaders of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and the Palestinian movement. Also, Israel’s main wars with its neighbors, their impact on geographical borders, and the intifadas.

3. You should be able to discuss Mohammed Ali (Pasha), and the evolution of construction, ownership, and control of the Suez Canal.

4. Richards and Waterbury outline several strategies of economic development. Identify four strategies. Of the countries we have discussed in class (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel), pick two and discuss which strategy they have chosen, and how successful they have been.

5. What is meant by rentier economy? Pick an economy, and discuss what is the source of its rent, and how successful the country has been in utilizing it.

6. What are the major political regimes that have been important in the Middle East? Illustrate two of them in terms of countries that we have discussed.

7. Identify Hizbullah and Hamas; where do they work, what do they do, in what ways have they evolved, how do they affect the political situation of the countries where they work. On what grounds does the US (and some other countries) criticize them?

8. Compare and contrast Nasserism and the Ba’ath party, in terms of time period, countries affected, ideology, rise and fall.

9. Henry refers (his page 2) of the “diminished appeal of Arab nationalism after Nasser’s death in 1970...” Why has this appeal declined? What impact has that decline had?

10. What are the “globalizations” of which Henry speaks?11. What are the major impediments to development in the Middle East, according to Henry?12. In Kiernan’s view, why is Syria moving more slowly toward economic liberalization,

compared to countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco? What is the role of petroleum in that country’s economy?

13. Lebanon is said to have had a war in summer, 2006. With whom? Why? Moreover, why is there a debate about who won and who lost? What is the importance of the answer to that question? Who does Telhami identify as the winners? Sketch briefly the division of the answer to the question of “who are Lebanon’s enemies” in terms of the religious/sectarian identity of the respondent. Does the resulting polarization of the Lebanese population benefit or hurt that country’s major enemy, according to Shelhami? How important is US aid in affecting those attitudes?

14. What is the new liberal bargain that Greenwood describes for Jordan? In his view, are political and economic liberalization independent, or do they come together? What are the economic components of that new bargain?

15. As described by Khalidi, what are the major results for Palestinians, of what he calls the ‘colonization’ of the west Bank and Gaza by Israel after 1967?

16. Sketch briefly the growth and evolution of the PLO/PLA. What stance did the PLO take with regards Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait; discuss Khalidi’s opinion on that stance? 17. What have been the major phases of Palestinian out-migration, and where have the migrants and refugees gone? In which places that received this in-migration did it have important macroeconomic effects?18. What impacts on the economy of Palestine does the World Bank attribute to the presence of Israeli settlements in the West Bank? How has the construction of the separation Barrier/Wall affected the economy of local Palestinians, according to the World Bank? What have been the three channels of deterioration of the economy of the West Bank and Gaza, because of the intifadas and the Wall

19. What is meant by the ‘demographic dividend?’ The ‘dependency ratio?’20. Identify and explain briefly three factors that determine fertility levels. In what ways can

government policy affect fertility? Which countries have taken steps to discourage population growth, and which not? What was the post-Revolutionary experience of Iran in terms of population policy?

21. What is meant by the Oslo Accord’s areas A, B and C? For A and C; what are their relative size, are they predominantly rural or urban, who controls them, and what are their economic prospects?

22. In its analysis of the effects of restricted (Palestinian) access to land in the West Bank, the World Bank develops several themes that can be summarized as the lack of efficient land markets. Describe briefly three different examples.

23. In the World Bank’s analysis, how does the presence of Israeli settlements within the West Bank affect the normal functioning of the Palestinian economy? Give three examples. How has the construction of the “Separation Barrier” affected the Palestinian economy?

24. Who are Khalidi’s “feeble and clueless Palestinian political movements?”

25. The “Human Capital Model” has been used to criticize educational spending – Richards and Waterbury give the example of Egypt. What is the basic line of argument, and what other considerations lead to the actions that policy-makers take, instead of what the economists advise?

Econ 344 Study Sheet for exam #2 Winter, 2010The exam will cover the topics from “Urbanization,” “Agriculture and Water, and “ISI Policies, Reforms, Growth and Globalization”). These topics are covered in Chapters 6-10 and pp. 133-142 of the Richards and Waterbury text, as well as the required readings listed on the syllabus, available in C-Tools. The exam will not include chapter 13 of R&W. The format of this exam will be similar to that of the previous exam, except that there will be no map question. Bring a Blue Book.

1. What is meant by the phrase “bi-modal pattern of land tenure” of Latin America, how does it contrast with the “peasant system” of East Asia. According to R&W, which is generally more relevant for the MENA countries? How did MENA’s historical legacy of colonialism affect land

holding patterns? Contrast two countries. With regard to land reform, which countries attempted land reform, and why is it generally judged to have failed? Discuss one country in a paragraph or more. What factors does Hinnebusch have in mind when he speaks of the reversal of Egypt’s land reform? Why was the abolition of the land rent in Egypt important? Which groups (socio-political-economic) were in favor of its abolition, and who opposed it? What longer term impact on land use in Egypt does that author foresee? Why might land tenure affect the growth of agricultural output? Why might a change in land tenure not affect agricultural output?

2. What is meant by food self-sufficiency, and why do R&W consider it a “fading mirage?” What government policies affect water use, and in which countries is it feasible to hope for a significant increase in agricultural output due to more efficient use of water?

3. What are the three river systems in MENA that involve more than two countries, and what factors affect the distribution of their water? What is the distribution of the water that flows into the River Jordan? In general, what policies might help countries conserve water? Compare and contrast the history of water availability and use in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Was the Aswan dam “worth it?”

4. What has been the experience of urbanization in the major regions (MENA, East Asia, LAC, OECD, etc.), and how does MENA compare with the other areas? Distinguish between the formal and informal sectors. Why does the informal sector exist, and what policy options are available to governments with respect to it? What is the standard (internal) migration model, and how does the Harris-Todaro perspective modify its conclusions? Give three reasons why the cost of internal migration might have declined in MENA since WWII. One response to urban in-migration has been gentrification. Give two examples. Does Bayat think that the informal sector in Cairo has grown or declined, in relative terms, since liberalization? In Madanipour’s discussion of Tehran, what are some examples of urban bias? Relate these to the overall discussion of the reasons for the growth of that city; specifically, would elimination of urban bias significantly have reduced the growth of Tehran? R&W comment (p. 270) “One of the ironies of development is that successful educational programs in rural areas swell urban population.” Why is this true? Does it mean that countries should not attempt rural education? According to R&W, have urban shantytowns/slums been sources of political violence? Expain.

5. Why have the majority of MENA countries experienced state-led growth, and what alternatives to state-led growth are currently available? Identify some important political figures in the early period of state-led growth. What is the World Bank’s argument about the causes of the decline in efficiency in MENA production? Why did ISI fail? What do R&W mean by the “Turkish paradigm?” What does it have in common with, and different from, Arab Socialism?

6. Identify the main postulates of the Washington Consensus. As described in R&W, how has Rodrik amended that position. Compare and contrast the policy views identified with the Washington Consensus with those described by Beinin. Are Beinin’s criticisms directed at the logical underpinnings and assumptions of the economic theory behind the Washington

consensus, or does he simply feel the facts will generate an outcome different from what the World Bank and its supporters predict?


8. What is meant by the real exchange rate? In an inflationary environment, what should happen to the exchange rate? According to standard textbook theory, and the Washington Consensus, how should countries respond to balance of payments deficits? Why is it difficult to maintain a constant real exchange rate in an inflationary situation?

9. Two important avenues of reform are the privatization of SOEs and the growth of local stock markets. What are the attractions and perils of these policies? Which countries have proceeded the farthest down this path? How might these policies relate to (inward) Foreign Direct Investment?

10. Why does trade liberalization contribute to economic growth-for MENA type countries, according to the Washington Consensus/standard economic theory. For which countries is a trade union a realistic possibility? For which countries is trade liberalization with Europe a possibility, and what are its attractions and perils? Which MENA countries are not members of the WTO, and why? What is involved with the proposed Gulf Currency Union- what are its advantages and disadvantages, and the current state of these plans?

Econ 344 Third Study Sheet (rev. 1) Winter, 2010. Professor Twomey

The exam will cover the topics on the syllabus: Gender, Islamic Economics, International Migration, World Oil, and Iran. Saudi Arabia & other Arabian Peninsula, and Turkey will not be included, so the corresponding pages in the R&W text, and the readings, can be skipped.

Possible identifications include: Zakat, riba, Dutch disease, posted price/reference price (of oil), Seven Sisters, ARAMCO, Ataturk, RecipErdogan, Post-Fordist, labor hoarding, Islamic window (of a bank), Ayatollah Khomeini, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Reza Shah, wilayat al-faqih, Moqtada al-Sadr, ShirinEbadi, Khatami, Khamenei, Mossadegh, Guardian Council, IRGC.

These identifications were on the earlier draft of the study sheet that was distributed, but pertain to Turkey or Arabia, and so will not be asked: TurgutOzal, King Faisal, King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, Wahhabi, King Abdullah, Sheikh Yamani, Young Turks, PKK, Taliban.

1. Clark’s article is subtitled “Islamization from below?” What does that question mean, why might that be happening, what is her basic answer, and what is her evaluation of the phenomenon?

2. According to Clark, why do NGOs (or PVOs) provide so many social services in Egypt? Is this basically religious groups (she mentions the Moslem Brotherhood), or are the majority of NGOs non-religious? Why are the medical clinics successful?

3. What is meant by Islamic banking, what economic sectors does it serve, and how does it differ from banking as typically practiced in the U.S. or the U.K.? How does venture capital differ from standard commercial bank lending?

4. Siddiqi states that the fundamental aim of Islamic banking “..is to fulfill the teachings of the Holy Koran, as opposed to reaping maximum returns on financial assets.” Does the selection by Choudhury agree that there is an opposition between consistency with the Koran, and maximum returns?

5. What are the four Principal Instruments of Islamic Political Economy, according to Choudhury?6. The migration of North Africans and Turks into Europe is similar to the migration of different peoples

into the Gulf States, in that both have a common economic basis, which we might describe as differences

in wages or incomes. However, beyond that, identify three differences between those two migratory flows.

7. What is the situation of immigration in the Gulf countries? Is it possible for the GCC countries to coordinate immigration policies?

8. Adelman makes several startling comments. Explain each. “At no time has crude oil been scarce.” (p. 169). “OPEC has no power of its own.” (p. 177). When speaking of US-Saudi relations (p. 177), “We have no hold or leverage over any producer nations.” They (OPEC countries) will find the task (keeping the price of oil above $25) easier because policy in the consuming nations is still ruled by the irrational fear that OPEC may no produce enough for our needs.” (p. 186) “It the world oil market, the key role will be that of the non-OPEC producers.” (p. 187). “There was no world crude oil price before World War II.” (p. 171). “A mineral industry runs out of customers before it can run out of mineral.” ( p. 172).


10. Is Okten’s description and explanation of increased labor force participation by women in Turkey, in its Islamic context, consistent with the allegation that Islam is patriarchal? Discuss.

11. Translate into plain English the following, from the summary of the chapter by Okten: “’Post Fordist’ organization of production brings about new paradigms and restructuring in the labor markets.” Discuss that author’s hypothesis that an “Islamic” female role is quite compatible with this new situation. Is this analysis specific to Turkey, or could it apply to other MENA countries, as well? Putting that another way… Okten’s paper’s hypothesis is that “the female role in an Islamic society, as modeled in accordance with political Islam, is quite compatible with the differentiated labor market structure in the post-Fordist production organization.” Would that compatibility be stronger in secular societies-such as Turkey and Egypt, or religiously oriented societies like Saudi Arabia and Iran?


13. An important part of Tetreault’s position is that gender politics in Kuwait effectively serves as a proxy for other issues. What are those other issues? How convincing is her argument?

14. What is meant by a murabaha contract, and what is R&W’s explanation for its prevalence amongst Islamic banks in MENA?

15. What do R&W mean by Islamism (or Islamic Activism, which they distinguish from Political Islam), and who/what are the major groups or social actors that compose this movement? In their view, is Islamism a individualist/free enterprise/pro-capitalist movement, or a collectivist/state ownership type of movement? As summarized by El-Affendi, Bayat describes Iran as having a post-Islamist condition and project. Is Bayat’s use of the term Islamism consistent with R&W’s, and is his position valid, that Iran’s situation is distinct from that of Turkey or Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood?

16. Saad Ibrahim (p.4) states that “Part of America’s reluctance to deal with Islamists reflected concern over the reaction of autocratic regimes, some of which are long-time allies.” In his view, what would those autocratic regimes oppose? What is Ibrahim’s recommended response?

17. Consider three countries which have their own versions of Islamic regimes: Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. How do they differ on three orientations: 1) orientation towards free markets; 2) acceptance of democracy; 3) support of US policy in the MENA region.

18. Sariolghalam describes two major orientations towards national issues in Iran. Identify and describe them briefly – in terms of economic policy and foreign policy, and mention one or two individuals’ names who belong to each group.

Econ 344 Winter, 2008 Study sheet for first exam. Second draft.

Please bring a Blue Book. The exam will be closed book, and you will have the entire class.Material covered will be those items on the syllabus up through what is covered in class on

Thursday, Feb. 7, which will include several chapters of Richards and Waterbury, plus the corresponding readings.

1. The exam will include identifications and map questions –relating to Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel/Palestine.

2. You should know the three presidents of Egypt, the three kings of Jordan, and the most important leaders of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and the Palestinian movement. Also, Israel’s main wars with its neighbors, their impact on geographical borders, and the intifadas.

3. You should be able to discuss Mohammed Ali (Pasha), and the evolution of construction, ownership, and control of the Suez Canal.

4. Richards and Waterbury outline several strategies of economic development. Identify four strategies. Of the countries we have discussed (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel) pick two and discuss which strategy they have chosen, and how successful they have been.

5. What is meant by rentier economy? Pick an economy, and discuss what is the source of its rent, and how successful the country has been in utilizing it.

6. What are the major political regimes that have been important in the Middle East? Illustrate this in terms of two countries that we have discussed.

7. Identify Hizbullah and Hamas; where do they work, what do they do, in what ways have they evolved, how do they affect the political situation of the countries where they work. On what grounds does the US (and some other countries) criticize them?

8. Compare and contrast Nasserism and the Ba’ath party, in terms of time period, countries affected, ideology, rise and fall.

9. Henry refers (his page 2) of the “diminished appeal of Arab nationalism after Nasser’s death in 1970...” Why has this appeal declined? What impact has that decline had?

10. What are the “globalizations” of which Henry speaks?11. What are the major impediments to development in the Middle East, according to Henry?12. Mustafa and Norton dismiss the “wooden official statements from Washington insist[ing] that

democratic reform remain on the US agenda.” What examples do they give?13. Explain Mustafa and Norton’s statement (their page 40) that “The legitimation of thoughtful,

committed, liberal reformers who give voice to an attractive, secular, alternative view of politics is to be avoided at all costs.”

14. In Kiernan’s view, why is Syria moving more slowly toward economic liberalization, compared to countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco? What is the role of petroleum in that country’s economy?

15. Lebanon is said to have had a war in summer, 2006. With whom? Why? Moreover, why is there a debate about who won and who lost? What is the importance of the answer to that question? Who does Telhami identify as the winners? Sketch briefly the division of the answer to the question of “who are Lebanon’s enemies” in terms of the religious/sectarian identity of the respondent. Does the resulting polarization of the Lebanese population benefit or hurt that country’s major enemy, according to Shelhami? How important is US aid in affecting those attitudes?

16. What is the new liberal bargain that Greenwood describes for Jordan? In his view, are political and economic liberalization independent, or do they come together? What are the economic components of that new bargain?

17. The US National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq did not like the term “civil war” for the description of the situation in Iraq in the first half of 2007. Why not? What was their preferred substitute?

18. As described by Khalidi, what are the major results for Palestinians, of what he calls the ‘colonization’ of the west Bank and Gaza by Israel after 1967?

19. Sketch briefly the growth and evolution of the PLO/PLA. What stance did the PLO take with regards Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait; discuss Khalidi’s opinion on that stance? What was the context of the 1997 report by the (Palestinian) Parliamentary Committee that was analyzed by Halevi?

20. What have been the major phases of Palestinian out-migration, and where have the migrants and refugees gone? In which places did this in-migration have macroeconomic effects?

21. What impacts on the economy of Palestine does the World Bank attribute to the presence of Israeli settlements in the West Bank? How has the construction of the separation Barrier/Wall affected the economy of local Palestinians, according to the World Bank? What have been the three channels of deterioration of the economy of the West Bank and Gaza, because of the intifadas and the Wall

22. What is meant by the ‘demographic dividend?’ The ‘dependency ratio?’23. Identify and explain briefly three factors that determine fertility levels.In what ways can government

policy affect fertility? Which countries have taken steps to discourage population growth, and which not? What was the post-Revolutionary experience of Iran in terms of population policy?

Econ 344 Study Sheet for exam #2 Winter, 2008

The exam will cover the topics from “Cities in the M.E.” thru “Gender Issues” (if we get that far). This involves chapters 6-10 of the Richards/Waterbury book, and the corresponding readings. The format will be quite similar to that of the previous exam, except that there will be no map question. Bring a Blue Book.

11. What is meant by the “bi-modal pattern of land tenure” of Latin America, how does it contrast with the “peasant system” of East Asia, and which is generally more relevant for the MENA countries? How did the historical legacy of colonialism affect land holding patterns?

12. With regard to land reform, which countries attempted land reform, and why is it generally judged to have failed? Discuss one country in a paragraph or more. What factors does Hinnebusch have in mind when he speaks of the reversal of Egypt’s reform? Why is the abolition of the rental important? Which groups (socio-political-economic) were in favor of its abolition? What longer term impact on land use does that author foresee? Is this an advance towards more capitalistic rural relations, or a regression, in his view? Compare and contrast the views on Egypt’s land reform, of Hinnebusch and Beinin.

13. What are the three river systems in MENA that involve more than two countries, and what factors affect the distribution of their water? For those river systems, explain how the construction of dams and large pumping stations has underlined conflicts between the riparians. What is the distribution of the water that flows into the River Jordan? In general, what policies might help countries conserve water? Compare and contrast the history of water availability and use in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Was the Aswan dam “worth it?”

14. What has been the experience of urbanization in the major regions (MENA, East Asia, LAC, OECD, etc.)? Distinguish between the formal and informal sectors. Why does the informal sector exist, and what policy options are available to governments with respect to it? What is the standard (internal) migration model, and how does the Harris-Todaro perspective modify its conclusions? Give three reasons why the cost of migration might have declined since WWII. One response to urban in-migration has been gentrification. Give two examples. Does Bayat think that the informal sector in Cairo has grown or declined, in relative terms, since liberalization? In Madanipour’s discussion of Tehran, what are some examples of urban bias? Relate these to the overall discussion of the reasons for the growth of that city; specifically, would elimination of urban bias significantly have reduced the growth of Tehran? R&W comment (p. 270) “One of the ironies of development is that successful educational programs in rural areas swell urban population.” Why is this true? Does it mean that countries should not attempt rural education? According to R&W, have urban shantytowns/slums been sources of political violence? Is this consistent with Bayat’s vision of quiet encroachment? Explain.

15. Why have the majority of MENA countries experienced state-led growth, and what alternative policy orientations are currently available? Identify some important political figures in the early period of state-led growth. What is the World Bank’s argument about the causes of the decline in efficiency in MENA production? Why did ISI fail? What is meant by the “Turkish paradigm?” What does it have in common with, and how does it differ from, Arab Socialism? In their chapter 11 R&W provide several ‘types’ of political regimes in MENA. Was there any difference in adoption of reform policies, according to type of political regime? Why does the IMF have so much power in the adoption of reform policies? According to the data in R&W, which MENA countries have the highest and lowest fractions of population in poverty, and what are the trends in poverty in the region?

16. Identify the main postulates of the Washington Consensus. As described in R&W, how has Rodrik amended that position? Compare and contrast with the view of the Washington Consensus described by

Beinin. Are Beinin’s criticisms directed at the logical underpinnings of the theory, or does he simply feel the facts will generate an outcome different from what the World Bank and its supporters predict?


18. What is meant by the real exchange rate? In an inflationary environment, what should happen to the exchange rate? According to standard textbook theory, and the Washington Consensus, how should countries respond to balance of payments deficits?

19. Two important indicators of reform are privatization and the growth of local stock markets. What are the attractions and perils of these policies? Which countries have proceeded the farthest down this path? How does these policies relate to (inward) Foreign Direct Investment?

20. Why does trade liberalization contribute to economic growth-for MENA type countries, according to the Washington Consensus/standard growth theory. For which countries is a trade union a realistic possibility? For which countries is trade liberalization with Europe a possibility, and what are its attractions and perils? Which MENA countries are not members of the WTO, and why?

Econ 344 Study Sheet #3 (rev.1) Winter, 2008 Professor Twomey

The exam will cover material relating to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Algeria and the Maghreb, Gender issues, Islamic Economics/Political Islam, Migration, and the economics of oil.

Identifications: Zakat, riba, Dutch disease, TurgutOzal, posted price/reference price (of oil), Seven Sisters, ARAMCO, King Faisal, King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, Wahhabi, King Abdullah, Sheikh Yamani, Ataturk, RecipErdogan, Post-Fordist, Young Turks, PKK, Taliban, labor hoarding, Islamic window (of a bank), Ayatollah Khomeini, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Reza Shah, wilayat al-faqih, Moqtada al-Sadr, ShirinEbadi.


20. According to Clark, why do NGOs (or PVOs) provide so many social services in Egypt? Is this basically religious groups (she mentions the Moslem Brotherhood), or are the majority of NGOs non-religious? Why are the medical clinics successful?

21. What is meant by Islamic banking, what economic sectors does it serve, and how does it differ from banking as typically practiced in the U.S. or the U.K.? How does venture capital differ from standard commercial bank lending?


23. What are the four Principal Instruments of Islamic Political Economy, according to Choudhury?24. The migration of North Africans and Turks into Europe is similar to the migration of different peoples

into the Gulf States, in that both have a common economic basis, which we might describe as differences in wages or incomes. However, beyond that, identify three differences between those two migratory flows.

25. What have been the achievements and limitations of the Gulf Coordination Council in terms of unification of its member countries? Is it possible for them to coordinate immigration policies?

26. Adelman makes several startling comments. Explain each. “At no time has crude oil been scarce.” (p. 169). “OPEC has no power of its own.” (p. 177). When speaking of US-Saudi relations (p. 177), “We have no hold or leverage over any producer nations.” They (OPEC countries) will find the task (keeping the price of oil above $25) easier because policy in the consuming nations is still ruled by the irrational fear that OPEC may no produce enough for our needs.” (p. 186) “It the world oil market, the key role will be that of the non-OPEC producers.” (p. 187). “There was no world crude oil price before World War II.” (p. 171). “A mineral industry runs out of customers before it can run out of mineral.” ( p. 172).


28. Keddie writes (p. 26) “Secular rulers in the Middle East have often taken the lead in recognizing that increased women’s rights and labor force participation are essential to the creation of modern nations and societies.” Is this consistent with Okten’s description of increased labor force participation by women in Turkey, in a very Islamic context?

29. Keddie states (p. 27) that “A number of reasons may be adduced for the low relative status of ... women in the Muslim world, and the tendency to ascribe this to Islam does not begin to explain the phenomenon.” What are some of the other explanations suggested by that author? According to her, will the creation of democracy in places like Afghanistan and Iraq improve the status of women? Discuss.

30. Translate into plain English the following, from the summary of the chapter by Okten: “’Post Fordist’ organization of production brings about new paradigms and restructuring in the labor markets.” Discuss that author’s hypothesis that an “Islamic” female role is quite compatible with this new situation. Is this analysis specific to Turkey, or could it apply to other MENA countries, as well? Putting that another way… The paper’s hypothesis is that “the female role in an Islamic society, as modeled in accordance with political Islam, is quite compatible with the differentiated labor market structure in the post-Fordist production organization.” Would that compatibility be stronger in secular societies-such as Turkey and Egypt, or religiously oriented societies like Saudi Arabia and Iran?

31. Why is Saudi Arabia inventing a working class, and how are its options different from those of its neighbors in the Gulf, and more broadly the other MENA countries?

32. Mohamedi’s discussion of the “deal” by which oil links the ruling families of the Gulf with their citizens, claims that the old deal is being undermined. Why? What is the reason for his different analyses of oil and gas? His article is a decade old. Has subsequent experience shown him correct? Discuss.


34. What might be two beneficial economic impacts of Turkey’s potential membership in the European Union, given that there already is a free trade agreement between that country and the EU, and thus tariff reduction will play a minimal role? Discuss some of the vested interests mentioned by Khan andYavuz, which have hindered changes inside Turkey that might be needed to merit acceptance by the EU.

35. An important part of Tetreault’s position is that gender politics in Kuwait effectively serves as a proxy for other issues. What are those other issues? How convincing is her argument?

36. What is meant by a murabaha contract, and what is R&W’s explanation for its prevalence amongst Islamic banks in MENA?

37. What do R&W mean by Islamism (or Islamic Activism, which they distinguish from Political Islam), and what are the major groups or social actors that compose this movement? In their view, is Islamism a individualist/free enterprise/pro-capitalist movement, or a collectivist/state ownership type of movement?

38. Baktiari describes the current situation in Iran as undergoing a ‘conservative revival.’ That term is basically used to describe the politics of the regime. What would be the economic evaluation in terms of Islamic economics, the free market orientation of the World Bank, and its results?

39. The article by Khan and Yavuz on Turkey points out that the (somewhat Islamist) regime of Erdogan’s Welfare Party ‘viewed attempts at European integration with suspicion if not outright hostility,’ (p. 4), while the current (somewhat Islamist) regime of Erbakan’s Justice and Development Party is aggressively pushing for incorporation into the EU. How do those authors explain the shift in attitudes? Additionally, they describe (p. 5) the rather prevalent attitude of EU diplomats that Turkey will be ‘a super-best friend, trusted partner, but not sitting at the top table.’ What difference would landing in this second tier position make?

40. Saad Ibrahim (p.4) states that “Part of America’s reluctance to deal with Islamists reflected concern over the reaction of autocratic regimes, some of which are long-time allies.” In his view, what would those autocratic regimes oppose? What is Ibrahim’s recommended response?

41. Consider the three countries which have their own versions of Islamic regimes: Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. How do they differ on three orientations: 1) orientation towards free markets; 2) acceptance of democracy; 3) support of US policy in the region.

Econ 344 Economies of the Middle East Winter, 2007 Professor Twomey

First Draft of the Study Sheet for Exam #1, to be held Thursday Feb. 16

Fair game for the exam includes the chapters from the Owen/Pamuk textbook [O/P], the required readings from the syllabus, and class lectures. Handouts distributed in class are intended to supplement those sources. Most questions will be taken from this list. This sheet may be updated and redistributed before the exam, in class and/or by email. You should bring a Blue Book to the exam.

Identifications:Gamal Nasser, Anwar al-Sadat, Hosni Mubarak, Muhamad Ali, SaadZaghul, Hassan al-Banna, Hafez al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad, Sharif Hussein, the three kings of Jordan, Michel Aflaq, Rafiq Hariri, PLO, Maronite, Falange, Sunni, Shiia, Hizbullah, Hamas, Yasir Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, Saddam Hussein,

Sykes Picot, Balfour Declaration, Ba’ath Party, Transjordan, Sinai, Gaza, Golan Heights, Oslo Accords, Intifada, Israeli Barrier Wall,

There will probably be a few questions related to maps. You are expected to know the names of the capitals of the countries we have talked about in class.

1. According to O/P, what are characteristics of a “colonial economy?” Pick one of the countries we have studied, and identify one way in which it does not fulfill that description.

2. Give two parallels, and two differences, between the British and French mandates in the Middle East. Of the two countries in the French Mandate, why did Syria become statist, while Lebanon has had an open economy?

3. Compare and contrast the economic policies of the Ba’th-Assad regime in Syria, with those of Sadat and Mubarak in Egypt.

4. A major topic in an economics class about the Middle East must inevitably be the economic reforms that have taken place in the last two decades. Select two countries from those we have covered (Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza), and discuss the timing, motivation, scope, and achievements of these reforms.

5. Identify (year and ‘name’) the major wars/conflicts between Israel and its neighbors. 6. How has the population of Palestinians evolved since 1940, in terms of geographical location, as well as numbers?7. Greenwood speaks of Jordan’s “new liberal bargain.” What does this mean? Is the country becoming more

dependent on the U.S.? What was the effect of the 1967 war on Jordan?8. Both Khalidi and Halevi attribute to the Palestinian Authority some degree of institution building, which will be

important should an Oslo-type agreement eventually give the Palestinians control over land. What is meant by institution building? What have been its strengths and weaknesses? Explain and critique Halevi’s statement (p. 40) “It is thus not surprising that it is among the intellectuals, academics, and liberal professionals such as doctors and lawyers that one finds..the most ardent defenders of the rule of law, the least eager to accept the “normalization” of the Palestinian state-in-the-making.”

9. Roy cites the World Bank as asserting that, “[I]t will take 20 years to return the Palestinian economy to where it was on the eve of the current Intifada.” One could speak generally and perhaps unproductively of the cause of that decline simply being the conflict with Israel. According to the World Bank, what are the proximate causes of this decline?

10. What is meant by the term demographic transition? What are its causes, and what areas of the economy are most directly affected? How convincing is Laipson’s analysis that Tunisia has successfully undergone this transition? Evaluate her statement (p. 184) that “[T]he renewal of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict contains several demographic subplots,” [i.e. causes]?

11. Fertility is directly affected by contraceptive use, and might therefore be presumed to depend on government policy, socio-economic variables, and the strength of Islamic Law, or Sharia. In his study, what does Faour conclude is the relative weight of those three sets of factors? How does Kamran Asdar Ali’s discussion of family planning in Egypt seem to rate the relative importance of those three factors?

Econ 344 Professor Twomey Study sheet for exam #2, winter 2007 (revision 1)

The exam will cover the items in the syllabus identified as Agriculture, Economics Issues, and Iran. There is a small chance that it will also include the section entitled Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. As such, the readings include the appropriate parts of Owen/Pamuk (with regard to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine - on agriculture and macro), the photocopies in the coursepack of the chapters from the books by Beinin, Rivlin, Shakoori, Nomani and Behdad, as well as the articles by Hinebusch, Swain, Yousef, and Baktiari and Vaziri. Remember that the World Bank’s Chapter 4 of Unlocking Employment Potential will not be covered.

1. Identifications:

Land to the tiller, green revolution, tax farming, sharecropping, property rights, absentee landlords, autogestion, Islamic Village Councils, Ministry of Jihad, Ayatollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khameini, Mohammed Khatami, Akbar RafanjaniQajar, Mahmud Ahdmadinejad, Mahmud Khatami, Falkenmark level, Marsh People, aquifer, tenant rights, SAVAK, Council of Guardians, Bonyads, Revolutionary Guards[If Saudi Arabia/Gulf is included]Abdul Aziz (‘Abd al-‘Aziz), Aramco, IPC, APOC, Tapline, Wahhabi, King Faisal, Gulf Coordination Council,

2. Beinin begins his chapter with the statement “Until the mid-1930s the majority of the political classes of the Middle East espoused liberal projects of cultural and social reform and political and economic development that they expected would set their countries on what they understood to be the historical trajectory of France and England.” What should we understand to be the alternative to “liberal projects” of reform and development? What would more recent examples of alternative national projects in the MENA region, either before or after 1973? 3What is meant by “authoritarian-populist regimes,” and what are some historical examples? What types of economic policies do we identify with them? 4 The World Bank has long criticized “urban bias” in development programs. Compare that perspective with the orientation Beinin ascribes to authoritarian populist regimes in the Middle East.

5. Beinin discusses the shift in the economic policies of countries in the Middle East, from state-led growth to neo-liberal orientations in terms of the relative weights of external pressures (US or UK; IMF/World Bank), impact of military defeat and/or the impact of high oil prices, internal inefficiencies, and economic ideology evidenced by the dominance of the Washington consensus rhetoric. Pick a country in the region and discuss the relative impact of external, internal, and ideological influences in these changes. The theoretical models and points of departure of Beinin and Yousef seem to be quite distant: compare the analysis of Beinin (bureaucratic authoritarian, etc.) with that of Yousef’s “interventionist-redistributive economic development model” (p. 94) 6. Beinin asserts (p. 168) that, “… poverty was not generally alleviated by Washington consensus policies.” Is that because these policies were not thoroughly applied, or that the policies inherently would not reduce poverty? Discuss 7. O&P comment that both the French and British affected the Ottoman legacy by eliminating tax farming and instituting land registration. What might have been the distributional consequences of these policies.

8. Translate into simpler English what Hinnebusch means (p. 22) by “The abolition of the tenancy law may be a first step in the replacement of small peasant production by larger scale capitalist production.” What reasons does he offer for this view? According to the descriptions of our various authors, was Egypt’s agrarian policy determined dictatorially from the center of power, or more democratically by consultation with the various interest groups? 9. Does abolishing sharecropping improve agricultural efficiency, in theory or in practice in the MENA? Pick a country from MENA region, and briefly discuss its agrarian reform experience.

10. Select two countries from among Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, and compare and contrast their experiences with agricultural development and government directed land reform, for the period around the middle of

the twentieth century. Describe the various phases of the agrarian reform in Egypt. What purpose did the agrarian relations dispute committees form? Why were they abolished? 11. We know that Israel competes for water with virtually all its neighbors. With which specific countries do Egypt and Turkey compete for water? Where is that water? Where is desalination important? Is it useful to ask if desalination is economically rational?

12. In terms of actual policies--as opposed to rhetoric or political style—are the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as described by BakatiariVaziri, Shakoori, or Nomani/Behdad, similar to those of authoritarian populist regimes? Give some examples to back up your position. 13. In post-revolutionary rural Iran, what was the purpose of the Ministry of Jihad? What role did the Islamic village councils play, in theory and in fact?

14. In his discussion of post-revolutionary Iran, Shakoori speaks of conflicts between populists and liberal technocrats (e.g. p. 62). What issues are involved. Are these conflicts fundamentally different from conflicts in Egypt, Turkey, Syria and elsewhere?

15. Which MENA cities have the worst air pollution? What are its causes, and what are potential remedies?

16. Discuss briefly Swain’s vision of Israel’s “plundering the water.” Compare and contrast the conflicts over the waters of the Nile with those for the Tigris/Euphrates.

17. In MENA, what is the major demand for water – agriculture, industry, or direct human consumption? What are the major sources of Saudi Arabia’s water, and how does this impact the Kingdom’s policy of agricultural development?

18. Describe briefly Swain’s vision of the response of the various countries to increased demand for water from the Tigris and Euphrates.

19. What factors does Yousef mention in his analysis of strong MENA growth in the 1960s and 1970s. What factors led to a decline in factor productivity growth thereafter? What does he mean by the Social Contract, and what are its major characteristics? What led to its creation, and what to its erosion? Was an “authoritarian bargain” necessary? What does he mean by the “soft budget constraints on the intensity of demand for reform,” (p. 109). What is his analysis of the “political economy” of the demand for political and for economic reform? Does that analysis coincide with that of Baktiari and Vaziri for Iran?

20. According to Yousef, what led to the emergence of high unemployment in the MENA region in the 1990s? To what factor(s) does he attribute the strong growth of the private sector in the small gulf economies? Does he view increased migration as a positive or a negative factor?

21. What do Nomani and Behdad mean by “structural involution?” What caused it, and is it continuing? Discuss.

22. On the basis of our readings, who was more interested in policies towards Iranian agriculture, the Shah or the Islamic Republic? What do Baktiari and Vaziri mean by clerical factionalism? How does this influence economic policy? What is meant by their title “doubting reform? Contrast the positions of Khatami and Ahmadinejad on reform.

23. What policies are open to countries that experience balance of payments difficulties? In theory, what would be the impacts of each of those policies on employment, inflation, and real wages? According to standard economic theory, what are some of the likely causes of countries having balance of payments problems?

24. What are the advantages for MENA countries of belonging to the WTO? Which countries are not members, and why? What are the costs and benefits of having a currency union among the countries of the GCC?

25. Rivlin provides a series of discussions of experiences with economic stabilization and reform among the MENA countries. Compare and contrast two of them.

26. Why is Saudi Arabia inventing a working class, and how are its options different from those of the other large MENA countries?

27. [For the section of Saudi Arabia/Gulf] Mohamedi’s discussion of the “deal” by which oil links the ruling families of the Gulf with their citizens, claims that the old deal is being undermined. Why? What is the reason for his different analyses of oil and gas? His article is a decade old. Has subsequent experience shown him correct? Discuss.

Econ 344 Study Sheet #3 (revised) Winter, 2007 Professor Twomey

The exam will cover material relating to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Gender issues, Islamic Economics/Political Islam, Migration, and the economics of oil. Of the readings listed on the syllabus, you will not be held responsible for the chapter in the coursepack by Zuhur, nor the articles by: Wiktorowicz (1999), Enhaili and Adda (2003), Sayre and Olmsted (1999), Telham (2002), Saad Ibrahim, Tetreault (2005), and Malgesini (1992).

Identifications: Zakat, riba, etatism, Dutch disease, TurgutOzal, posted price/reference price (of oil), Seven Sisters, ARAMCO, King Faisal, King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, Wahhabi, King Abdullah, Sheikh Yamani, Ataturk, RecipErdogan, Post-Fordist, Young Turks, PKK, Taliban, labor hoarding, ShirinEbadi


43. According to Clark, why do NGOs (or PVOs) provide so many social services in Egypt? Is this basically religious groups (she mentions the Moslem Brotherhood), or are the majority of NGOs non-religious?

44. What is meant by Islamic banking, and how does it differ from banking as typically practiced in the U.S. or the U.K.? How does venture capital differ from standard commercial bank lending?


46. What are the four Principal Instruments of Islamic Political Economy, according to Choudhury?

47. The article by Birks et al. argues that the collapse of world oil prices in the mid-1980s did not lead to a large scale re-export of labor. Why would there be such a re-export of labor, and from which countries? What explanation do those authors give for it not occurring? Why is there growing mobility of expatriate labor inside Kuwait, and what is the importance of that finding?

48. The migration of North Africans and Turks into Europe is similar to the migration of different peoples into the Gulf States, in that both have a common economic basis, which we might describe as differences in wages or incomes. Beyond that, identify three differences between those two migratory flows.

49. According to Owen and Pamuk, why was there a shift of source countries for labor immigrants into the Gulf States?


51. Adelman makes several startling comments. Explain each. “At no time has crude oil been scarce.” (p. 169). “OPEC has no power of its own.” (p. 177). When speaking of US-Saudi relations (p. 177), “We have no hold or leverage over any producer nations.” They (OPEC countries) will find the task (keeping

the price of oil above $25) easier because policy in the consuming nations is still ruled by the irrational fear that OPEC may no produce enough for our needs.” (p. 186) “It the world oil market, the key role will be that of the non-OPEC producers.” (p. 187). “There was no world crude oil price before World War II.” (p. 171). “A mineral industry runs out of customers before it can run out of mineral.” ( p. 172).



54. Discuss briefly the history of the role of foreign direct investment in the ArabGulf countries. What options towards policy on FDI does Mohamedi foresee in the near future?

55. Translate into plain English the following, from the summary of the chapter by Okten: “’Post Fordist’ organization of production brings about new paradigms and restructuring in the labor markets.” Discuss that author’s hypothesis that an “Islamic” female role is quite compatible with this new situation. Is this analysis specific to Turkey, or could it apply to other MENA countries, as well? Putting that another way… The paper’s hypothesis is that “the female role in an Islamic society, as modeled in accordance with political Islam, is quite compatible with the differentiated labor market structure in the post-Fordist production organization.” Would that compatibility be stronger in secular societies-such as Turkey and Egypt, or religiously oriented societies like Saudi Arabia and Iran?

56. Kuran asserts (p 164) that “the beneficiaries of state sponsored zakat are not always, or even mainly, the poor.” Is this consistent with Clark’s analysis of Islamic charities in Cairo?

57. Kuran states (p. 169) “From a narrowly economic standpoint, the Islamic subeconomy is not a source of inefficiency.” What would be some aspects of the Islamic subeconomy that might be a source of inefficiency? In Kuran’s opinion, is this lack of inefficiency a result of neoclassical theory being wrong, or that the Islamic economy has not been implemented, or what?

58. Was there “urban bias” in the policies of Ataturk in Turkey? What factors led to the rise, and what factors led to the fall of ISI in Turkey? Explain O&P’s assertion (p. 119) that during the 1930s Depression, there was less need of inflationary finance in Turkey.

59. Why is Saudi Arabia inventing a working class, and how are its options different from those of its neighbors?60. Mohamedi’s discussion of the “deal” by which oil links the ruling families of the Gulf with their citizens,

claims that the old deal is being undermined. Why? What is the reason for his different analyses of oil and gas? His article is a decade old. Has subsequent experience shown him correct? Discuss.


62. What might be two beneficial economic impacts of Turkey’s potential membership in the European Union, given that there already is a free trade agreement between that country and the EU, and thus tariff reduction will play a minimal role? Discuss some of the vested interests mentioned by Khan andYavuz, which have hindered changes inside Turkey that might be needed to merit acceptance by the EU.

63. Keddie writes (p. 26) “Secular rulers in the Middle East have often taken the lead in recognizing that increased women’s rights and labor force participation are essential to the creation of modern nations and societies.” Is this consistent with Okten’s description of increased labor force participation by women in Turkey, in a very Islamic context?

64. The analysis of Terry Lynn Karl argues that the exploitation of petroleum bodes “ominously..for successful development.” Why? She further claims (p. 38) that virtually all of these (oil exporting) countries… failed to translate their soaring gross domestic product (GDP) into corresponding improvements in their people’s welfare. Discuss that prediction in terms of Iran or Iraq, and one of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE.

65.

Econ 390 Economies of the Middle East Winter, 2005 Professor Twomey

Study sheet for Exam #1, to be held Wednesday Feb. 16

Fair game for the exam includes the chapters from the Owen/Pamuk textbook [O/P], the required readings from List A and List B. Handouts distributed in class are intended to supplement those sources. There will be several identifications, as in the old exams that were distributed in class. There will probably be a few questions related to maps. Other questions will be short answer. Most questions will be taken from this list. . This sheet may be updated and redistributed before the exam, in class and/or by email. You should bring a Blue Book.

12. According to O/P, what are characteristics of a “colonial economy?” Pick one of the countries we have studied, and identify one way in which it does not fulfill that description.

1. Give two parallels, and two differences, between the British and French mandates in the Middle East. Of the two countries in the French Mandate, why did Syria become statist, while Lebanon has had an open economy?

2. Describe Ataturk’s economic policies. How were they linked to his political agenda? According to O/P, how were they successful or failures, and why?

3. In terms of nationality/ethnicity, what were some of the major population changes in Anatolia after the start of World War I?

4. Compare and contrast the economic policies of the Ba’th-Assad regime in Syria, with those of Sadat and Mubarak in Egypt.

5. A major topic in an economics class about the Middle East must inevitably be the economic reforms that have taken place in the last two decades. Select two countries from those we have covered (Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza), and discuss the timing, motivation, scope, and achievements of these reforms.

6. Identify (year and ‘name’) the major wars/conflicts between Israel and its neighbors.

7. How has the population of Palestinians evolved since 1940, in terms of geographical location, as well as numbers?

8. The article by Khan and Yavuz spoke of the “superficial westernization” of Ataturk. Discuss what they mean by westernization, and how it was superficial.

9. Greenwood speaks of Jordan’s “new liberal bargain.” What does this mean? Is the country becoming more dependent on the U.S.? What was the effect of the 1967 war on Jordan?

10. Explain what is meant by Victor Perthes when he says of Lebanon, “In terms of a confessionalist group logic, there is no doubt about who the winners and losers are.” What does Perthes judge to be the rationale for “the regime’s insensitivity to increasing inequalities and to its authoritarian tendencies.”

11. Both Halidi and Halevi attribute to the Palestinian Authority some degree of institution building, which will be important should an Oslo-type agreement eventually give the Palestinians control over land. What is meant by institution building? What have been its strengths and weaknesses? Explain and critique Halevi’s statement (p. 40) “It is thus not surprising that it is among the intellectuals, academics, and liberal professionals such as doctors and lawyers that one finds..the most ardent defenders of the rule of law, the least eager to accept the “normalization” of the Palestinian state-in-the-making.”

12. Roy cites the World Bank as asserting that, “[I]t will take 20 years to return the Palestinian economy to where it was on the eve of the current Intifada.” One could speak generally and perhaps unproductively of the cause of that decline simply being the conflict with Israel. According to the World Bank, what are the proximate causes of this decline?

13. What is meant by the term demographic transition? What are its causes, and what areas of the economy are most directly affected? How convincing is Laipson’s analysis that Tunisia has successfully undergone this transition? Evaluate her statement (p. 184) that “[T]he renewal of violence in theIsrael-Palestine conflict contains several demographic subplots,” [i.e. causes]?

14. Fertility is directly affected by contraceptive use, and might therefore be presumed to depend on government policy, socio-economic variables, and the strength of Islamic Law, or Sharia. In his study, what does Faour conclude is the relative weight of those three sets of factors? How does Kamran Asdar Ali’s discussion of family planning in Egypt seem to rate the relative importance of those three factors?

15. The discussion by Abu Lughod of Palestinian Higher Education is set in a context of praising Palestinian achievements in spite of Israeli controls. It is also the case that the educational system he describes appears to be modeled after the U.S. system. In your opinion, are the limitations of the Palestinian system possibly more due to weaknesses of its design, as the U.S. system is not transferable? Does his description of the Palestinian higher educational system seem compatible with the vision of the needs of knowledge production described by Zahlan?

16. Identify and discuss the “design principles” of the MuslimCity, as described by Saoud. Bayat and Razzaz both describe processes of settlement and survival in urban areas. The cities are growing, but is the dynamic changing?

17. The Chapter on Turkey emphasizes that the country went through certain stages in its ISI program, implying that there was some inevitability in that program’s demise. Nevertheless, although Egypt had a similar policy, this is not emphasized. Is this a difference in emphasis, or a different story?

18. What reasons do O/P give for the recent expansion of Turkey’s exports? Would the country’s incorporation into the EU increase this?

One last item. I recently ran across an interesting web link to a series of articles in The New Yorker on Iraq and U.S. involvement since 2002. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?041115fa_fact

Econ 390 W’05 Economies of the Middle East Study Sheet for Third Exam M. Twomey


2. According to Clark, why do NGOs (or PVOs) provide so many social services in Egypt? Is this basically religious groups (she mentions the Moslem Brotherhood), or are the majority of NGOs non-religious.

3. Wiktorowicz describes cooperation between the state and certain Islamist groups (specifically the Muslim Brotherhood) in Jordan. Is this description also valid for the situation in Egypt, as seen by Clark? There is also a discussion of criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood by other Islamist groups in Jordan—on what basis?

4. In terms of actual policies--as opposed to rhetoric or political style—are the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as described by Karshenas and Pesaran, similar to those of authoritarian populist regimes? Give some examples to back up your position.

5. What do Baktiari and Vaziri mean when they state (p. 36) “In the contest to define the nature of sovereignty in the Islamic Republic, the proponents of popular rights had defeated the advocates of divine rule, at least for that moment.”

6. After the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., did Iran support the Taliban in Afghanistan, or work against them? Baktiari and Vaziri speak (p. 39) of an “impasse between reformist and conservative clerics,” what are some issues that divide these groups? Does their analysis of these issues agree with that of Shakoori?

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?041115fa_fact

7. In post-revolutionary rural Iran, what was the purpose of the Ministry of Jihad? What role did the Islamic village councils play, in theory and in fact?

8. In his discussion of post-revolutionary Iran, Shakoori speaks of conflicts between populists and liberal technocrats (e.g. p. 62). Are these conflicts fundamentally different from similar conflicts in Egypt, Turkey, Syria and elsewhere?

9. What is meant by Islamic banking, and how does it differ from banking as typically practiced in the U.S. or the U.K.?


11. What are the four major positions (referred to as “Principal Instruments”) of Islamic Political Economy, according to Choudhury?

12. Telhami states that the U.S. has serious policy disagreements with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Beyond the questions relating to Israel, what are these differences? IN what ways do the policies of the US coincide with those of Saudi Arabia?

13. The article by Birks et al. argues that the collapse of world oil prices in the mid-1980s did not lead to a large scale re-export of labor. Why would there be such a re-export of labor, from where, and what do those authors believe to be the reason for it not occurring?

14. The migration of North Africans and Turks into Europe is similar to the migration of different peoples into the Gulf States, in that both have a common economic basis, which we might describe as differences in wages or incomes. Beyond that, identify three differences.

15. According to Owen and Pamuk, why was there a shift of source countries for labor immigrants into the Gulf States?


17. Adelman makes several startling comments. Explain each. “At no time has crude oil been scarce.” (p. 169). “OPEC has no power of its own.” (p. 177). When speaking of US-Saudi relations (p. 177), “We have no hold or leverage over any producer nations.” They (OPEC countries) will find the task (keeping the price of oil above $25) easier because policy in the consuming nations is still ruled by the irrational fear that OPEC may no produce enough for our needs.” (p. 186) “It the world oil market, the key role will be that of the non-OPEC producers.” (p. 187). “There was no world crude oil price before World War II.” (p. 171). “A mineral industry runs out of customers before it can run out of mineral.” ( p. 172)

18. Describe the pattern of oil prices during the second half of the twentieth century. Adelman discusses several factors-historical political events, market factors, OPEC, that affected prices. With regard to the first two groups, discuss three and how they affected prices. With regard to OPEC, what seems to be Adelamn’s view of OPEC’s current ability to affect prices?

19. Is it logical for Haya al-Mughni to claim (p. 32) that women’s movements inhibit feminist movements? Kuwait is usually described as a male dominated, patriarchal society. Is that inconsistent with the growth of women’s associations?


21. Translate into plain English the following, from the summary of the chapter by Okten: “’Post Fordist’ organization of production brings about new paradigms and restructuring in the labor markets.” Discuss that author’s hypothesis that an “Islamic” female role is quite compatible with this new situation.

Econ 390 Sample Study Questions. #1 September/October, 2003 M. Twomey

The mid-term and the final exams will include identifications, short answer, and perhaps something bordering on essay questions. The first exam will cover the material in chapters 1-9 in the Richards and Waterbury book, as well as the lectures on Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel. The purpose of this sheet is to give you a sense of what kinds of questions might be asked.

Identifications:People and places: Ataturk, Ozal, Young Turks, Farouk, Mohamed Ali, Nasser, Sadat, Aswan, Suez, Free Officers

(several other leaders/rulers were mentioned, but their role is generally secondary)Theories/ideas: Import substitution industrialization, agrarian reform, structural adjustment, etatism, economic

rent, dutch disease, terms of trade (I intend to go easy on the economic theory)Map: country names (but not capitals)Ottoman Empire background. When did it start, and when did it peak? What criticisms are made of its legacy to

the MENA areas it controlled?In terms of the discussion in Salt’s article on Turkey distributed in class, what factors beyond the religious identity

of Erbakan’s Welfare (Refah) party might have led the military to force him from office?

Chapter 2.Development strategies. What are they? Who wins and who loses if they are adopted?

Chapter 3.is pretty descriptive, and its tables are out of date. It is not fair to ask students to remember data of secondary importance (e.g., the population of Tunisia, or the rate of growth of agricultural output in Egypt after 1980)

Chapter 4.Population issues. What has been the recent pattern of population growth in the MENA? What is meant by the term demographic transition? Has this proceeded far in the MENA region? What are the factors that determine fertility? Why has fertility fallen? Has government policy been important? Where? In what concrete ways?

Chapter 5.Education and health. What is the basis for the argument that MENA governments spend too much on higher education? Note that there are several issues relating to education and health from the perspective of differences by gender, but these will not be covered on the first exam.

Chapter 6.Agriculture.Discuss the importance of land reform in Egypt and Algeria.Two different approaches to food policy are the pursuit of self sufficiency, or reliance on free trade. Discuss which approach has been pursued, and with what success, in Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Saudi Arabia,…What is the goal of a land reform? What factors affect its success or failure? Contrast countries in terms of availability or scarcity of water. Which major rivers cut across national boundaries? Discuss the rationality of water desalination in Saudi Arabia. How important have been HYVs in MENA agriculture?

Chapters 7, 8 and 9. Relate to the issue of the shift from an early phase of state-led growth under ISI, to a subsequent stage of reform and privatization. A big question looks like: Pick a country, and describe how this happened, and what the current situation is. Evidently, you could be asked to discuss this with respect to a particular country, for which the obvious candidates are Egypt and Turkey. Or compare and contrast the experience of either of Egypt and Turkey with that of Jordan, Syria, Israel, etc. Another

possibility is: contrast the experience of the “liberal monarchies” (page 192) with the standard versions of Egypt and Turkey, or that of other radical regimes. What are the positive and non-positive legacies of ISI?Identify three or four distinct groups with a vested interest in discouraging privatization.

You can skip in the Richards/Waterbury book: graphs on pages 15 and 16. Rent ceiling conversation on page 56. Incremental capital output ratio on page 69.

__________________________________________________________________

With regard to material relating to Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Israel:

Several more names were mentioned. The evolution of events in mandate Palestine, wars between Israel and its neighbors, the Camp David and the Oslo Accords, the two intifada. The quantitative dimensions of the pre-1948 population of Palestine, where the refugees went, and how they were received.The growth of Israel’s population. How Lebanon’s post WWI history is really quite distinct from that of its neighbors. How the process of dividing up the Ottoman Empire discouraged pan-Arab efforts.

Discuss the role of Jordan’s first king, Abdullah, in the evolving geo-politics of the region. Discuss the geographical definition of Jordan, the impact of the 1948 War, and Abdullah’s relation with both his own subjects and his neighbors.

Discuss the position of Aharoni on how the “political economy” of Israel is changing. What causes these changes; how will they affect Israel’s neighbors.

Some economic trends that were again mentioned are the different patterns of growth of per capita income in the several countries, the importance of overseas workers and foreign aid in a few countries, the success in Israel of anti-inflationary policies, the lack of success in Turkey.

Econ 390 Study Questions for Final Exam Fall, 2003 Professor Twomey

The final exam will be on Tuesday December 16 at 1:00 p.m. Please bring a bluebook.

The format of the exam will be similar to that of the first exam: some identifications, and then a set of other questions. The identifications will account for 20-25 points, out of 100. In principle, the questions will refer to the material in the second half of our course: topics covered in Chapters 10-15 of the Richards and Waterbury (R&W) text include women’s issues, minorities, Islamic economics and Islamist movements, the world oil market, urban and defense issues, as well as country specific treatment of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco; Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, and Iran. Several tables and articles were also distributed in class, and are fair game for the exam. Newspaper articles sent by e-mail are not themselves part of the material for the exam. It has not yet been decided if students will be given a choice of which questions to answer. The following questions are meant to remind you of the material that can be covered on the final. As was true of the study sheet for the mid-term, most of the actual questions on the exam will be based on what follows here, and, following the discussion in class, the attempt will be made to give the exam questions a more appropriate level of precision.

1. In the article about women in Iran handed out in class, Maryam Poya distinguishes between secular feminists and Muslim Iranian feminists. Explain briefly the distinction she describes. She also portrays an evolution of the Islamic Republic’s approach to women’s issues, in the period after 1979. What is that evolution? In your own opinion, is her conclusion valid, that “women’s employment, even within an Islamic framework, has undermined the Islamic state’s ideology of female seclusion and its gender relationships,” (page 17)

2. Okten’s article about women’s work in Turkey argues “that the female role in an Islamic society, as modeled in accordance with political Islam, is quite compatible with the differentiated labor market structure in the post-Fordist production organization.” (p. 269). What is meant by: post-Fordist

production, political Islam, informal labor markets? Evaluate Okten’s conclusion. If you agree, do you also think this is important? If you do not agree, why not?

3. Our article from Al-Ahram on the Egyptian feminist movement comments more than once that the women who led those movements came from middle and upper classes of their society. Why might that be important? The author also notes that after 1952, feminism was silenced as an independent public discourse in Egypt. Why did that happen? What is then meant by “second-wave feminism” in the Egyptian context?

4. Zuhur, in “Revealing Reveiling” argues that “age and social class have an important effect on the receptivity of women to the Islamic message.” (p. 13). According to her, what are those effects? What specifically does she say about the importance of living in Cairo or other large urban areas, and what explanation does she give?

5. R&W comment (p. 357) that, in Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood wished to differentiate itself from the Ba’ath Party. What political and ideological reasons would there be for that decision?

6. Our readings of Choudhury, TimurKuran, and R&W describe the principles by which a society governed by Islamic principles should operate. In theory, how does this differ from one guided by the principles of free enterprise capitalism? Discuss the theoretical design of both systems, not how either one is realized in Iran, the U.S., or other countries. Is R&W suggestion accurate, that Islamic economics is “neo-liberalism in an Islamic Guise”? Explain.

7. Following up on the question about the theory of Islamic Economics, discuss three criticisms of Islamic Economics discussed by either Kuran and R&W. In your discussion, mention if these criticisms are more of a theoretical nature, or practical.

8. Algeria’s history is different from that of any other country we have studied here, in the long presence of French colonialism. Outline briefly that history: when it started, when it ended, and what changes happened in the area as a result of the French presence.

9. Discuss Kuran’s criticisms of Islamic Economics in light of the experience of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

10. With regard to international migration, we can distinguish economic from political causes. Discuss briefly which MENA countries have sent the highest numbers (absolute and relative) of immigrants. To which countries have these immigrants gone? What have been the major causes of changes in this immigration stream since the early 1970s?

11. Suppose you have a conversation with someone who does not know anything about the Middle East. Now obviously all countries are different, but what would be three things that make the situation of Saudi Arabia especially unique?

12. Identify and discuss briefly four ways that the political history, and economic policies of Ibn Saud was different from, say, Attaturk or Reza Shah Pahlavi.

13. Why did Yemen have such an extended period of internal conflict-civil war, and why did it end?

14. Who are the Berbers? In which countries are they located, and what fraction of the population of those countries do they represent?

15. In what countries are Kurds most populous? Where in the MENA are Christians most concentrated?

16. R&W describe (p. 301) Lebanon and Turkey as established and (or) would be democracies. What are some ways in which those two countries are imperfect democracies?

17. What factors do R&W mention as explanations for the lack of flourishing political parties in MENA countries? Are these explanations convincing? Explain.

18. What have been important trends in the U.S. level of production and consumption of petroleum in the second half of the twentieth century? In what year (approximately) did the following occur: oil exports from Iran, oil exports from Saudi Arabia, oil exports from the UAE? When was OPEC formed? What factors led to its success in raising the price of oil in the early 1970s, and what factors led to the collapse of the cartel? Discuss two or three reasons why Saudi Arabia’s role in OPEC is unique. Related to this, why might the OPEC members wish to keep the price of petroleum in a range ($20-$25, say)? What are arguments against it increasing continually, or against it falling?

19. What reasons can be given for Iraq’s attack on Iran? What reasons can be given for the overthrow of the Shah of Iran? What phases has the post-Shah government in Iran passed through? Compare and contrast the structural characteristics of the economy of Iran in, say, 1980, with that of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. How would you evaluate the performance of the economy of Iran since the Shah was forced to leave?

20. In his report on Iran, Siddiqi discusses recent structural reforms in that country. Give some examples of those reforms, and why that author expects them to make the economy more efficient. Why have the Majlis and/or the Guardian Council obstructed those reforms?

21. What have been the major armed conflicts between Israel and its neighbors? What have been the major conflicts in MENA not involving Israel?

22. In some readings during the first part of the course, it was argued that the growth of the informal sector in Turkey was a result of that country’s embarking on various “globalization” programs, such as reducing its trade barriers. Yet in the readings on Iran there are assertions of a growth of the informal sector in that economy, as well. Is there a contradiction here? If not, is Iran also globalizing? Or perhaps does the imposition of religious criteria in a central government also lead to a reduction in the formal sector? Or are there other aspects of Iran’s recent economic experience that also lead to a reduction of the formal sector? Discuss.

23. In reading about Iran, one encounters terms like “left-leaning Islamists” or “hard-line Islamic Marxists” (page 623 of Akbar Karbassian). Is this consistent with the vision of Choudhury, TimurKuran, or R&W of Islamic Economics?

24. In the MENA region, which is the more important cause of urban growth--general population growth, or rural-urban migration? What factors affect the rate of rural-urban migration? Does government policy affect this? Should the government encourage rural-urban migration?

25. According to the article “Islamic Revolution and the Management of the Iranian Economy,” by Akbar Karbassian, what are aspects of the current economic situation in Iran that would lead President Khatami to describe the economy as sick? What solutions to these problems does that author recommend?

Date post:	31-Jan-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	trinhliem
View:	215 times
Download:	0 times

Econ 344 Winter, 2008 Study sheet for first exammtwomey/econhelp/444... · Web viewThe Word...

Documents