Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Inger Andersen, the World Bank’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, smiles during a news conference in Rabat, Morocco, on September 7, 2012. (AFP Photo/ Abdelhak Senna)

World Bank Vice-President: Half of region’s population living on less than $4 a day

by Mina Al-Oraibi | Oct 15, 2014 | Business

Washington DC, Asharq Al-Awsat—With war and chaos gripping parts of the Arab world, it is easy to forget that the economic situation across wide swaths of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is also bleak. The dire economic prospects of many regional states were...

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International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde gives opening remarks before a session addressing inclusive growth during the World Bank and IMF annual meetings in Washington, DC, USA, on October 8, 2014. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

MENA region to witness 4.2 percent growth in 2015: World Bank

by Mina Al-Oraibi | Oct 9, 2014 | Business

Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to average 4.2 percent in 2015, up from 3.5 percent this year, the World Bank said in a report published on Wednesday, as representatives from across the globe...

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This February 8, 2011 file photo shows vehicles lining up for gasoline at a Staroil gas station in the Tunisian capital Tunis after the announcement of a strike by oil truck drivers. (AFP Photo)

Tunisia fears impact of Libyan refugees on subsidies system

by Monji Saidani | Aug 3, 2014 | Business

Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—The influx of Libyan refugees is putting pressure on Tunisia’s already strained subsidies system, Tunisian officials have warned, as the number of refugees in Tunisia from the neighboring north African country approaches 2 million since 2011,...

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Omanis shop at a market in Muscat on August 11, 2010. (MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP/Getty Images)

Oman scraps price controls for most goods

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jun 23, 2014 | Business

Muscat and Dubai, Reuters—Oman has scrapped price controls for all but 23 basic products, prompting rare public criticism of government policy, after companies demanded freer markets. Economists said the move was unlikely to have a major impact on inflation. Under...

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Moroccan Minister of Finance Mohamed Boussaid, right, chats with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, left, as they pose for photos before leaving the Ministry of Finance in Rabat, on Thursday, May 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

Opinion: Economic Reforms and Public Opinion

by Ali Ibrahim | May 14, 2014 | Opinion

I recently had a chat with an Arab political economy expert about the challenges facing many Arab societies where uprisings and revolutions have changed political regimes. The sweeping changes have increased the public’s expectations in these countries—but they...