A Political Economy of the Middle East: Third Edition

Recommended for students and professionals seeking specialized knowledge of the M. E. which presents a solid framework for seeing the interelatedness of many aspects of Mid. East society. Casual readers will be overwhelmed by it analytical style and attention to detail. A general knowledge of economics as well as politics is of course recommended before reading this as well.


Essential and Excellent textbook   November 8, 2001
Alessandro Bruno (Toronto, Canada)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

I have read and used sevral books in my research on the Middle East. I find this book to be the best to gain a bird's eye view of many social, political and economic problems in the region. R & W discuss problems of nation - building, state types and formation, competing ideologies, socio-economic crisis and oil politics (among other things). It's an excellent place to start for serious approaches to the subject. I have read both editions and look forward to future books form these authors.

I


A Good Survey   February 23, 2003
Benjamin Doty (Mountain View, CA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

This book starts to fill a gap sorely lacking on political economy in the Middle East. At times, it suffers from what most surveys of regions do - overlooking particular experiences of individual countries and other important factors determining important cause and effect relationships.

Nevertheless, it provides a good starting point for the student of the Middle East and the general reader who has a curiosity concerning the lack of non-oil wealth in the Middle East.


In Depth Look at Political Economy Until 1998   November 9, 2008
BYF (San Francisco, CA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

From Table of Contents:
1998


I - Intro

2 - The Framework of the Study
* Economic Growth and Structural Transformation
* State Structure and Development Policy
* Social Actors
* Structural Transformation and Interest Formation
* Defensive Modernization and Colonial Transformation

3 - Economic Growth and Structural Change
* The Natural Resource Base
* Oil Supply, Demand, and Economic Rents
* Patterns of Economic Growth

4 - The Impact of Rapid Population Growth
* Comparative Demographic Patterns
* The Economic Consequences of Rapid Population Growth
* The Politics of Young Populations
* The Politics of Differential Fertility
* Rapid Population Growth and the Would-Be Middle Class

5 - Human Capital: Health, Education, and Labor Markets
* Health Issues
* Educational Systems
* Labor Markets

6 - Water and Food Security
* The Food Gap
* Policy Impediments to Output Growth
* Water and the Imperative of a New Food Security Strategy

7 - The Emergence of the Public Sector
* The State as Architect of Structural Transformation
* Ataturk and the Turkish Paradigm
* Replicating the Paradigm
* State Capitalism, the State Bourgeoisie, and the Process of Accumulation

8 - Contradiction of State-Led Growth
* The Continued Dominance of Public-Sector Enterprise
* The Political Economy of Structural Adjustment

9 - The Checkered Course of Economic Reform
* A Survey of Country Experiences

10 - Urban Political Economy
* The Process of Urbanization
* Housing and Infrastructure
* Income Distribution and Poverty
* Urban Politics and Political Violence

11 - Political Regimes: As They Are and As They View Themselves
* Socialist Republics
* Liberal Monarchies
* Established and Would-Be Democracies
* The Islamic Republics
* Future Regimes: Some Speculation

12 - Solidarism and its Enemies
* Small Groups and Clientelist Politics
* The Failure of Parties
* The Tenets of Solidarism
* The Failure of Ideology
* The Islamic Challenge
* Democracy without Democrats?

13 - The Military and the State
* The Military in Middle East Politics
* Good Guys or Bad Guys?
* The Economic Weight of the Military
* The Military and Nation Building
* The Regular Military and Civilians in Arms

14 - Is Islam the Solution?
* Islamists in Opposition
* Islamists in Power

15 - Regionalism, Labor Migration, and the Future of the Oil Economies
* Labor Migration: An Overview
* The Impact of Labor Migration on Sending Countries
* Migration and Equity
* The Impact of Migration on Receiving Countries
* Conclusion, the Return of Surplus Labor


A Good Survey   February 24, 2003
Benjamin Doty (Mountain View, CA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book starts to fill a gap sorely lacking on political economy in the Middle East. At times, it suffers from what most surveys of regions do - overlooking particular experiences of individual countries and other important factors determining important cause and effect relationships.

Nevertheless, it provides a good starting point for the student of the Middle East and the general reader who has a curiosity concerning the lack of non-oil wealth in the Middle East.