The Arab World

This accessible and informative book is the first new study of economic development in the Arab World since the Gulf War of 1991. It evaluates the means by which states as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Morocco and Jordan have sought to achieve economic advancement in relation to the cultural contexts from which they have emerged. The book also highlights the continuing distinctions between Arab and Western interpretations of what "development" means. In the Arab oil states, development has not been constrained by a lack of capital but rather by water availability and the shortage of skilled labor. The crisis of Arab identity has detracted from, and in some cases destroyed, promising schemes for economic advancement. Allan M. Findlay demonstrates that external involvement in the region has been responsible for many of the development dilemmas faced by the Arab world today. He argues that Arab states must identify clear development objectives which satisfy both their rising economic aspirations andtheir strong attachment to Islamic values.

Allan M. Findlay is Senior Lecturer in Geography and Research Co-ordinator of the Applied Population Research Unit, University of Glasgow.