Middle East and North Africa Economic Developments and Prospects, 2008 : Regional Integration for Global Competitiveness
During 2007 the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) experienced average growth of 5.7 percent. This was the fifth year in a row in which the region grew at a rate higher than 5 percent, exceeding levels reached in the 1990s and early 2000s. This performance occurred in the context of an...
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Format: | Economic Updates and Modeling |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/01/16355668/middle-east-north-africa-region-2008-economic-developments-prospects-regional-integration-global-competitiveness http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12949 |
Summary: | During 2007 the Middle East and North Africa Region
(MENA) experienced average growth of 5.7
percent. This was the fifth year in a row in which
the region grew at a rate higher than 5 percent, exceeding
levels reached in the 1990s and early 2000s.
This performance occurred in the context of an external
environment marked by three major developments:
a continued rise in the price of hydrocarbons,
turbulence in international financial markets
following the sharp drop in market valuations of
U.S. mortgage- backed securities, and a sharp rise in
the price of non- oil commodities, especially foodstuffs.
These developments have affected the various
MENA economies in different ways. On average,
however, the region has done well, with
respectable growth and comfortable external and
fiscal balances. Similar performance, that is, average
growth of about 5.6 percent, is expected over the
next three years. Oil prices are expected to remain
buoyant, leading to high levels of investment and
remittance flows within the region. Food prices are
also expected to remain high. Because most countries
in the region subsidize food and energy, high
food prices will lead to fiscal pressures for many governments.
But such pressures are not expected to
choke off economic growth. Global financial turbulence
and a likely slowdown of growth in the Organisation
for Economic Co- operation and Development
(OECD) countries are expected to be
offset by continued robust spending among oilexporting
countries and vibrant expansion in China
and India. |
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