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Overview
In recent years, the delicate political climate in the Middle East has often overshadowed critical discussions related to economic and social development in the Arab world. The region's economic fragility has intensified due to the economic backlash following the September 11 attacks. The Arab World Competitiveness Report - now available for the first time - focuses on the challenges of improving the region's competitiveness at a particularly critical time. Written by an elite team of academics, scholars, and leaders of international organizations, this landmark report is the first systematic benchmarking exercise for the Arab region. It highlights the enormous difficulties that the Arab world currently faces, problems that will only worsen unless drastic changes are made in these countries. The Report reveals why growth in the region has stagnated since the 1980s in spite of some of the highest investment rates in the world. It also examines why, despite its distinct natural resource endowments, the region has failed to capture a greater proportion of international trade and capital flows. Noting the implications of exploding population growth in the region, the Report stresses the need to intensify job creation and to develop educational systems that prepare the population for the rapidly evolving global economy. It also emphasizes the profound environmental sustainability challenges faced by the region. Through in-depth analyses of regional trends, detailed country profiles of sixteen Arab world nations, and data-driven essays that cover a range of relevant issues, this groundbreaking report highlights the prospects for growth among countries in the Arab world and, more importantly, reveals the obstacles to competitiveness. In addition, the Executive Opinion Survey - which includes responses by top business executives in ten Arab world countries - lends depth to the analysis by providing a snapshot of how business leaders in the Arab world perceive present competitiveness and future prospects. The most comprehensive and up-to-date guide of its kind, The Arab World Competitiveness Report is an invaluable tool for identifying existing impediments to growth, thereby advancing the human well-being of the region.