Political Economy: Middle East

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course will provide a general overview of the economies of Arab countries since 1945. Given the wide scope of the topic and the number of weeks we have, not all countries are covered, and some, such as the countries in North Africa or the Gulf states, are banded together. The first two classes will set the historical and general background for the period under study. The next seven classes will be focused on the following countries: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Countries, and finally North Africa. In each of those classes, we examine the economic history of the country, its main political economy issues, and look at its current economic situation. The last four classes deal with general topics that are important across the board such as globalization, labor and migration, Arab economic integration, Islamic economics and finance, and finally the performance of those countries in the last half of the century on an absolute and relative basis.