Economic Incentives and Environmental Regulation in the MENA Region

Environmental challenges are rarely taken into consideration in the process of formulating economic policies in the ERF region. Moreover, research assessing existing environmental policies is not in abundance. This project is intended to contribute to our knowledge in this area. It is carried out through: (i) an open call for papers, and (ii) the preparation of a structured project dealing with the application of incentives in environmental regulations in the region. The open call for papers led to the selection, through the refereeing process, of a rich set of proposals. These projects are now being carried out.  A concept note has been prepared for the structured project and reviewed. Next, researchers were approached to contribute different chapters. Ultimately all papers will be published in an edited volume, which is envisioned to have 3 parts and 10 chapters, including an overview. Part I, will focus on economic evaluation of environmental damages in the region. Beside a broad assessment of selected countries in the region using the World Bank methodology, there will be two case studies of water conditions for agriculture in Egypt and municipal water supply services in the Gaza Strip. Part II, will assess the application of the Two-Part Tariff Scheme, covering traffic regulation as a means of reducing green house gas emissions in greater Cairo; and mitigating solid waste from the agro-food industry in Jordan. Part III, will assess tradable permits, focusing on the cement industry in selected countries, water scarcity/pollution in the river basin in Morocco and fisheries in North Africa.