Conference Paper
Class Grievances – the Arab Uprisings and Beyond
No.
ERF29AC_96
Publisher
ERF
Date
May, 2023
To date analysis of the role of entrepreneurs in the Arab uprisings has been limited. We use micro level data highlighting entrepreneur grievances as one proxy for the role that class might have played in the Arab uprisings. We find evidence that dissatisfaction with levels of corruption were particularly high in among entrepreneurs in Egypt, Syria and Yemen on the eve of the Arab uprisings, but we also find that Arab entrepreneurs throughout the region share concerns when it comes to macroeconomic stability, infrastructural short-comings and worker training, all of which are key to successful development. We also explore more recent data that indicate that entrepreneurs in a number of countries (some of which had regime changes, while others did not) remain concerned about corruption and various bureaucratic obstacles. Given the complexity of the grievances that triggered the Arab Uprisings, the data suggest ‘no smoking gun,’ and considerable potential for tensions surrounding post-uprising policy priorities, which in turn has contributed to the on-going policy impasse and instability in the region.
Authors
Jennifer Olmsted
Professor of Economics, Drew University
Research Fellows
Bassam Yousif
Professor of Economics, Indiana State University