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- Convenor:
-
Rawya Tawfik Amer
(Cairo University)
Send message to Convenor
- Location:
- C4.01
- Start time:
- 29 June, 2013 at
Time zone: Europe/Lisbon
- Session slots:
- 1
Short Abstract:
The panel will discuss the socio-economic challenges facing Egypt after the fall of Mubarak's regime and the available alternatives to address these challenges.
Long Abstract:
Social justice and the provision of basic needs were at the top of the demands of the January 25th revolution in Egypt. Egyptians who took to the streets sought to topple a regime which failed to deliver on political and economic reforms and applied policies that increased poverty and inequality. Two years after the revolution, the record of the Egyptian government in meeting the socio-economic demands of the revolution is mixed, at best. Not a few number of scholars have noted that the socio-economic policies of the current government do not differ from those of Mubarak's regime with their bias towards the interests of the business class, failure to address social injustices, and dependency on western capital and International Financial Institutions' prescriptions. Others cite early signs of institutional reform and of re-orientation of Egypt's international economic relations towards building new partnerships with rising power of the Global South.
But can Egypt escape the trap of dependency on traditional donor countries and IFIs? What policies can be pursued to make this possible? Does the current Egyptian government have the required political and organizational capacity to impose the necessary economic reforms? What is the role of Egypt's political and social forces in shaping Egypt's new development paradigm? And to what extent have these forces succeeded in proposing workable solutions to the country's socio-economic challenges? The panel's discussions will cover these and other questions related to Egypt's model of development after the fall of Mubarak's regime.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Tewodros Kebede (Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies)
Paper short abstract:
Using household survey data collected in early 2013, this paper addresses the perceptions on social change and subjective poverty in Greater Cairo. The study has implications for socio-economic policies by understanding determinants of poverty and inequality.
Paper long abstract:
This paper explores the perception of social change and subjective poverty in Greater Cairo based on empirical research that utilizes rigorous and up-to-date methodologies. It further argues that a good data base is necessary in order to develop sound policies and poverty reduction programs.
The extent of poverty in urban areas in Greater Cairo is substantially underestimated. By investigating data from a large scale household survey of 2500 households, this study primarily will explore the issue of poverty and inequality in Greater Cairo. Anchoring vignettes was designed to specifically capture individual's subjective assessment of poverty and to improve the comparability of survey responses.
There is a two-tiered system of social services in Egypt, under which the better-off are able to afford private health and education while the poor have to access degraded public services. In light of this, the study explores households' perceptions on health, education and provision of public services. The study will have implications for poverty reduction policies such as "wesool al-da`mlemostaheqeeh".
This paper is particularly useful for the panel as it provides current and relevant statistics needed to carry out discussions on policies in the new era in Egypt.
Maria Frederika Malmström (Lund University)
Paper short abstract:
This paper explores Egyptian non-elite and elite female youths as political actors - including their emotions, thoughts and modes of actions - after the Egyptian revolution.
Paper long abstract:
This paper explores Egyptian non-elite and elite female youths as political actors - including their emotions, thoughts and modes of actions - after the Egyptian revolution. Theoretically, it will examine how (embodied) agency is formulated in Egypt's transition in relation to how it was - the present - the imagined future. There is a wide range of positions represented by different actors, and attitudes towards change may well reflect (re)actions to 'progressive politics'. The proposed paper focuses upon the way in which different categories of youths in Cairo understand and respond to Egypt's complex changes, including their perception of democracy, gender equality and human rights, and it looks particularly at how these actors contest, subvert or embrace the transition. Theoretically, it will add to a growing field of agency and embodiment theory within anthropology. The research is expected to throw light on the complexities of rapid transformations of societies and embodied agency.
Leonard Hessling (European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, Venice)
Paper short abstract:
The paper establishes the link between Egypt’s revolution and water scarcity, a cause for the revolution, which might pose a threat to future stability. It assesses the legal framework and water policies, crucial for the implementation of a sustainable strategy for an equitable provision of water.
Paper long abstract:
The present water situation is a decisive factor in the uprisings in the MENA region. Population levels are increasing rapidly while simultaneously natural resources are declining - implementing a sustainable strategy for an equitable provision of water is crucial. Consequently, the right to water must be integrated into the legal framework and water policies, addressing the lack of awareness and unwise resource allocations.
Relevant issues dealt with in the paper include transboundary water agreements, competition over access to water, sustainability, climate change, privatization.
The paper seeks to address the question of how the question of water can be addressed in Egypt's constitutional and political transition so as to best ensure the realization of the human right to water.
Water as a source of life and wealth cannot be overestimated in its strategic and political dimension in the 'Arab Spring'. The impact of water on transition processes is understudied:
1. The human right to water has been acknowledged. Prior research has been conducted on its content on a more general basis, however there is a need for research to be conducted on its application in Egypt.
2. Certain elements of the 'Arab Spring', especially the role of social media, have been analysed extensively, but not the role of environmental factors and access to water.
The paper aims at creating the link between the uprisings and water scarcity, a cause for the revolution, which might pose a threat to future stability if not included in the Egypt's changing and emerging legal framework.