Post-Arab Spring Governments in North Africa Identifying Focus Areas for Economic Advancement

Abstract

The power transitions precipitated by the Arab Spring revolutions afford opportunity for significant positive political and economic change. However, the specific areas in which improvement is most essential to generating economic advancement are less obvious than those associated with improved governance, and are less likely to be uniform across all countries involved. In consideration of that assertion, this thesis identifies areas most correlated with economic growth, the fostering of a positive entrepreneurial environment and progression to a more advanced economic stage of development through employment of two distinct statistical methods, and applies them to the North African countries affected by the Arab Spring revolutions. Areas in which improvement is required to create positive change that are specific to the country being studied are thereby determined. The cases of pre-Arab Spring Libya, Tunisia and Egypt were examined in an attempt to provide guidance and focus for the enormous tasks of governmental construction and reform the incoming administrations of each country will face. The ultimate outcome of the analysis is an expression of the vicious economic cycle unique to each, including a determination of causal factors identified as areas in which improvement will be most likely to favorably transform their economies.