A multi-faceted account of Egyptian economic development by nineteen internationally recognized authorities and the critical challenges the economy is likely to face in the next twenty yearsThe Egyptian Economy in the Twenty-first Century addresses the question of why Egypt, despite possessing a plethora of assets-such as a fertile agriculture, a strategic geographic location, oil and gas deposits, innumerable tourist sites, a labor force prized by regional countries, and a diaspora that remits large amounts of funds-has seldom performed to its economic potential during the last sixty years. Indeed, economic weakness created political weakness, and often exposed the country to foreign diktats. What should the country do to change this state of affairs?Nineteen internationally recognized authorities on the Egyptian economy discuss the critical challenges that the Egyptian economy is likely to face in the next two to three decades, challenges which must be overcome in order to improve the life of Egypt's citizens and to protect the country from external pressures. Their analyses cover population and employment; development strategies; principal macroeconomic issues; development of a digital economy; fiscal and monetary matters; the external sector; poverty and income distribution; the enterprise structure; higher education; water availability; urbanization; institutional performance; and many others.Contributors:- Gouda Abdel Khalek, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt- Khaled M. Abu-Zeid, Regional Water Resources, CEDARE (Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe), Cairo, Egypt.- Fatma El Ashmawy, World Bank.- Ragui Assaad, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA- Izak Atiyas, Economic Research Forum, Cairo, Egypt.- Marwa Biltagy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.- Lahcen Bounader, International Monetary Fund.- Ishac Diwan, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.- Ahmed Ghoneim, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.- Khalid Ikram, Washington DC, USA.- Karima Korayem, al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.- Heba el-Laithy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.- Noha el-Mikawy, Ford Foundation, Middle East and North Africa, Cairo, Egypt. - Mohamed Mohieddin, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt.- Heba Nassar, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.- Osman Mohamed Osman, Cairo, Egypt.- Noha Razek, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.- David Sims, Cairo, Egypt.- John Waterbury, Princeton, New Jersey.

Note on ContributorsList of Figures and TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionKhalid IkramPart 1: The Human Factor1. Prospects for Egypt's Population and Labor Force: 2000 to 2050Ragui Assaad2. The poverty trap: Why is it Persisting in Egypt?Osman Mohamed Osman and Heba El Laithy3. Urbanization in EgyptDavid Sims4. Street Children in Egypt: Principal Causes and Economic CostKarima Korayem5. Is Egypt's Higher Education System Broken?John Waterbury6. Water Challenges and Recommended PoliciesKhaled Abu-ZeidPart 2: Development Strategies7. The "Trickle-down" Approach: Its Relevance to The Case of EgyptGouda Abdel-Khalek8. Human Resource Competitiveness and the Digital EconomyHeba Nassar and Marwa Biltagy9. The "Missing Middle" in Egypt's Enterprises and Its Impact on Economic GrowthIzak Atiyas and Ishac DiwanPart 3: Drivers and Policy Instruments10. The External Sector: Performance and IssuesAhmed Ghoneim11. The Natural Gas Sector: Opportunities and ChallengesNoha H.A. Razek12. Fiscal Policies and IssuesFatma El Ashmawy13. Monetary Policy in Egypt: Medium- and Long-term ViewLahcen BounaderPart 4: Institutional Development14. Institutional Constraints and OpportunitiesNoha El-Mikawy and Mohamed Mohieddin