The region that includes the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) faces a diverse set of cultural, political, and economic issues. Exploring the countries that are considered to be a part of the MENA region as well as comparing this region to the rest of the developing and developed world provides essential insight into the current state of the region as well and its future outlook. Comparative Political and Economic Perspectives on the MENA Region takes a critical approach to analyzing the socio-economic development of the MENA Region and the role of politics and various social issues in this development. Highlighting research-based perspectives from global leaders on topics such as decentralization, international affairs, the Arab Spring, foreign direct investment, and education in the Middle East and Northern Africa, this publication is designed for library reference section inclusion and meets the research needs of government officials, professionals specializing in international business, economists, researchers, and graduate-level students in the areas of economics, international politics, African and Middle Eastern studies, and regional development.

This book offers a comparative perspective on the new wave of revolutions in the MENA region. Recently, a new wave of revolutions has swept the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, comparable in some respects to the events of the Arab Spring. Revolutionary events have significantly changed the political regimes in Sudan, Algeria and Mali, while Lebanon and Iraq have also witnessed serious revolutionary episodes. Further, a new quality of protests has manifested in Iran, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan. Presenting a variety of country studies, this book identifies similarities and differences between the events of the Arab Spring and the current upheavals in the MENA region and examines their causes and world-system context. It also analyzes the motivating forces, goals and organizational forms of the protesters and other actors involved, as well as the political and economic consequences of these revolutionary events. Moreover, it seeks to understand why some countries that were actively involved in the Arab Spring have remained largely unaffected by these developments. The book appeals to scholars of political science with a focus on comparative politics, Middle Eastern politics and political sociology.

Global change and advancing technology have transformed the government sector with the use of information and communication technology to improve service delivery. The use of such technologies in electronic and mobile government services raises issues relating to security, privacy, and data protection. Security Frameworks in Contemporary Electronic Government is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the application of special security requirements in electronic government transactions. While highlighting topics such as digital environments, public service delivery, and cybercrime, this publication explores the difficulties and challenges faced in implementing e-government technologies, as well as the different aspects of security in e-government. This book is ideally designed for policymakers, software developers, IT specialists, government officials, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on secure environments in electronic and mobile government.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected individuals and caused destabilization of households and business activities. In emerging economies, many sectors and companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are severely influenced by the reduction or cessation of economic activity. Overcoming the COVID-19 virus and allowing the world to heal will allow the economy to grow more resilient. First, however, we must understand that old managerial practices can no longer generate competitive advantage in the post-pandemic world. Public Health and Economic Resiliency in the Post-COVID-19 Era presents epidemiological studies of the COVID-19 pandemic, identifies the impacts it has on human health, and analyzes the impacts on public health and economy. This management tool also discusses the socio-economic human vulnerability related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Covering topics such as risk analysis, quality management systems, and therapeutic systems, this book is a dynamic resource for academic researchers and investigators, university professors, students, epidemiologists, health professionals, economists, managers, sociologists, physicians, policymakers, government officials, and academicians.

Effective administration of government and governmental organizations is a crucial part of achieving success in those organizations. With the widespread knowledge and use of e-government, the intent and evaluation of its services continue to focus on meeting the needs and satisfaction of its citizens. Strategic Management and Innovative Applications of E-Government is a pivotal reference source that provides organizational and managerial directions, applications, and theoretical and philosophical discussions on current issues relating to the practice of electronic government. While highlighting topics such as citizen trust in government and smart government, this publication explores electronic government technology adoption, as well as the methods of government social media practices. This book is a vital reference source for policy makers, IT specialists, government professionals, academicians, researchers, and graduate-level students seeking current research on e-government applications.

As both a physical living space and emotional environment, cities impact human beings in a number of ways. These ways include but are not limited to the kinds of relationship that may exist among the varying categories of inhabitants of the city, the organization of and accessibility to leaning resources and facilities, the types and rates of migration impacting the city, the security level of the city, and the livelihood networks existing within the city. Learning Cities, Town Planning, and the Creation of Livelihoods is an essential research publication that explores livelihood types and lifelong learning typologies required by cities as well as the relationship between higher education and improved livelihood outcomes. Featuring a broad range of topics such as learning needs, economy, and technologically advanced societies, this book is ideally designed for policymakers, academicians, researchers, students, social workers, educators, politicians, and environmentalists.

In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis placed on the role of creativity and innovation in critical areas such as thinking and problem-solving, self-management, stress tolerance and flexibility, education, sustainability, and the new normal caused by COVID-19. Though creativity is a crucial cognitive skill and innovation is a requirement to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, these concepts must be thoroughly examined and considered as they are often misunderstood and underestimated. Achieving Sustainability Using Creativity, Innovation, and Education: A Multidisciplinary Approach discusses important issues surrounding human creativity and innovation as well as how education can develop cognitive abilities and skills and be improved to meet future challenges and demands using creativity and innovation. Covering topics such as creative leadership and problem-solving skills, it is ideal for practitioners, academicians, managers, policymakers, consultants, development specialists, researchers, instructors, and students.

This book draws on experiences in developing countries to bridge the gap between the conventional textbook treatment of fiscal decentralization and the actual practice of subnational government finance. The extensive literature about the theory and practice is surveyed and longstanding problems and new questions are addressed. It focuses on the key choices that must be made in decentralizing, on how economic and political factors shape the choices that countries make, and on how, by paying more attention to the need for a more comprehensive approach and the critical connections between different components of decentralization reform, everyone involved might get more for their money.

The infrastructure of a country has significant effects on both the lives of its citizens and its place in international markets. As such, it is imperative to develop policies to promote the quality of a nation’s infrastructure. The Handbook of Research on Economic, Financial, and Industrial Impacts on Infrastructure Development is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly research on various initiatives and policies developed to enhance the current infrastructure of modern nations. Including the role of economics, finance, and multiple industry perspectives, this book covers a range of pertinent topics such as R&D initiatives, foreign direct investment, and trade liberalization, and this publication is an ideal reference source for researchers, academics, practitioners, and students interested in recent trends in infrastructure development.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of public opinion patterns among Muslims, particularly in the Arab world. On the basis of data from the World Values Survey, the Arab Barometer Project and the Arab Opinion Index, it compares the dynamics of Muslim opinion structures with global publics and arrives at social scientific predictions of value changes in the region. Using country factor scores from a variety of surveys, it also develops composite indices of support for democracy and a liberal society on a global level and in the Muslim world, and analyzes a multivariate model of opinion structures in the Arab world, based on over 40 variables from 12 countries in the Arab League and covering 67% of the total population of the Arab countries. While being optimistic about the general, long-term trend towards democracy and the resilience of Arab and Muslim civil society to Islamism, the book also highlights anti-Semitic trends in the region and discusses them in the larger context of xenophobia in traditional societies. In light of the current global confrontation with radical Islamism, this book provides vital material for policy planners, academics and think tanks alike.