"Bahgat Korany and his colleagues have assembled a vast amount of up-to-date information on the lamentable state of Arab development, including valuable material on the period since the 'Arab Spring' began at the end of 2010. Their work supplements and updates the important series of Arab Development Reports initiated by the UNDP in 2002. But the authors have gone beyond the mere descriptive to delve into the multiple causes of the present Arab malaise. . . . Comprehensive essays . . . provide insight into what they describe as the 'riddle' of Arab development and highlight what they call the 'adaptation deficit."--Michael C. Hudson, National University of Singapore
"A fine-grained, unflinching interrogation of the hindrances to development that continue to haunt the Arab world well into the new millennium, and the complex and multifarious ways in which stagnant modes of governance in the region feed and sustain them. At the dynamic heart of this analysis lies the symbiotic relationship between human empowerment and development, but its conclusions in terms of the structural transformations necessary to unleash the Arab world's formidable potential are both far-reaching and profound. An urgently important book."--Ghassan Salamé, Paris School of International Affairs
"Bahgat Korany and his team present a prescient set of guidelines for development in the Arab world in the twenty-first century. In doing so, they unpick the riddle of Arab development with surgical precision, offering diagnoses and remedies in the form of massive restructuring that are both realistic and achievable. Their work is ambitious but grounded in detailed analysis, concise but informed by profound historical, political, and economic depth and breadth. This book is destined to become one of the main sources for the study of the political economy of the Arab world for years to come."--Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University-Qatar
"A timely collection of essays by scholars from the region on some of the key political-economy and institutional challenges facing the Arab world today. Arab Human Development in the Twenty-first Century is essential reading for students, scholars, and policy-makers who desire a way forward in achieving broadly based human development in the Arab world. Bahgat Korany succeeds in contextualizing the debates and framing the analyses in a rigorous, clear, and accessible manner."--Fawaz A. Gerges, London School of Economics and Political Science

Bahgat Korany is professor of international relations and political economy at the American University in Cairo, and director of the AUC Forum. He is the co-editor of The Foreign Policies of Arab States (AUC Press, 2008) and Arab Spring in Egypt: Revolution and Beyond (AUC Press, 2012) and editor of The Changing Middle East: A New Look at Regional Dynamics (AUC Press, 2010).

Part 1 1. Redefining Development for a New Generation: A Political Economy Analysis Bahgat Korany Part 2: Empowerment Begins at the Top Introduction Bahgat Korany 2. From the Law of the Ruler to the Rule of Law Mhamed Malki 3. Transforming the Media: From Tool of the Rulers to Tool of Empowerment Lina Khatib 4. Fighting Corruption: From Missing Link to Development Priority Mustafa Khawaja Part 3. Supporting Empowerment Processes Introduction Bahgat Korany 5. Ending Persistent Poverty: Pathways to Reform and Empowerment Sabria El-Thawr 6. A New Approach for Managing Conflicts Louisa Ait-Driss 7. Urbanization, Climate Change, and the Environment Zeyad Makhamret Part 4. Rooting Empowerment in Identity Introduction Bahgat Korany 8. The Role of Education in Individual and Sustainable Development Najoua Fezza 9. The Formation of Religious Leaders and Impact of Enlightened Imams Baqer El-Najjar Part 5. 10. The Birth Pangs of Transitioning from Authoritarianism: The Long Spring of Empowerment Bahgat Korany