The popular uprisings in 2011 that overthrew Arab dictators were also a rebuke to crony capitalism, directed against both rulers and their allied businessmen who monopolize all economic opportunities. While the Middle East has witnessed a growing nexus between business and politics in the wake of liberalization, little is discussed about the nature of business cronies, the sectors in which they operate, the mechanisms used to favour them, and the possible impact of such crony relations on the region's development.
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a panel of experts to launch Crony Capitalism in the Middle East: Business and Politics, from Liberalization to the Arab Spring, edited by Ishac Diwan, Adeel Malik, and Izak Atiyas and published by Oxford University Press. Combining inputs from leading scholars in the field, Crony Capitalism in the Middle East presents a wealth of empirical evidence on the form and function of crony capitalism in the region.
Speakers:
Adeel Malik
Globe fellow, Economies of Muslim Societies, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies; associate professor, Department of International Development, University of Oxford
Ishac Diwan
Chairperson, Socio-économie du Monde Arabe, Paris Sciences et Lettres
Karen Young
Resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Jean-François Seznec, moderator
Non-resident scholar, MEI
Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images