This book studies the impact of Egypt's Economic Reform and Structural Adjustment Programme (ERSAP), the effects of which have been of great interest to the international community. Organizations such as the World Bank and the IMF uphold the programme as a success story and example for other countries to follow. ERSAP also has its critics, however, who resent its tendency to downsize government and fear possible negative effects on growth and development. The author discusses these concerns along with those regarding the possible negative social effects of ERSAP.

This book examines the character and consequences of Egypt's economic reform and structural adjustment programme of 1991, along with the second stage of reforms in 1996. It contributes to the debates underpinning the political economy of economic reform and agricultural reform.

This is a succinct and lucid analysis of Egypt's major economic problems, their origin and development, and their relationship to Egypt's social turmoil. It also contains a powerful critique of the program of structural adjustment which constitutes today's conventional wisdom.

Egypt's Economic Predicament contains a succinct and lucid analysis of virtually all the major economic problems of Egypt: their origin, development and the prospect of solving them. It presents today's economic problems of Egypt in a wider historical context and shows their relationship to current social issues, including the growth of religious fanaticism. The book also contains a powerful critique of the “Structural Adjustment” program of reform, which constitutes today's conventional wisdom. The subtitle of the book describes it as “a study in the interaction of external pressure, political folly and social tension”, and as such it should be of interest not only to scholars and students of development in Egypt and the Middle East, but to those occupied with other Third World countries as well.