Big bang or slow motion? Changing state-society relations in MENA

Event Type
Online Launch

Location / Date
Online, 09.10.2024

Organizer

German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Online launch of the special issue ‘Drivers of change in social contracts in the Middle East and North Africa region

In many countries, political, economic and socio-political reforms at best take place piecemeal over long periods of time. This also applies to most countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Many governments in this region have invested little in reform processes, offering their citizens even less and less since revolutions took place more than ten years ago. One could say that the ‘social contracts’ of these countries – which stipulate what government and society owe each other – are not being adapted, even though the framework conditions in these countries are changing and thus posing new challenges for politics. However, sometimes large change occurs all at once, often unexpectedly, for example through revolutions (e.g. Tunisia in 2011), comprehensive reform programmes (e.g. Turkey in 2000) or coups d'état (e.g. Sudan in 2021). The question is why there is this split into slow and piecemeal versus quick and drastic changes in MENA, and whether it is possible to channel such change processes into more peaceful renegotiations of social contracts. What should the players in the countries concerned – but also external players – bear in mind?

This 90-minutes online panel will present and discuss research findings we recently published in a special issue of the journal Mediterranean Politics under the title ‘Drivers of change in social contracts in the MENA region’. A first input will take a conceptual perspective and compare the changes in the MENA with those in other regions. The second input deals with the very specific social contract that emerged in Egypt under President Sisi after the 2011 revolution and the 2013 coup. The third input will focus on digitalisation as a potential factor of change to social contracts in MENA. The open debate after the three short presentations will explore these and other drivers of change in state-society relations in the MENA region and discuss policy options and research needs for more inclusive and sustainable development.

Moderator

  • Mark Furness (IDOS, Bonn)

Presenters

  • Markus Loewe (IDOS, Bonn): Drivers of change in social contracts: A conceptual framework
  • Bruce K. Rutherford (Colgate University, New York): Understanding change in Egypt’s social contract since 2011
  • Tina Zintl and Annabelle Houdret (both IDOS, Bonn): Digital transformation as a driver of change in state-society relations in the MENA region

Discussion

The special issue on ‘Drivers of change in social contracts in the Middle East and North Africa region’ has been published by Mediterranean Politics and contains the following articles:

Hinweis

Während unserer Veranstaltungen werden z.T. Foto- und/oder Filmaufnahmen gemacht, die für Zwecke der Veranstaltungsberichterstattung und allgemeinen Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in verschiedenen Medien veröffentlicht werden. Sie haben jederzeit das Recht, die Foto- oder Videograf*innen darauf hinzuweisen, dass Sie nicht aufgenommen werden möchten.

Event information

Date / Time

09.10.2024 / 16:00 - 17:30

Location

Online

4.00-5.30h pm (Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Rom) 
5.00-6.30h pm (Cairo)
10.00-11.30h am (New York) 

Registration

Please register here.