MEDPRO project results presented by Marek Dąbrowski at the ETLA event in Helsinki

Marek Dąbrowski, CASE Fellow, was invited to present the results of the research conducted within the MEDPRO project at the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) on February 1st, 2013. His presentation, entitled: “Long-Term Economic and Social Challenges Faced by Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries”, was an overview of the most important socio-economic problems faced by the MED countries.
According to Prof. Dąbrowski, the key social challenges in the region include, rapid population growth, high unemployment, high income inequality and gender discrimination, which manifests itself in uneven access to education, the labor market and political life.
Prof. Dąbrowski argued that most of the MED countries suffer from a poor business and investment climate and that the situation is not likely to improve due to political instability. The problem, according to the expert, lies not so much in the lack or poor quality of legislation but rather in problems with its implementation (weak institutions, bureaucracy and corruption). In his presentation, Prof. Dąbrowski also discussed privatization, trade and economic integration and the need to invest in better infrastructure.

For further information, read the CASE Network E-Brief on “How to improve the economic and social performance of Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries” and the CASE Network Report on “Economic Development, Trade and Investment in the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean Region”.