North Africa and Middle East: economic performance and social progress

This chapter examines the economic and social outcomes of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in North Africa and the Middle East, also known as the NAME region. It first provides an overview of economic performance in the NAME region before comparing the performance of the countries in the region among each other. It then considers the extent to which the NAME countries have progressed in meeting the MDGs with respect to poverty and malnourishment, mortality and education. It also analyses the relation between the performances in the economic area and in achieving MDGs. The chapter argues that the economic performance in the NAME region was not strong enough by itself to influence decisions by households that would have improved social progress. In addition, governments did not implement the necessary programmes that would have made a greater social impact.