As they enter the twenty-first century, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region—the Arab countries, Iran, and Turkey—are experiencing major socioeconomic and political changes, with demographic change playing a fundamental role. Prospects for development in the region, in the twenty-first century, depend to a large extent on the awareness of policymakers of the developmental consequences of demographic change and their ability to incorporate these effects into their socioeconomic development strategies. These are complex interdisciplinary dynamics. The purpose of this highly topical book is to examine the patterns of demographic change in the region and elucidate some of the pathways of the demographic processes that influence socioeconomic performance and outcomes. The volume is divided into four parts: demography and development; human capital; labor markets; and migration and urbanization. The contributors, whether focusing on a single country or on the MENA region in more general terms, bring to their subjects a wide range of interdisciplinary expertise.

Ismail Serageldin is Professor Emeritus of Johns Hopkins University and Senior Advisor, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and Kuwait Ministry of Education. He has served on numerous expert committees for such organization as WHO, UNDP, UNESCO, and the World Bank, and has published widely in the fields of economic development, human resource development, international migration, and the environmental consequences of population change.