OCMO 2285 - Public Governance and Economic Reform in MENA

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

This course examines why public governance reform is so difficult in the Middle East and North Africa, and what makes it succeed when it does. Using Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Iraq, it analyzes state capacity, accountability, corruption, social contracts, and the politics of distribution. Students learn to diagnose reform blockages, map stakeholders, and design feasible reform strategies.

Students use public finance evidence (how states raise and allocate public resources) as a practical entry point to understand broader governance dynamics, and then defend reform proposals in interactive exercises.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Analyze governance and economic reform challenges in MENA using institutional political economy frameworks
• Conduct a governance and fiscal diagnostic using IMF, World Bank, PEFA, and Open Budget data
• Design and defend politically feasible reform strategies under domestic and international constraints

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Policy analysis and reform design
• Applied political economy reasoning
• Oral presentation and persuasion under pressure
• Evidence-based decision-making in complex environments

No formal prerequisites. Prior coursework in political economy, development economics, public policy, or international political economy is recommended.

The course combines lectures, debates, data labs, role-plays, and simulations. Students receive continuous formative feedback during class activities, structured oral feedback after presentations and simulations, and written feedback on the policy brief.

Assessment consists of a group policy brief (30%, due mid-semester), a live reform simulation (40%, end of semester), and active participation in debates, data labs, and role-plays (30%)

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: None
• Reading and Preparation for Class: ~3h/week
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: ~25h/semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: ~25h/semester