Papers and studies Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Arab Forum for Alternatives

Gilbert Ashkar Introduction: It seems quite paradoxical that the United States, which played a major role in imposing “free trade” on the world, the world’s more technologically advanced country that boosts the highest production rates in different fields, is in fact the same country that is now ruled by a man who adopts a nationalist economic discourse similar to the pre-industrial mercantile approach that prevailed in the early capitalist era. Donald Trump accuses countries much poorer than the United States, such as China and Mexico, of exploiting Americans through taking advantage of the free trade agreements that were ironically imposed…

The challenges of food sovereignty in the Arab region: The case of Egypt

23 November، 20178fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Sakr ElNour Introduction: The Arab region is one of the world’s most lacking in food security, which is mainly attributed to the fact that most countries in the region depend for their food on imports, thus are always impacted by changes in food prices[1].According to the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, in 2011 the Arab region’s self-sufficiency in grains was estimated at 45% of that year’s needs. In addition, the region is subjected to the risks of climate change and drought and heat rates did reach their highest between the years 1998 and 2011, which led to expedited desertification. The…

Women and alternative economy: Social and solidarity economy as a case in point

9 July، 20178fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Mongia Hedfi Introduction: Economic and social conditions in the Arab region were affected by a number of major changes that took place in the second half of the 20th century. These include adopting market economy in the 1970s, the financial crises that hit several countries in the late 1980s, and the structural reform programs brought about by international financial institutions. While those programs were initially seen as the way out of the crises caused by the liberalization of the market, they proved their inability to overcome the numerous problems triggered by the expansion of the capitalist system especially poverty and…

Housing policies in alternative economy: Against the commodification of public services

9 July، 20178fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Shimaa ElSharkawy Introduction: Housing policies in any given state are inseparable from the economic model adopted by this state and which usually ranges between dealing with housing as a right or as a commodity. The latter violates the social and economic right to adequate housing and shelter as stated in international charters and turns the housing sector into a business that only prioritizes profit and overlooks people’s ability at affording the commodities it offers. The liberalization of the housing market gave rise to a number of serious problems, on top of which is the phenomenon of “informal housing” where units…

The foundations of alternative economy

9 July، 20178fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Wael Gamal Introduction: The Arab region was, like the rest of the world, swept by the global neoliberal model that was continuously promoted as the only option even after its policies were dealt a serious blow with the uprisings that took place in 2011. Those uprisings did, in fact, highlight the failure of such policies and demonstrated the urgent need for alternative ones, yet this was a temporary phase that was followed by an aggressive comeback of neoliberalism in the region. Supporters of an alternative economy are usually criticized for two main reasons that contradict each other, each of which…

Alternatives’ Papers – Third Issue (January 2016)

10 January، 20168fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Papers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Arab Forum for Alternatives ,Layla Al Riahi ,Mohamed ElAgati ,Passant Ahmed ,Rania Zada ,Shimaa ElSharkawy ,Shorouk Al Hariri This issue Follow-ups Iranian nuclear program agreement and the future of the region Arab Forum for Alternatives Topic of the issue Social movements… A step forward or an inevitable backlash? Passant Ahmed Youth Movements and democratic transformation in Egypt. Rania Zada Problematics of Arab civil society and social movements and their capacity to influence the issue of Social Justice: Tunisian civil society after the revolution. Dr. Layla Al-Riahi Issues Protecting civil rights and liberties in the light of international strategies and agreements.…

Regulating the private sector providing Health care in Egypt “Policy recommendation”

4 January، 20168fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Ahmed El MetwallyEgyptThe problems of the private sector in the healthcare field: There is a substantial lack of information about the status of the private healthcare sector. According to the Ministry of Health in 2013, Egypt is home to 1,422 private healthcare units with a total of 32.6 thousand beds, 25% of hospital beds in Egypt. This is in addition to more than 82,000 private clinics across the different governorates. The private sector takes a relatively major part in offering health services to Egyptians, yet is rife with problems, related especially to regulating its activities and prices and evaluating the…

Reformation of public services The housing sector in Egypt: The Egyptian Rental Law Experiences and recommendations

31 December، 20158fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Shimaa ElSharkawyEgyptIntroduction: A large number of Egyptians suffer from housing problems with the number of people living in unofficial housing units ranging between 12 and 20 million[1] while a large number of housing units in Egypt remain unoccupied. On the other hand, a study conducted about Cairo by UN Habitat[2] revealed that a sizable portion of Egyptians live in units that are either unsafe or not fit for living. Added to this is the fact that housing prices are generally high and this applies to both purchase and rent. The law regulating the relationship between owner and tenant is one…

Development of school curricula

30 December، 20158fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Nayera Abdel RahmanEgyptThe education system in Egypt is facing numerous challenges on a variety of levels, which obstructs the materialization of the right to education with its different components as stated in Comment 13 on of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)[1]. Among those components are the quality of education and the way curricula are tailored to the students’ needs whether in terms of knowledge or skills. The 2011-2030 education strategic plan underlined the absence of a broad vision as far as developing curricula is concerned and relying in upgrading curricula on a fragmented approach that…

Medical negligence: Between the escalation of the problem, media exploitation of officials, and lack of a clear implementation mechanism

29 December، 20158fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Social justice and and inequality Multiple dimensions

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Norhan SheirefEgyptThe deterioration of medical services and the misadministration of the medical sector in Egypt have always been linked to the absence of monitoring and accountability. The problem has also been lately escalating with the rise in the number of patients who died as a result of medical negligence and made the phenomenon impossible to overlook. According to a statement by the Administrative Prosecution, the cases of medical negligence in public hospitals alone reached 594 in 2014. Constant demands for countering the problem of medical negligence only resulted in surprise visits to hospitals by officials, governors, or representatives from the…