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Uneven Odds, Unequal Outcomes: Inequality of Opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa

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dc.contributor.authorLara Ibarra, Gabriel
dc.contributor.authorKrishnan, Nandini
dc.contributor.authorNarayan, Ambar
dc.contributor.authorTiwari, Sailesh
dc.contributor.authorVishwanath, Tara
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-23T22:33:41Z
dc.date.available2016-06-23T22:33:41Z
dc.date.issued2016-06-23
dc.description.abstractPerceptions of eroding living standards and low life satisfaction are widespread in the Middle East and North Africa region today, along with pessimism about prospects for economic mobility. Conventional measures of economic well-being offer little in the way of explanation – in most countries in the region, extreme poverty is low and declining and economic inequality is lower than in other parts of the world. This book investigates possible reasons for this disconnect, focusing on the role played by inadequate and unequal access to opportunities to realize one’s aspirations for economic mobility. The inability of most countries in the region to meet the aspirations of citizens is closely linked to persistent weaknesses in the labor markets where the pace of job creation has been chronically below levels required to absorb the growing and increasingly better educated population. A high degree of segmentation in the labor markets also puts the youth and women in the region at a particular disadvantage. While labor markets are critical for mobility, opportunities and life paths can diverge even earlier in life if access to basic services in health, education and infrastructure are unequally distributed among children in their formative years. This book documents sharp disparities in the quality of services available to children of varying birth circumstances in the region. Although the most intense debates in development coalesce around inequality of income or wealth, the notion of inequality of opportunity has an intuitive appeal that can bridge ideological differences. By drawing attention to the notion of equality of opportunity to create a level playing field for all sections of society, the book highlights the need to critically examine the social contract and governance structures that guide the delivery of services and are instrumental for implementing necessary reforms to make labor markets more dynamic and equitable.en
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/978-1-4648-0786-2
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-4648-0786-2
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/24596
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWashington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseriesDirections in Development--Poverty;
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectINEQUALITY
dc.subjectJOBS
dc.subjectEDUCATION
dc.subjectCONFLICT
dc.subjectINEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
dc.subjectLABOR MARKET
dc.subjectHEALTH
dc.subjectSOCIAL CONTRACT
dc.subjectEQUITY
dc.subjectACCESS TO SERVICES
dc.subjectQUALITY OF EDUCATION
dc.subjectDATA
dc.titleUneven Odds, Unequal Outcomesen
dc.title.subtitleInequality of Opportunity in the Middle East and North Africaen
dc.typeBooken
dc.typeLivrefr
dc.typeLibroes
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crossref.titleUneven Odds, Unequal Outcomes: Inequality of Opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa
okr.date.disclosure2016-06-23
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-15T11:56:38.857646Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Publication
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/978-1-4648-0786-2
okr.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0786-2
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum210786
okr.identifier.report106773
okr.importedtrue
okr.language.supporteden
okr.region.administrativeMiddle East and North Africa
okr.region.geographicalMiddle East
okr.region.geographicalNorth Africa
okr.topicGender::Gender and Poverty
okr.topicPoverty Reduction::Inequality
okr.topicSocial Development::Children and Youth
okr.topicSocial Protections and Labor::Labor Markets
okr.unitGPV05
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