ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a picture of regional variation in the uprisings, pointing to a variety of factors that differentiate the countries of the region and help to explain their distinct trajectories thus far during the period of momentous change. It describes a typology of Arab countries. The chapter focuses the analytical framework and the typology to provide a broad-brush description of the politico-economic developments that led to the uprisings. Outcomes in the political economy of development can be conceptualized as the political interactions between three domains: the state, state policies, and state structures; the economic agents operating, and how the economy behaves over time; and social actors, whether groups or individuals. The development policy choices and ideological orientations of postcolonial leaders and the economic and political trajectories of Middle Eastern states have resulted from a combination of factors beyond resource endowments.
