ABSTRACT
This book saw the light of day a few months after the outbreak of the Egyptian 25 January revolution, which culminated in the ousting of longstanding president Hosni Mubarak and raised hopes for a genuine democratization. In the midst of this revolutionary hype, the public debate has focused on the scope of political opening, the identity of the new state – be it secular or Islamist – and the role of the military in the prospective order. Soon enough, economic issues will gain the same importance. In fact, the time has also come to face the major challenge of creating a new developmental paradigm that can determine the production and distribution of national wealth. Old questions, including those of social justice and economic efficiency, the role of the state in the economy, and the niche Egypt occupies in the global division of labour, have become more urgent. Before answering these questions, Mubarak's economic legacy needs to be examined in order to identify Egypt's new vantage point.
