Shahin and Dibeh give background for further research.

Earnings Inequality, Unemployment and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.

Wassim Shahin and Ghassan Dibeh, editors.

Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. xvii+256 pp., references, index. ISBN 0-313-30977-9 (hardcover).

The events of September 11, 2001, brought

a lot of attention to the Middle East. Although a region with an enormous economic potential, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries have suffered a significant socioeconomic decline over the past decade. Written by international academicians Wassim Shahin and Ghassan Dibeh, International Inequality, Unemployment and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa addresses matters of earnings inequality, unemployment, and poverty in the MENA region, as well as the problems linked with these issues, by revealing the magnitude of these problems through analysis of examples from various MENA states. Also, Earnings Inequality, Unemployment and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa offers solutions that could reduce the negative conditions MENA countries confront.

Shahin is the Dean of the School of Business at the Lebanese American University in Lebanon and author of Money Supply and Deficit Financing in Economic Development. Dibeh is the Chair of the Department of Economics and Management, also at the Lebanese American University in Lebanon. Both editors are experts in the fields of economic and financial issues in capitalist political economies.

Shahin and Dibeh have compiled and edited 11 chapters comprising the book. In the first chapter, Elias H. Tuma gives "Some Introductory Observations on Poverty and Earnings Inequality in the Arab World." Tuma analyzes the Arab socioeconomic situation and offers several solutions on diminishing poverty and inequality in that area. Chapter 2 consists of Sourushe Zandvakili's "Measurement of Inequality: Motivation and Survey," a research survey of inequality and the factors influencing it. In chapter 3 Ayman Kandeel and Jeffrey B. Nugent write about their research of "Unraveling the Paradox in Egypt's Trends in Income Inequality and Poverty," to explain the changes in the indicators of inequality and indexes of poverty. Chapter 4 is "Trade Reform and the Poor in Morocco: A Rural-Urban General Equilibrium Analysis of Reduced Protection" by Hans Lofgren, who explores the impact of agricultural deprotection on the both urban and rural economy in Morocco. In chapter 5E. Mine Cinar gives "Earning Profiles of Women Workers and Education in the Middle East." Cinar assesses participation of unskilled women in the job market through the analysis of earnings and related factors, showing the emphasized gender inequality in Middle East. Chapter 6 discusses "Fiscal Policy and Social Welfare in Selected MENA Countries"; in this chapter Muhammad Q. Islam describes various fiscal instruments in selected countries and analyzes the possible usage of certain forms of spending in order to promote equality and to end poverty. In chapter 7 Karen Pfeifer asks and analyzes "Does Structural Adjustment Spell Relief from Unemployment?: A Comparison of Four IMF 'Success Stories' in the Middle East and North Africa," concluding that structural adjustment programs at best returned selected countries to their pre-crisis level of economic growth and development. Chapter 8 explores the "Earnings, Education, Experience, and Gender: Kuwaiti Evidence"; written by Salim Chrishli and Badria Khalaf, this chapter focuses on gender differences in earning profiles in Kuwait. In chapter 9, Zafiris Tzannatos discusses "What Accounts for Earnings Inequality in Jordan and How Can Labor Policies Help Reduce Poverty?" and concludes that policies operating through labor market have severe fiscal implications and reduce poverty by a small amount. Chapter 10 deals with Berch Berberoglu's "Unemployment, Low Wages, and Income Inequality: The Triangle of Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa." Berberoglu presents the report on the major sources of poverty and attempts to explain its magnitude. The final chapter, 11, covers "Ideology, Economic Restructuring, and Women's Work in Iran (1976-1996)," by Fatemah E. Moghadem; Moghadem covers the issue of women's involvement in the work force in Iran as well as the structural adjustment policies, demographics, ideological characteristics, and other factors that have influenced the involvement.

The key strength of Earnings Inequality, Unemployment and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa is the book's excellent academic overview of the situation. With the events of September 11, 2001, and the circumstances in the Middle East today, interest in the area has risen significantly. Shahin and Dibeh provide enough current and historical data, different perspectives, in-depth information, and background for further analysis to satisfy any reasonable reader. Nonetheless, this currency is also the main weakness of the book. Because the economic situation in the area depends so much on the world political situation which changes daily, Earning Inequality, Unemployment and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa will soon be good only for historical study. In addition, this is not a publication one would tackle for everyday reading, for it is exclusively academic material.

Thus, academicians interested in or teaching Middle East studies will find Shahin and Dibeh's Earnings Inequality, Unemployment and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa valuable for class discussion. The book is also a useful source for research on the Middle East, from gender issues to policies and politics.

Mohamed Omeira, 20 Rabaa EL-Istesmary Buildings Apartment 61, Nasr Street, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, istu23588@selu.edu.

Mohamed Omeira holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, and is pursuing an MBA at Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond. He is fluent in English and Arabic.