The World Development Report 2006 issued by the World Bank about the economic development and its horizons in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including Iran and 15 Arab countries, namely Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan, emphasized that the biggest challenge facing the economic development in MENA is represented in the creation of job opportunities for the jobless and for those who will enter its market. Facing this challenge requires treating three main issues:
- Shifting to more open economies.
- Shifting to a private sector-led economy.
- Shifting from an oil sector-dominated economy to variable economy to reduce the region's reliance on fluctuating growth resources.
The treatment of these issues needs cohesive policies for a number of aspects, including governance. According to the World Bank's data, there is no disparity among the region's countries with regard to accountability. All the region's countries, except for Jordan, are among the lowest third in terms of 'public accountability'. The weakness of governance in the MENA region has led to slow growth. Most of its countries suffer from backward business administration in comparison with other rival countries in the world.
Here, a question is raised about the components and tools of governance and the required measures and policies to strengthen it in the MENA region and, therefore, enhance economic performance.
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