The public sector in Iraq accounts for the majority of employment in the oil-rich country. Plummeting oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in economic crisis and an ever increasing budget deficit. Where there is crisis however, there is opportunity: will 2021 bring a much needed reform of the public sector in Iraq? When the Iraq anti-government protests erupted
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With the approach of Iraq’s next parliamentary elections in October 2021, pro-reform candidates are facing troubling obstacles as they prepare to compete against the country’s establishment parties, which include armed militias that have dominated Iraq’s parliament since 2018. To ensure a fair electoral playing field, reformers are asking the international community to quickly
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Iran and Iraq are frequently at odds over water issues. Iraq depends on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for nearly all of its water. But Iran is building dams to redivert some of that water, causing alarm and creating major water shortages for Iraq. Tehran prefers not to work with Baghdad on water projects, instead opting for quick fixes for its own water problems. Some two-
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To the esteemed editors of the Iraq Economist Network, We have read with great interest the paper published on your network’s website on March 8, 2021 and entitled “World Bank’s assessment is flawed Manufacturing is viable in Iraq!” by Dr. Amer K. Hirmis. We would like to provide some of comments for clarification in response to some of the ideas put forward by the paper.
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Abstract In late September 2020, the World Bank published a report entitled ‘Breaking out of fragility: a country economic memorandum for diversification and growth in Iraq’ (henceforth WB 2020). [i] In October 2020, the Iraqi government published its ‘White Paper for Economic Reforms: Vision and Key Objectives.’ This was followed in January 2021 by a draft ‘White Paper for
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