June 11, 2012

executive summary

The book includes, in addition to the analytical and comparative reports, the consolidated tables of all the intersectional results from one country to another, for all the five countries covered by the project (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt) in the fields of: industry, agriculture, tourism, information and communication technology, The field surveys in the five countries included direct surveys of the active establishments in these four vital economic sectors. The four sectoral surveys in each of these countries were supplemented by a general survey on a national sample representing various social groups and strata. The second phase surveys aimed to shed some light on the private sector in the economies of the countries concerned, in terms of its carrying out productive activities in the fields of goods and services, and its current and future role in Achieving Arab economic and environmental integration, and Arab regional and international cooperation. In addition, the total number of national samples whose opinions and positions were surveyed in public surveys amounted to about six thousand (6000) respondents in the countries of the Arab Mashreq, with an average of one thousand and two hundred (1200) respondents in each of the countries covered by the study. This book presents the results of field surveys – sectoral and general – in two types of comparative analytical reports prepared by the five partner centers in coordination and cooperation with the central research team:1)        There are sectoral reports that present the orientations of the establishments and their positions towards the pivotal issues related to trade exchange in the five countries. 2)        There is, on the other hand, another comparative analytical report of the results of general field surveys for the opinions of individual respondents on the current economic conditions, their views on the bilateral, Arab, regional, and international economic relations of their countries, and the levels of social and cultural rapprochement between their societies. This report also includes a comparative presentation on the extent of stability or degrees of a discrepancy between the answers to similar questions that were repeated in the last general survey and two other public surveys carried out in the first phase of the economic integration project in the countries of the Arab Mashreq. 3)       This is followed by a brief presentation of the conclusions drawn from the data of the four combined sectoral surveys.4) The results and analyzes in these reports are reinforced by a series of consolidated statistical tables, in which the comparative answers to the questions contained in the sectoral and general field surveys in the five countries are clear. The results of these field surveys indicate a range of trends expressed by a majority or high percentage of respondents’ samples, whether individuals or establishments. Among the salient features of these comparative analyzes: Given the specificity and exceptional nature of the Palestinian situation under the Israeli occupation, respondents in the five countries tend to The majority of them affirmed three of the problems they face at the local level, namely: the poor economic situation, unemployment, and financial and administrative corruption. Among the respondents, there is also a closer view of pessimism regarding the economic situation in the foreseeable future – even the standard of living for the next generation. On the other hand, the percentages of those who fear the negative effects of the economic and political relations with Israel will rise, and the percentages of those who are pessimistic about the prospects of peace between it and Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine during the next ten years. A majority of the respondents also fear the negative effects of borrowing from abroad, and to some extent, to privatize public institutions and transfer them to the private sector, and from the programs of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The views of the majority, on the other hand, tend to favor a number of options and alternatives to achieve economic development, including, at the local level, supporting small projects º and encouraging the private sector to invest. Including, at the Arab level, attracting Arab investments, aid, and grants, and establishing the Arab Common Market and the Arab Free Trade Zone. · High percentages of the studied samples favor joining the Association Agreement with the European Union and the World Trade Organization. On the level of productive sectors, the majority of establishments are looking forward to better levels of cooperation with their counterparts in other countries, and complain, on the other hand, about their lack of information about opportunities and markets, and about the difficulties and obstacles, they encounter when exporting their products or services abroad. High rates of establishments emphasize the integrative nature of their products, while lower percentages highlight the competitive advantages of these products in other countries. On the level of social and cultural practices and trends related to Arab economic cooperation, we note the scarcity of visits between the five societiesº and the low level of mutual visits for the purposes of cooperation and trade exchange. Despite the rarity of visits, overwhelming proportions of all respondents tend to point out the great convergence in social customs and traditions, call for media communication, exchange newspapers and publications, and support joint artistic works between these countries. A high percentage of establishments tend to emphasize the integrative nature of their products, while fewer percentages highlight the competitive advantages of these products in other countries. In terms of social and cultural practices and trends related to Arab economic cooperation, we note the scarcity of visits between the five societiesº and the low level of mutual visits for the purposes of cooperation and trade exchange . Despite the rarity of visits, overwhelming proportions of all respondents tend to point out the great convergence in social customs and traditions, call for media communication, exchange newspapers and publications, and support joint artistic works between these countries. A high percentage of establishments tend to emphasize the integrative nature of their products, while fewer percentages highlight the competitive advantages of these products in other countries. In terms of social and cultural practices and trends related to Arab economic cooperation, we note the scarcity of visits between the five societiesº and the low level of mutual visits for the purposes of cooperation and trade exchange . Despite the rarity of visits, overwhelming proportions of all respondents tend to point out the great convergence in social customs and traditions, call for media communication, exchange newspapers and publications, and support joint artistic works between these countries. ·   In the context of the comparative analysis of trade exchange in the field of sectoral activities in the five countries, there are several features worthy of attention: 1)    The import level, as seen by respondents, low to the concrete between the Levant degree, although the facilities do not indicate the presence of obstacles Major obstacles facing the import process, with the exception of bureaucratic obstacles inside Egypt. The establishments do not face major obstacles in the field of exporting their products to the Mashreq countries, except for exporting to the territories of the Palestinian National Authority, and bureaucratic obstacles inside Egypt. 3)    The level of export is low in the agricultural sector, compared to the industrial sector among the Arab Mashreq countries. 4)    There are indications that there are export obstacles between Jordan and Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, in addition to bureaucratic obstacles inside Egypt in the field of exporting its products to the rest of the Arab Mashreq countries.5)    Despite the modernity of the information technology sector, the level of export of products in this activity is close to the level of export in the agricultural sector, noting that establishments in the Arab Mashreq countries do not face major obstacles in exporting their products to each other. 6)    There is no evidence, in the opinion of the respondents, of a tangible export movement of information technology products between the countries of the Arab Mashreq with each other, which raises the question about the possibility of a real opportunity to start developing this industry to increase the level of dealing in this sector. Collectively, an infinite number of data and indicators on the best ways to achieve higher levels of cooperation and integration between the countries of the Arab Mashreq.