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Policy Briefs
The ENCC is in the process of publishing a series of policy briefs titled Toward Competitiveness. Each brief tackles a different issue related to national competitiveness. The first brief is based on the findings of the November 2008 workshop, “Higher Education Finance and Competitiveness: Lessons and Methods.” The author, Mr. Andrew Lewis, is Education Team Leader at the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Technical Assistance for Policy Reform II Program in Egypt. Higher education is considered a fundamental pillar of economic competitiveness because of its role in ensuring more even and equitable growth, but also as a critical ingredient in any national system of innovation. It is concluded that a more effective and equitable higher education system hinges upon several key reforms especially with regards to financing. In particular, Mr. Lewis shows how more diversified sources of funding, can be a way to improve quality, free up national resources for scholarships and increase institutional autonomy.
Prof. Ashraf El-Araby, Economic Expert at the Center of Comprehensive Policy Studies at the National Planning Institute is the author of the second policy brief, “Productivity and Competitiveness of the Egyptian Economy.” The brief explores the idea of competitiveness as function of productivity rather than resource endowments or relative advantage. It synthesizes the view that a more productive economy is the only way Egypt can move forward in the global economy. According to Dr. El-Araby this will require political will as well as cross-cutting comprehensive strategies at a national level. Most importantly, human resource development needs to become an absolute priority for Egypt. The brief’s eight key recommendations stress the need for illiteracy eradication, upgrading of educational quality, and greater higher education and training as part of a national strategic vision to boost productivity.
The third policy brief is authored by His Excellency Dr. Mufid Shehab, Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils. His analysis sheds light on how the modernization and development of the legal policy could open the gate toward competitiveness. Dr. Shehab argues that Egypt needs to overcome many of the existing institutional rigidities and begin filtering national legislations using the rubric of competitiveness. Key recommendations within this policy brief include: increased consideration of socio-economic ramifications of new legislation, more interdisciplinary legal training at Egyptian law schools, and greater legal innovation and modernization. (Download Policy Briefs)
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