The Economies of the Middle East

With the phenomenal development ofthe countries of the Middle East during the last decade, there has been an accompanying proliferation of literature on their economies. lt was with some trepidation, therefore, that I embarked upon a further study to add to this literature. Apart from a few general works ofreference, however, most ofthe studies deal with particular countries rather than the region as a wh oie. Thus there seemed to be a need for a guide to the economies of the Middle East which was wider in its coverage than the studies which had hitherto ap- peared. At the same time much of the existing literature was of a de- scriptive rather than an analytical nature, often not written by economists. Where economic theory was applied in aMiddie Eastern context, it was usually a particular model, rather than economic prin- ciples in their more general sense. It was these deficiencies in the litera- ture that prompted me, as a practising economist, to start work on this present volume