Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future

In this paper, the impact of alternative development strategies on growth and poverty is assessed in an economywide framework, using Egypt as a case study. The analysis is guided by the following question: By pursuing a development strategy different from the one actually pursued since the late 1970...

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Main Author: Lofgren, Hans
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2001
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156149
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author Lofgren, Hans
author_browse Lofgren, Hans
author_facet Lofgren, Hans
author_sort Lofgren, Hans
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In this paper, the impact of alternative development strategies on growth and poverty is assessed in an economywide framework, using Egypt as a case study. The analysis is guided by the following question: By pursuing a development strategy different from the one actually pursued since the late 1970s, could Egypt’s government significantly have improved the status of its poor? To address this question, a dynamic, recursive, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model is used to simulate Egypt’s economy for the period 1979-1997. The model is built around a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for 1979. The results indicate that pro-poor redistribution of land and human capital assets could have been a particularly effective tool had Egypt prioritized more strongly to improve the welfare of the poor and reduce inequalities. Such policies could have been implemented without any noticeable negative impact on growth or aggregate welfare. The results also suggest that, for Egypt, there was no contradiction between more rapid growth, largely a function of more rapid productivity growth, and improved welfare for the poor. The present analysis confirms the finding of earlier analyses that, compared to pro-manufacturing policies, pro-agricultural policies have a more positive impact on household welfare in general and the poor in particular. There is a significant synergy between a pro-agricultural shift in productivity growth, improved market access for agricultural exports, and reduced transactions costs in foreign trade.
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spelling CGSpace1561492025-11-06T05:35:18Z Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future Lofgren, Hans agricultural development development mathematical models social impact assessment poverty computable general equilibrium models In this paper, the impact of alternative development strategies on growth and poverty is assessed in an economywide framework, using Egypt as a case study. The analysis is guided by the following question: By pursuing a development strategy different from the one actually pursued since the late 1970s, could Egypt’s government significantly have improved the status of its poor? To address this question, a dynamic, recursive, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model is used to simulate Egypt’s economy for the period 1979-1997. The model is built around a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for 1979. The results indicate that pro-poor redistribution of land and human capital assets could have been a particularly effective tool had Egypt prioritized more strongly to improve the welfare of the poor and reduce inequalities. Such policies could have been implemented without any noticeable negative impact on growth or aggregate welfare. The results also suggest that, for Egypt, there was no contradiction between more rapid growth, largely a function of more rapid productivity growth, and improved welfare for the poor. The present analysis confirms the finding of earlier analyses that, compared to pro-manufacturing policies, pro-agricultural policies have a more positive impact on household welfare in general and the poor in particular. There is a significant synergy between a pro-agricultural shift in productivity growth, improved market access for agricultural exports, and reduced transactions costs in foreign trade. 2001 2024-10-24T12:43:20Z 2024-10-24T12:43:20Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156149 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Lofgren, Hans. 2001. Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future. TMD Discussion Paper 72. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156149
spellingShingle agricultural development
development
mathematical models
social impact assessment
poverty
computable general equilibrium models
Lofgren, Hans
Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
title Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
title_full Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
title_fullStr Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
title_full_unstemmed Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
title_short Less poverty in Egypt? explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
title_sort less poverty in egypt explorations of alternative pasts with lessons for the future
topic agricultural development
development
mathematical models
social impact assessment
poverty
computable general equilibrium models
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156149
work_keys_str_mv AT lofgrenhans lesspovertyinegyptexplorationsofalternativepastswithlessonsforthefuture