Cutting the IMF Chord
Having just signed up to yet another IMF assistance program, isn’t it about time we began relying less on the international lender and more on our own government to tackle deep-rooted economic...
View ArticleJordan on Track to Meet Renewables Target
The expansion of Jordan’s renewable energy sector has seen a marked acceleration in recent years. Nearly 1,000 MW of solar and wind projects are currently being implemented across Jordan. These...
View ArticleThe Next Budget
With its 2017 budget, the government has a golden opportunity to break with the past and present us with a more studied and transparent roadmap for our immediate economic future. The government is no...
View ArticleBrand New Parliament, Same Old Challenges
When they’re sworn in later this month, Jordan’s newly-elected parliamentarians will face the same economic problems that bedeviled their predecessors. By Khalid W. Wazani By the end of this month a...
View ArticleNew Trade Deal to Boost Exports to EU
Jordanian exports to Europe are expected to rise following a newly-inked deal that relaxes rules of origin requirements. A new trade agreement between Jordan and the EU, which is based around relaxed...
View ArticleJordan Looks to Reinvigorate Trading With a New Exchange
Jordan has launched a new over-the-counter (OTC) exchange as part of a series of initiatives to boost the competitiveness of the Kingdom’s capital markets. Jordan’s new OTC exchange is a by-product of...
View ArticleEmpowering the Regions
All of Jordan’s governorates, not just Amman and Aqaba, hold huge economic potential. The challenge facing us is how to unleash it. By Khalid Wazani How bad is income inequality in Jordan? Is it fair...
View ArticleNo Rule of Law, No FDI
Without striving for an independent and transparent legal system, Jordan will struggle to attract desperately needed FDI. “We cannot achieve sustainable development, empower our creative youth or...
View ArticleTowards a Steady but Unspectacular 2017
While it’s unrealistic to expect fireworks from Jordan’s economy in 2017, boosting capital investment and launching more PPP projects should help achieve respectable levels of growth. After almost six...
View ArticleTrust in Trumponomics
Ignore the naysayers—Donald Trump’s economic plans will be good for the United States, Jordan, and the rest of the world. Say what you like about the man himself, but Donald Trump is moving into the...
View ArticleHow to Really Aid Our Development
Rather than asking for more aid to keep a lid on the government’s self-inflicted budget deficit, we should be encouraging foreign governments to invest in economically viable infrastructure projects....
View ArticleJordan Looks to Revitalise its Digital Economy as an Engine of Growth
A newly launched roadmap for the development of Jordan’s ICT sector aims to attract capital inflows on the back of recent government moves to reduce the tax burden on companies operating in the...
View ArticleThrowing Good Money After Bad
The IMF continues to provide Jordan with huge loans. But it will be for nothing if the country doesn’t face up to the real problems holding its economy back. Around four years ago, Jordan signed up to...
View ArticlePlaying the Long Game
If we want out economy to prosper, we need to start planning for the long-term. Our economy is often described as being small and open. One of the main advantages this combination supposedly provides...
View ArticleGreen Investment Growth
Regulatory reforms introduced last year should soon begin attracting investors to help carry out large, state-led projects, particularly in the field of renewable energy. The Regulation for Organizing...
View ArticleReevaluating the Grey Economy for Refugees
As the Syrian refugee crisis enters its seventh year, the discussion on Syrian refugee livelihoods has shifted focus. The crisis is now characterized as protracted, and host states are taking measures...
View ArticleJordan’s Dutch Disease
Back in the early 1970s, a huge natural gas windfall gifted the Netherlands a strong currency and a budget surplus, but failed to improve fundamental underlying weaknesses in the country’s economy such...
View ArticleWhat Must Be Done
Economy of Jordan State When it comes to grappling with the perilous state of Jordan’s economy, there are many factors which are out of the government’s control. But there are modest steps it can...
View ArticleJordan Moves to Kick-Start Growth and Pare Back Debt
The government is looking to reduce its debt burden and jumpstart the economy through a combination of budgetary adjustments, a new medium-term economic strategy, and international aid agreements. In...
View ArticleFalling Behind
Jordan was ranked a mediocre 65 out of 137 countries in the World Economic Forum’s latest global competitiveness report. When will we admit that our economy isn’t being run effectively? According to...
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