Please join us on July 10, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for a conversation with Daniel Gressani who will present the IMF’s latest progress assessment of energy reforms undertaken by MENA countries based on regional reform experiences, as well as in the rest of the world over the last two decades. Gressani will discuss the economic costs of subsidy reforms and alternative compensation schemes. Justin Dargin, an expert on energy issues in the Middle East, will discuss political implications and efficiencies of reducing or removing energy subsidies. Mohsin Khan, who focuses on the economics of the Arab transitions, will moderate the discussion.
A discussion with
Daniela Gressani
Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department
International Monetary Fund
Justin Dargin
Middle East and Energy Scholar
University of Oxford
Malek Kabariti (via Skype)
Former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Moderated by
Mohsin Khan
Atlantic Council
With widening fiscal deficits and increasing inefficiencies in production and consumption, the urgency for subsidy reform has become acute in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The cost of subsidies has been rising in response to greater social demands, causing significant fiscal pressures mainly in oil-importing countries but also in some oil exporters. Moving ahead, if MENA countries wish to ensure sustained economic progress they need to reform the subsidies system and implement social safety nets, automatic price-adjustment mechanisms, and restructure the energy sector.
Please join us for a conversation with Daniela Gressani who will present the IMF’s latest progress assessment of energy reforms undertaken by MENA countries based on regional reform experiences, as well as in the rest of the world over the last two decades. Gressani will discuss the economic costs of subsidy reforms and alternative compensation schemes. Justin Dargin, an expert on energy issues in the Middle East, will discuss political implications and efficiencies of reducing or removing energy subsidies. Malek Kabariti, former energy minister from Jordan, will outline his views on energy subsidies and the political difficulties in undertaking energy reforms. Moshin Khan, who focuses on the economics of the Arab transitions, will moderate the discussion.