Vol. 23 no. 2 Fall 2012 CONFERENCE THE ARAB SPRING AND MENA ECONOMIES,

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1 Vol. 23 no. 2 Fall 2012 IN T H I S I S S U E 1. Pictures from the Alexandria Conference 2. MEEA Speyer Conference March Topics in MENA Economies 4. Program for the San Diego Meetings 5. Announcements 6. Recent Journal Articles Pictures from the Alexandria Conference ANNOUNCING MEEA TWELFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE THE ARAB SPRING AND MENA ECONOMIES, QUO VADIS? Speyer, Germany March 18-20, 2013 Alexandria Conference, June 25, 2012 Alexandria Conference, June 27, 2012 The Middle East Economic Association (MEEA) is pleased to announce the 12th International Conference of the MEEA, organized jointly with the German Institute for Public Administration. The goal of the conference is to promote and stimulate the exchange of ideas in the field of economic research applied to the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. The conference will cover all areas of economics with application to the MENA region, but its main theme will be the ongoing transition process in the Middle East and North Africa, the influences on the MENA economies and their relations with the economies of the European Union. We look forward to seeing you in Speyer in March More information about the conference can be found at MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2 1

2 Editor: E. Mine Cinar Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies 2012 Proceedings of the MEEA Contents of Volume 14, September 2012 The Arab Spring in the MENA Region: it is not the economy! by Jose Garcia Motalvo, CREMed and Universitat Pampeu Fabra The Sustainability of Economic Growth in Abu Dhabi a Dynamic CGE Approach by Bram Smeets and Ali Bayar, Eco- Mod, Brussels and University Libre de Bruxelles The Impact of Workers Remittances on Macro Indicators: The Case of the Gulf Cooperation Council by Majid, Taghavi, Biz4cast.com They Should Not Emerge, But They Do! Development of the Generic Pharmaceutical Industry in Syria and Bangladesh by Sebastian Alexander, Noor Un Nabi and Utz Dornberger, University of Leipzig Determinants of Private Saving and Interaction Between Public & Private Savings in Turkey by Eser Pirgan Matur, Ali Sabuncu and Sema Bahceci, Turkish Republic Ministry of Development Child Labor Supply in Palestine: Trends and Perspectives by Issam Abu-Ghallous, University of Southern Mississippi Assessing the Preliminary Impacts of the Libya s Crisis on the Tunisian Economy by Emanuele Santi, Saoussen Ben Romdhane, African Development Bank, and Mohamed S. Ben Aissa, University of Tunis and African Development Bank How Does Stability in Financial Openness Affect Growth? by Erhan Aslanoglu and Pinar Deniz, Marmara University Islamic Finance and Global Financial Crises: How to Keep Finance on Track? by Ayman Zerban, Eslam H. Elkady and Rafik F. Omar, Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport A Study of the Socioeconomic Determinants of the Performance of the New Lands Cooperatives by Ashraf S.E. Saleh, Arab Academy for Science and Technology The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Tourism in MENA Countries by Alain Safa, IPAG Lab and Nathalie Hilmi, IAEA Environmental Performance of Developing Countries: A Comparative Study by Salpie Djoundourian, Lebanese American University The Impact of Broadband Infrastructure on Economic Growth in Some Arab and Emerging Countries by Mona F. Badran, Cairo University Can Productivity Increases Really Explain the Lira Appreciation: Questions for the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey by Kenan Lopcu, Almila Burgac and Fikret Dulger, Cukurova University Diversifications in Turkish Industry and Trade by A. Suut Dogruel and Fatma Dogruel, Marmara University Effects of Structural Changes in the Turkish Banking Sector Since 2001: Crisis and a Risk Analysis for the Sector by Kenan Lopcu, and Suleyman B. Kilic, Cukurova University Quantification of the Relationship Poverty-Education in Algeria: A Multinomial Econometric Approach by Samir B-E. Maliki, Abderrezak Benhabib and Abdelnacer Boutedja, University of Tlemcen Youth Unemployment in Tunisia: Characteristics and Policy Responses by Ilham Haouas, Abu Dhabi University, Edward Sayre, University of Southern Mississippi and Mahmoud Yagoubi, Universite Paris Iantheon-Sorbonne Coral Reefs and Tourism in Egypt s Red Sea by Nathalie Hilmi, IAEA, Alain Safa, IPAG Lab, Stephanie Reynaud and Denis Allemand, Centre Scientifique de Monaco Economic Development in the Southern Mediterranean Countries through Population Growth and International Trade: A Comparative Focus by Wai M. Hong, Alejandro Lorca and Eva Medina, MERIGG Forecasting Energy Demand in Jordan Using Artificial Neural Networks by Bassam M. Abual-Foul, American University of Sharjah 2 MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2 MEEA Business Meeting Manchester Grand Hyatt Madeleine B Saturday, January 5th, :00pm

3 Middle East Economic Association Meeting in conjuction with Allied Social Science Association Friday, January 4th 12:30pm, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Manchester A The ARAB SPRING ECONO- MIES: RAMIFICATIONS and CHALLENGES Panel Moderator: J. CRAIG JENKINS RAED SAFADI (OECD) MAHMOUD A. EL-GAMAL (RICE UNIVERSITY) HASSAN ALY (OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY) GOUDA ABDEL-KHALEK (CAIRO UNIVERSITY) Friday, January 4th 2:30pm, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Manchester D MENA ECONOMIES: DI- VERSE TOPICS (Poster Session) Presiding: HADI ESFAHANI HALA EL-RAMLY Inflation Persistence in Egypt CLAUDE BERTHOMIEU, ANASTA- SIA RI and KAMILYA SULEY- MENOVA The Penetration of China in the Mediterranean: A Brief Essay in Political Economy HUSSAIN ABUSAAQ Arab Spring, Financial Crisis and Term Structure MEHMET BABACAN Does Good Governance Cause Trade? Evidence from Turkey HUDA AL-SAHRAWARDEE The Reality of Rural Women in Iraq: Problems and Solutions IDA MIRZAIE and MAGDA KANDIL The Implication of Macroeconomic Policies on Inflation: Case of Iran and Egypt MERIEM DJENNAS, ABDESLAM BENDIABDELLAH and MUSTA- PHA DJENNAS Economic Growth Inequality and Income Distribution: Empirical Evidence from MENA Countries GULCIN E. YUCEL and A. SUUT DOGRUEL Intensive and Extensive Margins in the MENA Countries JAVED YOUNAS and SUBHAYU BANDYOPADHYAY Foreign Aid Allocation and the Global War on Terror: A Disaggregated Analysis EMAN SELIM The Impact of Financial Globalization on Economic Development, Economic Growth and Income Inequality in Developing Countries YIGIT AYDEDE Parametric Reforms, Social Security Reforms, and Saving: Evidence from Turkey ALI FAKIH and PASCAL L. GHAZALIAN Why Some Firms Export? An Empirical Analysis for Manufacturing Firms in the MENA Region BEDRI K. O. TAS and SERKAN IMISIKER Which Firms are More Prone to Stock Market Manipulation? BASSAM ABUAL-FOUL Forecasting Energy Demand: Evidence from GCC Countries A. TALHA YALTA Estimating the Import Demand for Crude Oil in Turkey, One Rolling Window at a Time HAROUN TAHAR and MERAZGA AISSA The Impact of Euro-zone Crisis on Maghreb Economies RIZA DEMIRER and ABDULLAH AL-HASSAN What Drives Stock Returns in GCC Stock Markets? Implications for International Diversification Saturday, January 5th 8:00am, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Madeleine B HUMAN CAPITAL TOPICS in the MENA COUNTRIES Presiding: HASSAN ALY BURHAN C. KARAHASAN and EN- RIQUE L. BAZO Geographic Concentration of Human Capital in Turkey: Testing the Link Between Returns to Education and Endowments of Human Capital HISHAM FOAD Educational Outcomes of 2nd Generation Middle East Migrants to Europe and North America AYSIT TANSEL Determinants of Fertility Transition in Turkey: A Panel Data Analysis NEZAHAT KUCUK Gender Inequality in the MENA: Myths versus Facts EDWARD SAYRE MEHMET TOSUN HISHAM FOAD AYSIT TANSEL Saturday, January 5th 2:30pm, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Madeleine B GCC S ECONOMIES: FI- NANCIAL AND STOCK MARKETS ANALYSIS Presiding: SHAWKAT HAM- MOUDEH MAHMOUD ABDELBAKY and SHEREEF ELLABOUDY GCC Monetary Union and Economic Integration MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2 3

4 Saturday, January 5th (continued) SHAWKAT HAMMOUDEH Impacts of Global and Domestic Shocks on Economic Growth and Inflation for Actual and Potential GCC Member Countries. Should Jordan Join? GAZI A. JOHARJI Public Expenditure and Growth in Saudi Arabia SHEIKH SHAHNAWAZ and HATEM SAMMAN Financial Services Liberalization in a Natural Resource Rich Economy ARIEL BELASEN and ALI KU- TAN Pirate Attacks amd Oil and Financial Markets in the Middle East MEHMET BALCILAR, RIZA DEMIRER and SHAWKAT HAM- MOUDEH Market Regimes and Investor Herds: Evidence from Gulf Arab Stock Markets SERDAR SAYAN MINE CINAR RIZA DEMIRER MEHMET BALCILAR ABDULLAH AL-HASSAN MAHMOUD ABDELBAKY MEEA Board Meeting Manchester Grand Hyatt Connaught Friday, January 4 th, :00pm (invitation only) Monday, January 7th 9:00am-10:45am, (parallel Building, Room 3110 The TURKISH ECONOMY: CASE STUDIES Presiding: FATMA DOGRUEL SEDA EKMEN-OZCELIK and GUZIN ERLAT More on Turkey s Competitiveness in the EU-15 Market: Based on Static and Dynamic Revealed Comparative Advantage AHMET FARUK AYSAN, ERICK W. RENGIFO and EMRE OZSOZ Securitization in the Turkish Banking System GOKHAN OZERTAN Price Dynamics of Agricultural Commodities: The Case of Turkey NURAN COSKUN, KENAN LOPCU and SULEYMAN DEGIRMEN Tax Implications Change the Fisher Effect for the Turkish Economy? PINAR DENIZ A. SUUT DOGRUEL EMRE OZSOZ AHMET FARUK AYSAN Middle East Economic Association 9:00am-10:45am, (parallel Building, Room 3130 THE ALGERIAN ECONOMY SPECIAL TOPICS Presiding: MOHAMED BEN- BOUZIANE (Post-ASSA Conference Sessions) San Diego State University Campus, January 7th, 2013 CHAIB BOUNOUA Micro and Small Enterprises in Algeria: Constraints and Opportunities in the Context of Market Economy SMAHI AHMED, AYAD S. MO- HAMED and MALIKI S. B. ED- DINE Management of Water Resources in Algeria: Issues and Challenges AMMAR ZITOUNI and CHERIF BEGGA The Impact of Human Resources Management on the Performance of the Employees of Algerian Services Sector MOHAMED BENBOUZIANE and ABDELHAK BENAMEUR Oil Abundance, Institutions and Economic Development in Algeria: An Empirical Investigation CHAIB BOUNOUA ZEMOURI MESSAOUD CLAUDE BERTHOMIEU WASSIM SHAHIN 9:00am-10:45am, (parallel Building, Room 3150 ENVIRONMENTAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ECONOM- ICS: MENA APPLICATIONS Presiding: JEFFREY NUGENT NATHALIE HILMI, ALAIN SAFA and MINE CINAR Decision Making Tools for Natural Resources Protection: Coral Reefs Management AYCA TEKIN-KORU Environmental Policy, Productivity and Competitiveness: A Micro Data Analysis MESSAOUD ZEMOURI and RA- CHID ADOUANE Aiming a productive, a Viable and a Sustainable Agriculture for the Emergence of Algerian Economy in the Framework of the Unavoidable Globalization SALPIE DJOUNDOURIAN Environmental Policy, Environmental Performance and FDI 4 MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2

5 YADOLLAH DADGAR and ROU- HOLLAH NAZARI Analyzing the Relationship between Good Governance and Economic Variables in Iran OZGUR A. AYAYDIN, DAROLD BARNUM, HAKAN OZDEMIR and MEHMET B. KARAN How is the Firm Performance Related with R&D and Innovations? SALPIE DJOUNDOURIAN NATHALIE HILMI ALAIN SAFA OZGUR A. AYAYDIN MINE CINAR 11:00am-12:45pm, (parallel Building, Room 3110 MENA COUNTRIES: FI- NANCIAL MARKETS, CON- VERGENCE, and the FINAN- CIAL CRISIS Presiding: SERDAR SAYAN PINAR DENIZ Financial Markets under SVAR Approach for Middle East Economies ESIN CAKAN Estimating the Effect of Good News on Turkish Stock Market Volatility NAKE M. KAMRANY and GEORGI VASSILEV Per Capita Income Convergence of the Middle East Economies in the 21st Century ABDURRAHMAN KORKMAZ and AYSU INSEL Financial Turbulances and the Transmission Process of Financial Crises in Low Income Countries HUSSEIN ZEAITER and NOUR RABAH The Determinants of Sovereign Debt Defaults in the MENA Region: Sensitivity Analysis of Panel-Data Regressions Middle East Economic Association (Post-ASSA Conference Sessions) San Diego State University Campus, January 7th, 2013 ABDURRAHMAN KORKMAZ ESIN CAKAN SERDAR SAYAN PINAR DENIZ MAHMOUD AL-IRIANI 11:00am-12:45pm, (parallel Building, Room 3130 THE ARAB SPRING ECO- NOMIC AND POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS Presiding: KARIMA KORAYEM MARCUS MARKTANNER The Arab World s Democratic Consolidation Perspectives An Assessment M. NAJEEB SHAFIQ Education and Protest among Labor Force Participants in Four Arab Countries MOAMEN GOUDA Islamic Constitutionalism and Rule of Law: A Constitutional Economics Perspective KAREN PFEIFER Egypt and Tunisia: Economic Roots of the Political Crisis of 2011 MAY ELSAYYAD and SHIMA A HANAFY An Empirical Analysis of Voting Outcomes in Post-Revolution Egypt KARIMA KORAYEM KAREN PFEIFER M. NAJEEB SHAFIQ MARCUS MARKTANNER WAFIK GRAIS 11:00am-12:45pm, (parallel Building, Room 3150 HUMAN CAPITAL IN MENA COUNTRIES: DIVERSE TOPICS Presiding: EDWARD SAYRE GOLNAZ TAGHVATALAB Husbands and Babies Can Wait: Understanding the Rising Age of Marriage in Rural Iran IPEK ILKKARACAN AJAS and SER- KAN DEGIRMENCI The Impact of Household Labor Supply Structure on Poverty and Income Inequality GANESH SESHAN Does Incomplete Information About Overseas Earnings Affect Remittance Flows? Evidence from Migrants in the State of Qatar MEHMET F. TRAS, SEDA SENGUL and CILER SIGEZE Cohort and Time Effects on Food Away from Home in Turkey: A Double Hurdle Approach SEBOUH AINTABLIAN Youth Attribution of Poverty in Lebanon AHMED S. ABOUZED MEHMET F. TRAS GOLNAZ TAGHVATALAB AYSIT TANSEL EDWARD SAYRE 2:00Pm-3:45pm, (parallel session), Adams Humanities Building, Room 3110 MONETARY, FISCAL, and FDI POLICIES in MENA COUNTRIES Presiding: MINE CINAR CLAUDE BERTHAMIEU, ZAHRA K. TARENLOU and REZA R. POUR The Incidence of Budget Deficits on the Resources Available for the Financing of Private Investment Expenditure MONAL ABDEL-BAKI Inflation Targeting in Response to the Global Financial Crisis and the Egyptian Revolution MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2 5

6 AN N OUNCEMENTS (Continued from page 5) WASSIM SHAHIN An Assessment of Central Banks Reserves in MENA Countries: A Cost-Benefit Analysis SHIMA A HANAFY The Detrerminants of FDI in Egypt: A Panel Data Analysis at the Governorate Level TEMEL TASKIN, YASIN MIMIR and ENES SU- NEL Required Reserves as a Credit Policy Pool MINE CINAR CLAUDE BERTHOMIEU TEMEL TASKIN WASSIM SHAHIN MONAL ABDEL-BAKI 2:00pm-3:45pm, (parallel session), Adams Humanities Building, Room 3150 OIL, FINANCIAL MARKETS, and the BANKING SECTOR IN MENA COUN- TRIES Presiding: ALI M. KUTAN SUUT DOGRUEL and FATMA DOGRUEL Price Convergence and Globalization: Evidence from Selected Countries ERHAN ASLANOGLU and PINAR DENIZ Oil Prices Once Again: The Link Towards Middle East Economies MERIEM DJENNAS, ABDERREZAK BENHABIB and MUSTAPHA DJENNAS The Impact of International Financial and Oil Shocks on the Economic Cycles Volatility ABDERREZZAK BENHABIB, SOUMIA ZENASNI, SAMIR B.E. MALIKI and MOHAMED BEN- BOUZIANE The Effects of External Shocks on Financial Integration Project in Maghreb Countries G. GULSUN AKIN MAHMOUD AL-IRIANI MOHAMED BENBOUZIANE MOHAMED TRABELSI IBN KHALDUN PRIZE Reminder that submissions for the Ibn Khaldun Prize for the best paper on one or more Middle Eastern countries by a junior economist (no more than five years since receiving Ph.D.) must be received no later than December 31, The submissions should be sent electronically to Professor Jeffrey B. Nugent at nugent@usc.edu. The entries will be evaluated by a three-person committee. Please visit for further details. CONFERENCE ON MENA ECONOMIES, BILGI UNI- VERSITY, ISTANBUL, TURKEY, JUNE 21-22, 2013 The conference aims to highlight the common features of these economies, their inter-connections as well as their specific characteristics. The Conference will focus specifically, but not exclusively, on the three largest economies in the region, namely, Egypt, Iran and Turkey and their inter-relationships, and provide recommendations on elements that need to be taken into account going forward. The deadline for submitting final papers is now extended to January 15, Selected applicants will be informed by March 1, Submission: For submission please visit: editorialexpress.com/conference/mena2013/ For further information please visit: ERF 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: ECONOMIC DE- VELOPMENT AND THE RISE OF ISLAMIST PARTIES, KUWAIT, MARCH 3-5, 2013 The 19th Annual Conference provides a unique opportunity for researchers from the region to interact with one another and with international researchers. The main theme of the plenary sessions this year is the rise of the Islamist parties in the region. The themes of the parallel sessions are varied and broad to accommodate diverse research interests. More details can be found at id=conferences_details&conference_id=48 10TH EBES CONFERENCE ISTANBUL, TURKEY, MAY 23-25, 2013 The 10th Eurasia Business and Economics Society Conference will take place on May 23-25, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. The focus of the conference is Europe and Asia but all papers from major business, finance, and economics fields (theoretical and empirical) are highly encouraged. The deadline for abstract submission is February 15, More information on the conference, including publication opportunities for qualified conference papers and online submission, can be found at EBES-Conference-Istanbul-Turkey.aspx (Announcements continued on page 8) 6 MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2

7 Recent Journal Articles As part of the information services to MEEA members, the newsletter publishes a selection of recent journal articles on the economic issues in the Middle East and North Africa. Articles are selected with the criteria of providing regional diversity. Priority is given to articles in journals that are more highly ranked according to ISI s impact factor and that are indexed by EconLit. Please the newsletter editor if you wish to include your recent publications. Akkoyunlu, Sule Intervening Opportunities and Competing Migrants in Turkish Migration to Germany, Migration Letters 9, no. 2: Arouri, Mohamed, Adel Ben Youssef, Hatem M henni and Christophe Rault Energy Consumption, Economic Growth and CO2 Emissions in Middle East and North African Countries. Energy Policy 45: Bjorvatn, Kjetil, Mohammad Farzanegan and Friedrich Schneider Resource Curse and Power Balance: Evidence from Oil-Rich Countries. World Development 40, no. 7: Campante, Filipe R. and Davin Chor Why Was the Arab World Poised for Revolution? Schooling, Economic Opportunities, and the Arab Spring. Journal of Economic Perspectives 26, no. 2: Cavusoglu, Tarkan and Soner Gokten Efficiency and Hedging Effectiveness in the NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Market. Iktisat Isletme ve Finans 26, no. 308: Chebbi, Houssem E., Marcelo Olarreaga and Habib Zitouna "Trade Openness and CO2 Emissions in Tunisia." Middle East Development Journal 3, no. 1: Chemingui, Mohamed A Welfare Effects from Reforming Agricultural Policies in Rich Countries in a Spatially Small Heterogenous Agricultural Economy. Middle East Development Journal 3, no. 2: Coyne, Christopher J. and Adam Pellillo Economic Reconstruction Amidst Conflict: Insights from Afghanistan and Iraq. Defence and Peace Economics 22, no. 6: Derin-Gure, Pinar Separatist Terrorism and the Economic Conditions in South-Eastern Turkey. Defence and Peace Economics 22, no. 4: Docquier, Frederic and Luca Marchiori The Impact of MENA-to-EU Migration in the Context of Demographic Change. Journal of Pension Economics and Finance 11, no. 2: Elveren, Adem Y Military Spending and Income Inequality: Evidence on Cointegration and Causality for Turkey, Defence and Peace Economics 23, no. 3: Feridun, Mete, Bansi Sawhney and Muhammad Shahbaz The Impact of Military Spending on Economic Growth: The Case of North Cyprus. Defence and Peace Economics 22, no. 5: Fielding, David and Anja Shortland How Do Tourists React to Political Violence? An Empirical Analysis of Tourism in Egypt. Defence and Peace Economics 22, no. 2: Halicioglu, Ferda The Demand for Calories in Turkey. Iktisat Isletme ve Finans 27, no. 316: Marchetta, Francesca "The Impact of Migration on the Labor Markets in the Arab Mediterranean Countries." Middle East Development Journal 4, no. 1. Marktanner, Marcus and Lana Salman Economic and Geopolitical Dimensions of Renewable vs. Nuclear Energy in North Africa. Energy Policy 39, no. 8: Martin, Philip L Migration, Trade, and Development: Comparing Mexico-US and Turkey-Europe. Migration Letters 9, no. 1: Morsy, Hanan Current Account Determinants for Oil-Exporting Countries. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade 48, no.3: Ozkan-Gunay, Emine N. and Duygu Inceoz Benchmarking Economy-wide Energy Efficiency Trends and Policies in Europe: Is There a Convergence in Emission Performance Towards EU Average? Iktisat Isletme ve Finans 27: no. 317: Parent, Olivier and Abdallah Zouache Geography versus Institutions: New Perspectives on the Growth of Africa and the Middle East. Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 168, no. 3: Piraee, Khosrow and Mohammad R. Shahsavar Assessing Subsidies and Indirect Taxes in Iran: A Social Welfare Perspective. Middle East Development Journal 3, no.2: Poghosyan, Tigran "Determinants of the Foreign Exchange Risk Premium in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries." Review of Middle East Economics and Finance 7, no. 3: Article 1. Rodriguez-Planas, Nuria and Raquel Vegas "Moroccans Assimilation in Spain: Family-Based Versus Labor -Based Migration." Middle East Development Journal 3, no. 2: Sadorski, Perry Trade and Energy Consumption in the Middle East. Energy Economics 33, no. 5: Said, Mona Wage Differentials During Economic Reform and Crisis: Evidence from Egypt and Jordan. Comparative Economic Studies 54, no. 1: Sirkeci, Ibrahim, Jeffrey Cohen and Pinar Yazgan Turkish Culture of Migration: Flows between Turkey and Germany, Socio-economic Development and Conflict. Migration Letters 9, no. 1: Tekin, Rifat B Economic Growth, Exports and Foreign Direct Investment in Least Developed Countries: A Panel Granger Causality Analysis. Economic Modelling 29, no. 3: Ulku, Hulya Determinants of the Savings and Fixed Asset Holdings of Turkish Migrants in Germany. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade 48, no. 1: MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2 7

8 AN N O U N C E M E N T S (Continued from page 6) M e m b e r s h i p WESTERN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION IN- TERNATIONAL, 88TH ANNUAL CONFER- ENCE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., JUNE 28-JULY 2, 2013 Western Economic Association International s 88th Annual Conference will take place in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. from June 28 to July 2, Please note that our Jeffrey Nugent, Shawkat Hammoudeh and Rahel Schomaker will be organizing sessions with general MENA-related papers. Important deadlines are February 1, 2013 (for organized sessions) and March 1, 2013 (for discussing a paper or chairing a session). More details can be found at AnnualConf If you are interested in becoming a member of the Middle East Economic Association, please fill out this form and return it to the Treasurer. The membership fee is $25 for faculty and other professionals, $20 for students, and $10 for all members residing in a MEEA country. Payments can now be made via check or credit card. Be sure to include credit card number and expiration date if paying by credit card. Name: Affiliation Address Telephone NEWSLETTER NEWS I would like to let our members know that this is the last newsletter I m editing. I really enjoyed serving our association since I took over as the newsletter editor in I would like to thank the members of the outgoing MEEA Board for their support and wish the incoming Board members the best. Mehmet Serkan Tosun University of Nevada, Reno Fax Send to Edward Sayre Treasurer, Middle East Economic Association Department of Political Science and International Development University of Southern Mississippi Box #5108 Hattiesburg, MS Edward.sayre@usm.edu The Middle East Economic Association, a non-profit international organization, was formed in 1978 and is affiliated with the American Economic Association and the Middle East Studies Association. The main objective of MEEA is to foster scholarship and to establish lines of communication among specialists interested in the Political Economy of the Middle East. Web: Board of Directors Hassan Aly Ohio State University Acting President Executive Secretary aly.1@osu.edu Edward Sayre Univ. of South. Mississippi Treasurer edward.sayre@usm.edu Fatma Dogruel Marmara University Guzin Erlat Middle East Technical University Nathalie Hilmi University of Nice Bassem Kamar International Monetary Fund Mehmet Serkan Tosun University of Nevada, Reno Tarik Yousef Dubai School of Government 8 MEEA Newsletter Vol. 23 No. 2 Past Presidents Charles Issawi Princeton University Stanislaw Wellisz Columbia University Manoucher Parvin University of Akron Abbas Alnasrawi University of Vermont Sohrab Behdad Denison University Fatemeh Moghadam Hofstra University E. Mine Cinar Loyola University Chicago Jeffrey Nugent University of Southern California Hadi Esfahani University of Illinois Serdar Sayan TOBB University NEWSLETTER Vol. 23 No. 2, Fall 2012 Logo Designed by Queen s University, Canada. Send us news about yourself, other organizations, forthcoming conferences and new publications. Address all communication to the editor Mehmet Serkan Tosun Department of Economics Mail Stop 0030 University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NV tosun@unr.edu