Political economy of income distribution in Egypt

While other less developed countries were still emerging from colonial rule, Egyptian intellectuals were already grappling with the question of how wealth should be divided. In 1952 the Egyption military came to power and began the process of realizing the twin goals of social justice and economic development. The purpose of this volume is to analyze what the Egyptians intended by a more equitable society, to describe the present distribution of wealth and poverty and how it came about, and to consider the policy implications of what occurred. Written by Egyptian and American scholars, the case studies presented here provide a more complete picture of income distribution in Egypt than has existed before, raising and discussing a number of important political and economic questions concerning the impact of government policies, the role of private initiative, the importance of Egypt"s external links, and the effects of a massive transfer of foreign resources. The essays focus on: the government as an agent of income distribution, its education and land reform policies, and its commitment to more equitable distribution; interconnections between income distribution and economic development; the impact of taxation; patterns of urban growth and social mobility; and foreign economic aid. Egypt"s similarities to and differences from other developing nations are also noted. (Author abstract, modified)