Arab Political Demography

Written specifically for classroom and student use, with more than 35 tables and figures, this book sets out the political demographic of the Arab countries by: Examining the sources for demographic research of the Arab countries; Explaining the nature of the population growth in the Arab countries in comparison with other developing countries world-wide; Examining the development of structural unemployment in the non oil-based and oil-based Arab countries since the mid-1980s, and investigating the natal policies of both the oil and the non-oil Arab countries, and attempting to answer the crucial question of why some Arab countries succeed more than others in implementing fertility decline. A concluding chapter examines the political dilemmas arising from the different demographies and economies in the Arab states. During the 20th century, worldwide population increased more rapidly than ever before, with the world's population amounting to 6.1 billion by the year 2000. The main contributors to the rapid worldwide population growth were the developing countries, including the Arab countries. During the second half of the 20th century, the demographic issue became the most acute socio-economic problem of the non-oil Arab countries, bringing with it a variety of political implications, both internal and external.