Arab Political Demography

Onn Winckler is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern History at the University of Haifa. He is the author of Demographic Developments and Population Policies in Ba'thist Syria, and co-editor of Modern Syria, as well as the author of a book on Jordanian demographic developments.

"Onn Winckler has been for a number of years a leading light in the field of demographic studies on particular Arab countries; with Arab Political Demography, Winckler integrates new research with his already existing compendium of knowledge on the subject to produce an outstanding and timely examination of an important aspect of development in the Arab world." -- David W. Lesch, Professor of Middle East History, Trinity University."Fresh, focused, and provocative, Arab Political Demography reaffirms Winckler's reputation as the most reliable and engaging writer on demographic and population policies in the Middle East. This book is must reading for scholars and policy makers concerned with the Middle East, and offers a model for regional demographic studies elsewhere." -- Dale F. Eickelman, Dartmouth College,s coauthor (with James Piscatori) of Muslim Politics (2nd edition, 2004)."Winckler expertly shows how natalist and macroeconomic policies need to go hand-in-hand if Arab countries ever hope to emerge from their underdeveloped status, and he offers an invaluable political, cultural and economic history of how the Arab demographic dilemma reached this point." -- David W. Lesch, Professor of Middle East History, Trinity University and author of The Middle East and the United States: A Historical and Political Reassessment.

• Introduction: The Methodological Framework; The Emergence of "Poor and Rich" Arab States; The Concept of Arab Political Demography. Part 1 -- Sources for Demographic Research of the Arab States; The Demographic Records History of the Arab States; Case Studies in Demographic Records History; The "Missing" Ethno-Religious Composition of the Arab States; The Lacuna of Accurate Official Employment Data; The "Informal (Hidden) Economy"; Conclusions. Part 2 -- Beyond the Expectations: Arab Population Growth in the Twentieth Century; Worldwide Population Growth in Retrospect; Demographic Transition Theory and the Arab Countries; Population Growth in the Arab Countries; The Revolution of Mortality Rates in the Arab Countries; Conclusions 69. Part 3 -- "Jobs for the Boys (and Girls)": The Emergence of the Employment Dilemma; The Consequences of the Young Age Structure; Arab Employment Developments in Retrospect; The Increase in Disguised Unemployment and Underemployment; Unemployment as a Differentiating Factor between the Arab Countries and the Developed Countries; Conclusions. Part 4 -- Between Pro-Natalist and Anti-Natalist in the Arab Countries; The Attitudes Toward Population Growth in Historical Perspective; The "Population Policy" Definitions; The Natalist Approach of the Arab Countries: A Historical Analysis; Evaluation of the Family Planning Programs in the Arab Countries; Why Tunisia and Lebanon?; Conclusions.