Bread Subsidies in Egypt: Choosing Social Stability or Fiscal Responsibility

Authors

Sahar M. Abdel-Haleim, The American University in Cairo(AUC)Follow
John William Salevurakis, The American University in Cairo (AUC)Follow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2008

Abstract

Bread subsidies contribute greatly to social stability in Egypt, yet there exist academic and political tendencies to abandon the system in the interest of market-based efficiency. This represents a shift in contemporary economic ideology historically focused upon maintaining calm after Cairo's 1977 bread riots. Further, international pressure to `liberalize` the Egyptian economy paradoxically conflicts with Western desires to suppress religious fundamentalism in the region. These incongruities are largely ignored by Egyptian and Western research.

Comments

Recommended Citation

Salevurakis, J. & Abdel-Haleim, S. (2008). Bread Subsidies in Egypt: Choosing Social Stability or Fiscal Responsibility. Review of Radical Political Economics, 40 (1), 45-49.