On 24 May 2017, two recent publications of the Egyptian think tank Arab Forum for Alternatives (AFA) on social disparities in the Arab world and on the possibilities of an alternative economy in the Maghreb were presented at the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS) North Africa Office. The launch event was an opportunity for the public to meet the contributors to these publications and discuss the main socio economic challenges facing the Arab region. The event was followed up by a seminar with the think tank the next day, which served essentially to further discuss the theories presented.

Among the speakers were: Mohamed El-Agati (Egypt), Salame Keilah (Lebanon), who spoke on industrial policies, Tawfiq Haddad (Palestine), Maan Dammaj (Yemen), who presented his research paper on structural disparities and political economy in Yemen, Leila Riahi (Tunisia), who concentrated on social movements, and Mongia Hedfi (Tunisia), who spoke on the economic situation of women.

During the past four years, RLS has been working with the Egyptian think tank primarily on the social justice project in the Arab region. Through the years, the project had evolved to a project on alternative economy in 2017, which serves essentially to confront economic and social problems in the Arab world and more specifically in the Maghreb region and to look for alternative possibilities and solutions to these problems. The aim of the project, finally, is to apply theoretical research to geopolitical and socio-economic realities, in order to translate research findings into applied public policies.

The Arab Forum for Alternatives is a think tank that works specifically for a society capable of protecting its rights and defending such rights through a democratic movement built on a scientific ground that safeguards the concept itself from being abused. They provide space for experts, activists and researchers in the field of civil society who are interested in issues related to the change process in the Arab region.

One of the publications presented, “Social disparities and Class distinction in the Arab region”, analyses the causes of social injustice and social disparities in the region after the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, but also through case studies from Oman, Yemen, Algeria, and Syria. It highlights the role of neoliberal policies that have been shaping the economic transformation of these countries. It also discusses, as it was highlighted during the debate, the role of social protests and their impact on these differences in North Africa and Western Asia, as well as exposure to the role of international institutions in exacerbating these social differences and the issues related to them in the region. Environmental problems and the role of the capitalist model in creating class distinction and in heightening poverty was, furthermore, among the issues discussed, as well as the role of women and the impact of the capitalist system on their situation.

The second publication, “Alternative Economy in the Arab region: Concepts and Issues”, constitutes a collective research project on alternative economy in the Maghreb region. Its goal is to examine the different forms of alternatives presented by the Arab social movement in the past years. It monitors the different global economic trends as a basis for the formulation and comparison of alternative economic theories in relation to ownership patterns, labor relations, accountability, participation, and policy-making.

Different experiences from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon were examined by the researchers, especially by focusing on the experiences of cooperatives and self-management. The researchers presented important experiments on self-management: the Nubassid seed production in Egypt, the Jemna oasis in Tunisia, and the Sarifa women’s knitting cooperative in Lebanon. AFA analyzed the main problems, patterns and strategies of the alternative economy in the region.

The relationship between social justice and the alternative economy has been presented as especially essential to progress in this context. By presenting different economic alternatives in the region, the core question was how to make the first steps towards an alternative economy in order to achieve sovereign development and social justice.

By Magdalena Mach