BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:St Catharine's Political Economy Seminar Series - "\;Why Did E conomists Fail to Predict the Arab Uprisings?"\; - Hassan Hakimian DTSTART:20190227T180000Z DTEND:20190227T193000Z UID:TALK117241@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Philippa Millerchip DESCRIPTION:*Date:* Wednesday 27 February 2019 \n*Time:* 18:00 -19:30\n*Sp eaker:* Hassan Hakimian \n*Talk Title:*‘Why Did Economists Fail to Pre dict the Arab Uprisings?’\n*Location:* Ramsden Room\, St Catharine's Col lege\n\n*Speaker*\nHassan Hakimian is Director of the London Middle East I nstitute and a Reader in Economics at SOAS\, University of London. He has published on Middle Eastern economies with a special focus on Iran as wel l as on human resources and labour markets. His most recent book (co-edite d with Parvin Alizadeh) is Iran and the Global Economy: Petro Populism\, I slam and Economic Sanctions (Routledge\, 2014). His current research is fo cused on inclusive growth in the MENA region and the economics of Arab upr isings. Hassan Hakimian is a Founding member and currently the President o f the 'International Iranian Economic Association (IIEA)' and a Research F ellow and member of the Advisory Committee of the 'Economic Research Forum (ERF)' in Cairo. He is the Founder and Series Editor for the 'Routledge P olitical Economy of the Middle East and North Africa'\, which he launched in 2003 and is currently editing the Routledge Handbook on the Middle East Economy.\n\n*Talk Overview:*\nEconomists have a less than happy record of predicting economic crises. Forecasting political upheavals is arguably e ven more of a challenge. This is partly conceptual since the mainstream ec onomics' \nfocus on the equilibrium-seeking behaviour of homo economicus g uided by rationale choice is ill-equipped to deal with social and politica l ruptures and uprisings. It is also partly empirical. Economists' \ninter est in economic fundamentals may miss out important points about mass welf are and material conditions of the population at large. From this perspect ive a raft of pertinent questions arises in the context of the unforeseen but tumultuous uprisings that rocked Arab countries after\n2010/11: Were e conomists oblivious (not looking)? Were they focused on the wrong indicato rs? Perhaps weak inferences led them astray? Were the data flawed or did t heir framework lack sufficient analytical insight? \nThis talk questions t he link between political and economic cycles.Hassan Hakimian argues that as with the Iranian Revolution of 1979\, the decade before the Arab uprisi ngs experienced growth – not recession or stagnation – in both cases b uoyed by favourable international oil prices. By formulating the case for understanding 'inclusive growth' in the region\, Hassan Hakimian questions the popular perception that posits the roots of uprisings in economic dow nturns and immiserisation.\n\nFor other Seminars see: www.politicaleconomy .group.cam.ac.uk\n\nPlease contact the seminar organisers Philip Arestis ( pa267@cam.ac.uk) and Michael Kitson (m.kitson@jbs.cam.ac.uk) in the event of a query. LOCATION:The Ramsden Room\, St Catharine's College END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR