The Arab human development report 2004
Subtitle: towards freedom in the Arab world.
Contributors: United Nations Development Programme. Regional Bureau for Arab States.; Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.; Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations.
Publisher: United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Arab States
Published: 2005
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 248
Subjects: Civil rights -- Arab countries; Quality of life -- Arab countries; Human rights -- Arab countries; Arab countries -- Politics and government -- 1945-
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-233).
Table of contents: title: Preface; title: Executive summary: Changes in human development since the launch of AHDR 2003 ; The state of freedom and good governance ; Structures impeding freedom ; A strategic vision: alternative futures for freedom and governance in Arab countries; title: pt. 1. Changes in human development since the launch of AHDR 2003. Arab initiatives to promote region-wide reform ; External attempts at change: the broader Middle East initiative ; The regional and international context ; Addressing the three deficits, gains and setbacks; title: pt. 2. Reinforcing freedom and establishing good governance. Section 1. Analytical framework: freedom, good governance and human development. Ch. 1. The intellectual basis and concept of freedom and good governance: Freedom in western liberal thought, from individual freedom to human development ; Freedom in Arab culture ; The concept of freedom and good governance in this report; title: Ch. 2. Freedom and governance in Arab countries at the beginning of the third millennium, some problematic issues. The tension between freedom and democratic institutions in the Arab world ; The contradiction between freedom in Arab countries and the interests of dominant global powers ; Freedom bereft of organized support ; "Oriental despotism" and the Arab societal context ; Democracy and religion ; Democracy and the Arab region, the trap of the one-off election ; Freedom and human rights ; The challenge of peaceful transition to a society of freedom and good governance in the Arab countries; title: pt. 2., section 2: The state of freedom and governance in Arab countries. Ch. 3. The state of freedoms and rights. Freedoms and human rights ; Social and economic rights ; Perceived enjoyment of freedom in contemporary Arab opinion, Freedom Survey 2003; title: pt. 2. section 3: The societal context of freedom and governance. Ch. 4. The legal architecture. The institutional architecture of freedom and governance ; Arab states and international human rights standards ; Legislative regulation of freedoms in Arab constitutions ; Legislative restrictions on human rights in Arab legislation ; The impact of authoritarian power relations on freedom and human rights; title: Ch. 5. The political architecture. The crisis of governance in Arab countries ; Repression and political impoverishment ; The state of corporate governance in the Arab world ; The vicious circle of repression and corruption ; The Arab countries in the global context of governance, 2002 ; The debate on how to reform; title: Chl. 6. Arab societal structures and the regional and international environments. Societal structures ; The global and regional context; title: pt. 2. section 4. Towards reinforcing freedom and establishing good governance in the Arab countries. Ch. 7. A strategic vision of freedom and governance in Arab countries, alternative futures. Grounds for peaceful and deep political alteration, alternative futures ; Universal features and aims of the desired system of governance ; Reforming Arab societal structures to guarantee freedom ; At the Pan-Arab level ; Governance at the global level ; Achieving peaceful political alternation in Arab countries in order to build freedom and good governance: the 'Izdihar' scenario ; Epilogue: the furthest lotus tree; title: References; title: Annex 1: Measurement of freedom in Arab countries; title: Annex 2: Selected documents; title: Annex 3: List of background papers; title: Annex 4: Statistical tables on human development in the Arab countries.