The approval of a record multi-year budget in June 2023 raised public optimism about job growth, reductions in inequality, and infrastructural improvements. Now that nearly a year has passed since its passage, it is time to begin assessing whether or not these hopes have been realized both at the national and local levels. In order to launch a new local focus for the Iraq Economic Review , this roundtable discusses the impact of increased public spending on both national economic activity and specific local economies – from Basra to Mosul to the KRG. To what extent do citizens and businesses in different local areas of the country perceive measurable impacts in terms of job growth, infrastructural improvements, and the alleviation of inequality? Now that provincial council elections have transpired, what is the role of local governments in monitoring and shaping these trends?
Speakers:
- Zmkan A. Saleem (Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Regional and International Studies)
- Raad Alkadiri (Non-Resident Fellow, CSIS)
- Narmine Marouf (MP, Financial Committee in the Iraqi Parliament)
- Salam Jabbar Shehab (Senior Researcher, Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies)
Chair:
- Mustafa Al-Saray (Director of Research and Political Studies, Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies)
Access the audio of the roundtable here.