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Youth Bulges, Poor Institutional Quality And Missing Migration Opportunities - Triggers Of And Potential Counter-Measures For Terrorism In Mena, Rahel Schomaker

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

During the last few decades, a convolute of economic literature has emerged which focuses on the effects of demography, in particular the existence of so-called “youth bulges”, on economic growth and performance (for an overview see e.g. Bloom et al. 2001). The approach in our paper extends previous research to include potentially negative growth effects of a large share of young people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) not only via the “channel” of unemployment, but also through their potential as a “trigger” for political unrest and domestic terrorism, which have been identified in economic literature as important …