Jordan - Policies for High and Sustained Growth for Job Creation : Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan 2012 Development Policy Review (Vol. 1 of 2) : Synthesis
Jordan's quest for long-term,inclusive and sustainable growth has remained largelyelusive. By the Growth and Development Commission'smeasure of success, namely, an average growth rate of 7percent over 30 years, Jordan's growth record cannot bedubbed 'successful'. This Development PolicyReview (DPR) shows that sustaining growth and reducingunemployment is possible: Jordan has a strong human capitalbase, a large endowment in engineers, doctors, accountants,Information Technology (IT) specialists and a substantialhighly-skilled diaspora (500,000 educated Jordanians abroad,8 percent of the population). Furthermore, themarket-oriented reforms of the early 2000s have made Jordanone of the most open economies in the Middle East and NorthAfrica Region and have led to the emergence of dynamicnon-traditional sectors (e.g., information and communicationtechnologies, health tourism and business services). What ismissing are: (i) an adequate and stable institutionalframework for policymaking and long-term businessdevelopment; (ii) good fiscal policies to manage shocks andmaintain macroeconomic stability; good institutions andmacroeconomic stability were identified by the growthcommission as two of the five common characteristics ofsuccessful growth experiences; and (iii) furthergrowth-enhancing structural reforms.