THE
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Aleson, an Egyptian citizen who currently [May 2004] lives in California, has completed a study of the home country government's economic policies as compared to the MIEPA list of policies as outlined above. The study on Egypt is shown below. The ratings herein are based on the following rating scale:
RATING SCALE
5.0 Perfect Facilitation of Wealth Creation
4.0 Midway between Perfect and Neutral
3.0 Neutral Effect on Wealth Creation
2.0 Midway between Neutral and Obstructionist
1.0 Perfectly Obstructionist to Wealth Creation
[Rating scale copyright Mike P. McKeever, 1996. Used herein with permission]
To read a disclaimer about the analysis in this file, scroll to the bottom of the file.
EGYPT:
Comparison of Egypt's economic policies to MIEPA criteria as prepared by native student of Egypt, Aleson, studying in the US in May of 2004.
RATING SUMMARY
POLICY NUMBER RAW SCORE ADJUSTED SCORE POSSIBLE PERCENTAGE
1 5.0 15.0 15.0 100%
2 0.0 0.0 15.0 0
3 2.0 6.0 15.0 40
4 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
5 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
6 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
7 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
8 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
9 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
10 3.0 9.0 15.0 60
11 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
12 4.0 8.0 10.0 80
13 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
14 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
15 4.0 8.0 10.0 80
16 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
17 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
18 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
19 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
20 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
21 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
22 0.0 0.0 10.0 0
23 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
24 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
25 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
26 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
27 3.0 6.0 10.0 60
28 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
29 4.5 4.5 5.0 90
30 1.0 1.0 5.0 20
31 5.0 5.0 5.0 100
32 3.0 3.0 5.0 60
33 5.0 5.0 5.0 100
34 2.5 2.5 5.0 50
TOTAL 121.0 263.0 375.0 70.1%
===== ====== ===== =====
INDIVIDUAL POLICIES
People could live anywhere in the country they want to, also people
Could buy land anywhere in the country and build a house to live there.
People could live in any area in the country because there is no separation
Between any Egyptians anywhere in the country as long as you have documents
That proves that you own this property.
( Personal )
2. Freedom of Speech: 0.0
Egypt is one of the countries where no one can say any thing about anyone in
The government, president, or anyone in a high position in the country.
Freedom of speech is not in my country even people protesting might get
Arrested, also if someone say anything about the president he or she might
Be taken away to jail.
(Personal)
3. Effective and Fair Police: 2.0
The police is not that fair because they might arrest people because they
might be seen as terrorist. However the police does it job in arresting
Criminals and look for the bad people in the country who steal, kill, or
Destroy any thing important for no reason such as bombing.
(Personal)
4. Private Property: 5.0
People who own things like land or house does have papers and document
That proves they own this house or land. Also there is another copy of that
Document in the government buildings.
(Personal)
5. Commercial Banks: 4.0
The commercial banks people invest in there and make deposit which they
Invest by it, also they borrow money from the commercial banks to invest and
They buy it back with interest but low interest, but the Islamic banks do
The same thing but without interest because they do not deal with
Interest.
(Personal); http://www.arabbank.com/arabic/default.asp
6. Communication System: 5.0
The communication system is in a very high stander that goes through
all around the country. The telephone is been used all over the country even
In the rural areas. In villages, phones have been used for a long time since 1992
, Also now days computer is all over around the country even in the villages
And small places and the rural areas. Communication is one of the best skills
That Egypt has for every one.
(Personal)
7.Transportation: 5.0
The transportation in Egypt is very good because it is available even in
The urbanize and going inside to the villages. Transportation in the country
Is been fixed and it is improving day after another. The transportation is
not only improving inside the country and between each city but also
Between the country and other countries. The transportation goes every
Where around the country which make it easier to get any where in the
Country.
http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/egypt/transportation.html
http://www.goegypt.org/aboutegy/trans.htm
http://www.phatnav.com/wiki/wiki.phtml?title=Transportation_in_Egypt
8. Education: 4.0
The education is partly fairly in Egypt until high school. Students have
To pay for their tuition since 1st grade until the last year of high
School. About 33% off college student quit college because they can not
Offer to pay the college tuition which is consider a high percentage to many
Poor people. In education there is no difference between poor and rich, boy
Or girl they both get equal education at the same school.
http://www.aii-t.org/a/arabic/5.ht
9. Social mobility: 4.0
There is a chance for every one to become wealthy and to be rich or
Improve their life condition. If a person have experience and enough
Knowledge then he or she might be able to help himself out to improve his
Living condition and become wealthy by how much knowledge that person have
And what skills that person has.
(Personal); http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/Sorokin/SOCMOBLT.HTML
10. Freedom from outside control: 3.0
The police even the highest police department in the country does not have
The power to go even cross the boarders to arrest someone even if he is
Danger and wanted. In 1995 one of the wanted people in the country 9 sameer
Ahmed who was consider as a terrorist) he went through the boarders to
Saudi Arabia and the government could not do anything about him but all they
Did was that they reported to the Saudi Arabia government.
http://www.amanjordan.org/arabic_news/wmview.php?ArtID=3840
11. Foreign Currency Transaction: 5.0
The is one other currency is been used in the country beside the Egyptian
Pound, which is dollar. However, people can't pay any thing with dollars
But they have to change it to Egyptian pound first. People can not go to a
Store or a restaurant and use any currency but the Egyptian pound, and
Anything else is not accepted.
(Personal). http://www.egypt.de/www2/country.htm1
12. Border Control: 4.0
The Egyptian boarders are safe and secure that no one could cross that
Boarders with out a visa, also the boarders between Egypt and Israel is safe
And secure because of the peace agreement process between the two countries.
There might be some unsecured that people might help the Palestine's from the
Israel's boarders by giving them weapons and food.
http://customwire.ap.org/Israel/border/E/Egypt_GAZA_PULLOUT?SITE=CARIE&SECTION+HOME&TEMPLATE+ICE2-WORLDDNEWS.htm1
13. Currency: 5.0
The main currency that is being used in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound. (Which
I 6.20 pound = $1 US dollar). The only currency that is been used in the
Nation is the Egyptian pound and nothing else.
(Personal)... http://www.wgypt.de/www2/country.html
14. Cultural and Language Homogeneity: 5.0
In Egypt there are many different people living in the country from different
Parts of the world. From Palestine it said that there are about 4% of the
population. More over there are 2% Sudanese, 5% of Syrians, and there are
Jews from all over the world. Business owners do not make any difference
Between Egyptians and others, and they are being treaded equally.
(Personal) (Egyptian Citizen); http:www.tobunken.go.jp/~kokusen/DATA/cultural?HTML/egypt/egypt01j.html
15. Politically Effective: 4.0
The government does its job in providing safety living condition for the
people. In every city there is a police station and even in the small
Villages in case of emergency. The government is providing all safety for
The people and it is taking care of business and economics improvement.
(Personal)
16. Institutional Stability: 3.0
The government changes whenever their is a change in the president, and
In Egypt there is no vote. The Government buildings which been rebuild more
Than one time a year and they always renew the police buildings and equipment
To help the country which is not true. The government does stay the same but
The places change every once in a while.
(Personal); http://www.presidency.gov.eg/
17. Honest government: 3.0
The Egyptian government is not honest with it's people because they always
want to make people that everything is going fine and noting is wrong with
It. In the economy government never tell the people what is going on but all
They say is that the economy is in a high position and doing very good at
That time. Also the government laws is part of what the government does in
order to make people feel happy, but the reality is they make laws for people
but many people do not agree which they can not do anything about it or even
care on what people say or think.
( PERSONAL)
18. Common laws: 5.0
The laws that is regulated in Egypt is partly fair because they do not make
a difference between rich or poor person . the law is for every one in the
country rich or poor because they follow in the court the sharia ( which is
the Islamic laws ) that makes no difference between any one in the country.
However the reality is that if a person is rich nigh go over the laws by
paying some judges money for his or her case, but poor can not offered.
(Personal); http://www.hrw.org/arabic/reports/2004/eg-intime3.htm; http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2003/countryratings/egypt.htm
19. Central Bank : 2.0
The central bank control all the banks investments and tell the
banks what to do and not to do . however there is two different kind of
banks the ones under the central banks and the ones under the Islamic banks.
The president could tell the banks how much money to print and how much they
could invest, the government not only the president control and is taking
over the banks but no the Islamic banks which are independent.
( Personal); http://www.nbe.com.eg/Arabic/index.htm
20. Domestic Budget Management: 2.0
Major taxes imposed in Egypt are the corporate income tax, personal
income tax, real estate tax, sales tax, customs tax, stamp duty, inheritance
tax and social insurance contributions. The standard rate of corporate
income tax is 40 percent. The rate is 32 percent on profits arising from
industrial and export activities. Given the very generous deductions and
allowances made in calculating taxable profit, the effective tax rate on net
income is considered very low by international standards. Which means that
the government collect less tax then it spends it collect about 25 % of the
tax less then what it was spending.
http://www.sis.gov.eg/egyptinf/economy/html/eep/html/text50.htm_
21. Government Debt: 3.0
The estimation of the amount of the payment on the government debt was
estimated by $30.5 billion (2002 est.) which is a large amount of money that
it ha to be paid back but the export covers most of it. It is 46 % of the
tax rate.
http://www.ncbuy.com/reference/country/economy.html?code=eg .
22. Economic Statistics: 0.0
The government provide welfare and insurance for the people in the
country. Moreover they provide health care insurance for pregnant ladies and
their children while birth. However I think it is not true because no one
have insurance tat could even go to the hospital or even offered to go to a
hospital. People does not have welfare or any insurance until they buy a
large amount of money to buy insurance. Even animals have kind of health
care but not humans or workers.
( Personal); http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/egypt/egypt84.html; http://perso.wanadoo.fr/sanctuaire.felin/OrigineAnglais.html; http://www.dams.org/report/reaction/icold_egypt.htm
23. Protection of Public Health and Safety: 1.0
Maternal mortality rate measures the number of women that died from
causes related to pregnancy and delivery per 100,000. Worldwide, more than
one women dies every minute from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
Southern Egypt, especially rural Egypt, has certain circumstances which make
pregnancy more risky for these women. That happen because of birth at home
that people can not a offer to pay the hospital fees, so there is a women
who help give birth at home and that could lead to infection or the babies
wont be as well as if they where born at a hospital. Also If the birth has
complications, it may be difficult for the woman giving birth to get to a
hospital because there is not good transportation. Also the TOT organization
who work with our country to provide the medical care program for cancer
disease in Egypt but with high prices.
http://www.arches.uga.edu/~haneydaw/twwh/egypt.html; http://www.stoptb.org/world.tb.day/WTBD_2001/Egypt.WTBDCampaign.htm; (Personal)
24. High wage policy: 5.0
Egyptians wages is good enough to support a family to live. People
around the country own their houses and they do not pay any rent. People's
wages depend on where they work and they only worry about family support and
not the rent of the apartment by the end of every month.
( Personal)
25. Environment Protection: 3.0
Egypt is 97% desert and is therefore dependent on the Nile River for its
existence. The Nile River is the lifeblood of Egypt. The river is the main
source of freshwater for household use and irrigation, a source of power
from the hydroelectric facility at Aswan, and a means of transportation for
people and goods. Also In Egypt, everything is quite safe...except sometimes
the tap water, which you may choose not to drink as the water in Egypt is
highly chlorinated. It is only safe to drink if you get used to it and you
are willing to live in Egypt for a long time. The government provide the safe
water pipes through out the whole country and they try it to make it as
clean as possible.
Air Pollution: 2 The main energy-related environmental issues facing Egypt
are air pollution, carbon emissions, energy consumption, and preservation of
coastal areas. The greater Cairo area, home to 15 million people, has the
worst air pollution in Egypt, and the government is not doing or passing out
any regulation against that danger.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/egypenv.html; http://www.ask-aladdin.com/health.htm
26. Strong Army: 5.0
Egypt is one of the Middle Eastern countries that has a strong military.
Egypt's military is divided into four parts, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Air
Defense Command. Egypt has males: 743,305 military manpower available who
is been in the military for over 20 years. the military is strong enough and
has the power to be ready in case of war or invading any of the middle
eastern country. The military spending is dollars figure is about $4.04
billion dollars.
Personal; http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/eg.html
27. Foreign trade impact: 3.0
Egypt trade impact is not as good as other countries in the Middle East
because Egypt import more than it export. The import was estimate as $15.2
billion f.o.b. however, the export to other countries was estimated as 7
billion f.o.b. which is much less than the import. The imports +the exports
is $22 billion f.o.b. so its 22% of the GDP.
http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/eg.html, Personal
28. Protection of foreign currency earning enterprises: 5.0
Egypt look so careful into the exports products and try to make it as good
as possible. The country help farmers who grow cotton to make the cotton as
the best product in the export things. For example, in the Middle East
Egyptian cotton is the best around the whole nations. The government acutely
work on improving their export products.
Personal
29. Export: 4.5
The total value of Egyptian's external trade (imports and exports ) of the
year 2000 amounted as 22 billion f.o.b., while the same for 1998 had been 19
billion and 250.320 thousand f.o.b. The increase in value of Egyptian
external trade brought about annually, on comparing the years 1998 and 2000,
amounted to 3 billion 320 f.o.b. in terms of exports and re-exports only. In
both of such categories, the value of exports increased in 2000 from its
amount in 1998. Egypt was placed as one of the highest category in the
middle east as the export moved up in two years so high.
http://www.ec21.com/co/a/ayman171/comp_info.html
30. Layers of collective action: 1.0
Egyptians boards such as, the school boards, city councils and volunteer
groups are not dependent groups from the government. Which means that they
are being elected by people but they are controlled and funded by the
government. The Egyptian government is in control of the every group board
of the country privet or public. They have some freedom of making decision
but it has to be approved by the government. so it is no freedom.
Personal
31. Pro-business Climate: 5.0
Egypt is a country where business is open for people who has money and
support from the government. business people are a very nice people to deal
with and communicate with. If a business person moves to our village where I
live he or she is very trusted because they are Egyptians like us and could
be trusted.
Personal. Egyptian citizen
32. Government Enterprises: 3.0
The government encourages foreign investment, but the same barriers, which
cripple
domestic investment. Egypt where the same visa binds foreign and domestic
investors and works permit
requirements for foreign workers. Foreign exchange restriction have been
removed and payment reforms introduced. · The financial sector has been
exposed to market forces. · Private sector has been allowed to invest in
airlines, shipping and telecommunication. · Disinvestment of public sector
enterprises has moved rapidly. The reforms have focused specially on the
following principal areas : · Trade liberalization through the reduction of
tariff and non-tariff barriers. · Encouraging foreign and domestic private
investment through deregulation. ·
CIA- the Egyptian Investment
33. International Security Agreements: 5.0
Egypt is very secure country from all the countries country around it. Egypt
and Israel for example who is one of the Middle Eastern enemy has an
agreement with Egypt that no war or threat should be mad to both countries
since the agreement in 1972 till now.. Egyptian boarders are secure from all
it is side because of the agreement that is having with all the countries
around it such as, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the agreement is that in a case
of war those countries will be ready to help and support Egypt.
Personal, Egyptian citizen.
34. Protection of Domestic Enterprisesfrom Government Mandated Costs: 2.5
The Egyptian economy is managed by the government, which not only controlled
companies but also imposed strict rules on the capital markets, trade, land
development and labor relations. All commercial enterprises must have
business permits in order to operate. Permits are usually issued by the
municipalities after it's been approval by other government departments and
must be renewed every year. The progressive system of taxation makes
maintaining stable income of the small businesses quite hard. The highest
rate of income tax is 40%.
http://www.egyptenterprise.de/manegment/egypt/egy2.htm1
DISCLAIMER
All the information and conclusions in each country analysis are solely the responsibility of the individual student and have not been verified, corrected, checked for copyright infringement or evaluated in any way by MIEPA or Mike P. McKeever. You are solely responsible for the results of any use you make of the information and conclusions in these studies. Use them at your own risk as interesting supplemental information only instead of seasoned judgements about the policy factors contained herein. Each student has granted permission for his or her work to be displayed here under his or her own name or wishes to remain anonymous and have either created a pen name or used no name at all; if you wish to contact them for any reason, forward your request to MIEPA and the student will be notified of your interest.To learn more about other countries, click to other files here:
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