By Ali Al-Mawlawi for Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Deep Data: Will localization of politics shape Iraq's parliamentary polls? Iraq's December 2023 provincial elections marked a significant reshuffling of the country's political landscape. In many ways, the changes provide […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi, for The Wilson Center. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq Should Consider Extending UNAMI's Mission UNAMI is set to conclude its 22-year mandate at the end of this year. However, this decision was made before Israel's escalation with […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi, for 1001 Iraqi Thoughts. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq Needs a Full Manual Recount to Overcome Election Impasse Three weeks since Iraq's electoral commission (IHEC) announced the final results of the October 10 elections, the Federal Supreme […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi and Sajad Jiyad, for the London School of Economics (LSE) Middle East Centre. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Confusion and contention: understanding the failings of decentralisation in Iraq Iraq formally began the process of implementing decentralisation in 2015, […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi, for the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Economic Reform in Iraq: The Need for Focus and Persistence Iraq is facing the biggest challenge to its economy since 2003. Even during the […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi for the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House). Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's public sector has shown formidable resistance to reform. The goal of this briefing is to guide policymakers, international financial institutions and development agencies in their design […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi (pictured). Is the Decentralisation Process in Iraq being Reversed? There have been growing signs in Iraq since summer 2018 that the process of devolving powers to local governments is being rolled back – and for justifiable reasons, many would argue. Parliament’s most recent decision to suspend all provincial councils is arguably the […]
By Ali Al-Mawlawi. Public Payroll Expansion in Iraq: Causes and Consequences The public payroll in Iraq has grown unchecked since 2003, commensurate with the country’s vastly expanding oil wealth. With few alternative sources of government income, the state budget’s growth poses worrying questions about whether this ongoing trend can be sustained without risking economic ruin. […]
By John Lee. A new report by Ali Al-Mawlawi (pictured) argues that the targets of Iraq's National Development Plan (NDP) are far too optimistic. In a paper for the Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies, entitled "Iraq’s National Development Strategies: Exploring Weaknesses in Policy Planning and Investment", he says greater coordination is required between the […]
The Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies has just published a new report by Ali Al-Mawlawi on reform of public financial management in Iraq: Designing a Successful Approach to Public Financial Management Reform in Iraq The path to recovery and reconstruction in post-conflict Iraq is fraught with pitfalls. The new government will need to tread […]
A new report by Ali Al-Mawlawi (pictured) argues that the illusive nature of long-term stability in the Middle East necessitates a strong commitment by Iraq’s political leaders to develop a sustainable economic and fiscal regime that can absorb future shocks to the system. According to the World Bank, government expenditure as a percentage of GDP […]
The following article was written by Ali Al-Mawlawi, an Iraqi research fellow at Baghdad-based independent think tank, the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform. It was published by openDemocracy, and is reproduced here under their Creative Commons licence. The World Bank has described corruption as ‘the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development.” The prospects […]
