Social spending for inclusive growth in the Middle East and Central Asia

Departmental paper No. 20/12

Format:

Corporate Author:

International Monetary Fund Middle East and Central Asia Department

Author:

Koshy Mathai

Publisher:

IMF

This paper examines the role of social spending in improving socioeconomic outcomes in the Middle East and Central Asia. In particular, it addresses the following questions: (1) how large is social spending across the region? (2) how do countries in the region fare on socioeconomic outcomes? (3) how important is social spending as a determinant of these outcomes? and (4) how efficient is social spending in the region?