OECD, 2024.

This report assesses how foreign direct investment (FDI) contributes to Tunisia’s sustainable development. It uses a wealth of national and international data sources to examine the contribution of FDI to productivity, innovation, job quality and skills development. The report also provides initial policy considerations to improve the impact of FDI on sustainable development in Tunisia.

OECD, 2023.

This review analyses regulatory barriers to competition in the tourism sector in Tunisia, with the goal of helping Tunisian authorities mitigate harm to competition and foster long-lasting growth. This report is based on a competition assessment conducted by the OECD identifying rules and regulations that may hinder the competitive and efficient functioning of markets in the tourism activities under review. This review also includes estimates of how the implementation of certain recommendations could impact the economy. This is the second competition assessment review conducted by the OECD in Tunisia, after a 2019 review of the freight transport sector and of the wholesale and retail trade sectors.

OECD, 2022.

Tunisians are facing the worst crisis in a generation, as COVID-19 hit an economy that was already slowing down. Macroeconomic policy through fiscal stimulus and monetary easing limited the depth and severity of the recession, but the pandemic has exacerbated structural weaknesses, in particular low investment and job creation, high unemployment and informality, mismatch between skills demand and supply, and outward migration of high-skilled professionals. Children who have been deprived of school for a long period will face severe challenges in resuming normal life. The second OECD Economic Survey takes stock of progress made since 2018 and makes recommendations in key policy areas such as public spending, state-owned enterprises, employment, education, vocational training, trade, taxation and the business environment. Implementing such reforms would produce a large growth dividend and put public debt on a more sustainable path. But unless bold action is taken soon, the crisis will have a lasting effect on the potential of Tunisia to resume its income convergence process.

OECD, 2023.

Le Scan de l’espace civique en Tunisie propose une analyse en profondeur des cadres légaux, de politiques publiques, et institutionnels ainsi que des pratiques sous-tendant l’espace civique et nécessaires aux acteurs non-gouvernementaux pour accéder à l’information, s’exprimer, s’associer, s’organiser et participer à la vie publique. Le Scan évalue les quatre dimensions clés de l’espace civique : les droits et libertés publics ; les droits et libertés numériques et des médias ; l’environnement opérationnel des organisations de la société civile ; et la participation civique à l’élaboration des politiques publiques et à la prise de décisions. Il adopte une perspective de long terme pour dresser un bilan des progrès réalisés au cours des dix dernières années, identifier les défis restants, et proposer des recommandations opérationnelles pour renforcer l’espace civique comme précondition aux réformes du gouvernement ouvert en Tunisie.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, 2024.

The 2022-2023 edition of the Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the Arab Region presents the economic recovery path at the global and regional levels following the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. A lot of uncertainties cloud the outlook as developed countries face increasing risks of falling in a recession and are resorting to increase interest rates to mitigate rising inflation, while developing countries are suffering from increasing borrowing costs, high inflation and uncertainties about energy and food prices. In addition to that, some Arab countries are facing depreciation of local currencies, repercussions of natural disasters, war and occupation, political instability and structural economic challenges. In terms of social developments, the Arab region continues to face significant challenges including widespread poverty, high unemployment and large gender gap. The thematic chapter of this year’s survey focuses on inflation in Arab countries and examines the sources of inflation in six countries that have recorded high inflation rates in the past few years, namely Egypt, Lebanon, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen. It also presents the different disinflation policies available and provides some recommendations on the way forward.

World Bank, 2023.

This Climate Change and Development Report (CCDR) establishes the case for a new economic model to address Tunisia’s challenging economic and social context and vulnerability to climate change. Building on extensive analyses and consultations (see Box 1 for our approach), the CCDR calls for a new model that emphasizes the role of the private sector in generating most jobs, while the state focuses on its regulating function, funding expenditures with the highest social and economic returns, and directing resources to interventions that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. The proposed model would involve major changes, such as using pricing to rationalize the consumption of resources and creating economic conditions that support private investments in climate adaptation and decarbonization. It would also involve a shift from recurrent public expenditures to public investments in adaptation and decarbonization.

World Bank, 2024.

Tunisia’s already modest economic recovery almost halted in 2023, amidst a severe drought, tight financing conditions and the modest pace of implementing reforms. With this slowdown, the Tunisian economy in2023 was still below its pre-Covid level, marking one of the slowest recoveries in the Middle East and North African region. Agriculture was the main driver of the2023 economic slowdown, declining by 11 percent as the drought forced the government to introduce irrigation restrictions. This highlights the urgency for Tunisia to adapt to climate change. The weak domestic demand and the fiscal consolidation appear to have added to the drought-related losses, with the declines in construction and commerce sectors offsetting some of the gains from export markets, particularly tourism. The growth slowdown–especially in labor-intensive sectors–translated into higher unemployment and lower labor force participation.

Ishac Diwan, Hachemi Alaya and and Hamza Meddeb, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, 2024.

Tunisia’s vulnerability to financial crisis is clear from its economic performance in 2023. How can the country pull itself back from the edge?