Overview

The Demographic Revolution in Modern Egypt tells the dramatic story of Egypt's transition in the last two decades from staggeringly high to low fertility and mortality rates. Scholars Warren C. Robinson and Fatma H. El-Zanaty especially delve into the reasons for the decline in fertility, including the relative success of Egypt's recent public initiatives in family planning. Robinson and El-Zanaty compellingly show the importance of continued demographic stability in Egypt for that nation, the Middle East, and indeed the world. The authors point to Egypt's optimistic progress as a model for other countries facing out-of-control birthrates wreaking havoc with economic and social development.

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Reviews

This is an important look at a country that has embodied many of the classic elements of the demographic transition. It combines readability with high professional competence in producing a blend of empirical and theoretical approaches to population policy developments. Several Egyptian ministries will be very interested in the review and evaluation of government programs and policies. The book will also have a strong appeal to professionals in the population and development fields as well as to readers interested in recent social, demographic, and economic changes in Egypt.--Charles F. Westoff

The Egyptian population more than tripled between 1950 and 2000. Egypt also has one of the oldest national family planning programs, and Warren Robinson and Fatma H. El-Zanaty use their first-hand experience to provide a penetrating analysis of the mistakes and successes of this initiative. Without this kind of concerted effort to make family planning choices available, Egypt might have descended into radicalism and violence. On the other hand, if it had had a better program, it could have become more prosperous and stable. Many of today s foreign policy choices and terrorist confrontations continue to be driven partly by rapid population growth. The Demographic Revolution in Modern Egypt is essential reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary Egypt, and it has broad relevance for all those interested in the future of the whole Arab world.--Malcolm Potts

This is an important look at a country that has embodied many of the classic elements of the demographic transition. It combines readability with high professional competence in producing a blend of empirical and theoretical approaches to population policy developments. Several Egyptian ministries will be very interested in the review and evaluation of government programs and policies. The book will also have a strong appeal to professionals in the population and development fields as well as to readers interested in recent social, demographic, and economic changes in Egypt. -- Charles F. Westoff, Princeton University (Emeritus) Warren Robinson and Fatma El-Zanaty have written an exceptional book. It puts Egypt's demographic revolution in both international and historical perspective and integrates a painstaking empirical analysis with an informative theoretical framework. Its lessons are important for scholars, policy makers, and the informed public. -- Richard A. Easterlin, University of Southern California Robinson and El-Zanaty provide an authoritative and comprehensive review of demographic change in Egypt and its association with economic, social, and political developments. [...] Perhaps no other country has conducted as many national demographic surveys in recent decades, and Robinson and El-Zanaty have superb command of this large body of data. [...] With its breadth and substantial empirical content, this volume offers a valuable country portrait. Population and Development Review, Volume 32 Number 2 An excellent contribution to the demography of Egypt and to studies on fertility decline theory and analysis... Those familiar with the demographic literature of Egypt will welcome the clarity and precision with which the authors guide the reader through the three distinct phases of policy-program development... Indispensable reading for demography scholars. Middle East Journal, Volume 61 Number 1 The Egyptian population more than tripled between 1950 and 2000. Egypt also has one of the oldest national family planning programs, and Warren Robinson and Fatma H. El-Zanaty use their first-hand experience to provide a penetrating analysis of the mistakes and successes of this initiative. Without this kind of concerted effort to make family planning choices available, Egypt might have descended into radicalism and violence. On the other hand, if it had had a better program, it could have become more prosperous and stable. Many of today's foreign policy choices and terrorist confrontations continue to be driven partly by rapid population growth. The Demographic Revolution in Modern Egypt is essential reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary Egypt, and it has broad relevance for all those interested in the future of the whole Arab world. -- Malcolm Potts, University of California, Berkeley

Author Information

Warren C. Robinson is professor emeritus of economics and former director of the Population Issues Research Center, Pennsylvania State University. He is also former senior advisor on population to the U.S. Mission to Egypt. Fatma H. El-Zanaty is professor of statistics, University of Cairo, and former director of the Macro International (Demographic Health Surveys) Egyptian Office. She is also currently director of Zanaty Associates, Cairo.

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