Encounter discusses the prospects of implementing social market economy in Palestine

On November 21, 2018, The Institute of Law at Birzeit University held an encounter to discuss a research paper done by the institute’s team of researchers on the principals and determinants of the social market economy, in support of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

Mustafa Mari, a senior researcher at the institute, opened the encounter by explaining how the results of the study can be helpful in the Palestinian context.

Mahmoud Alawneh, a law lecturer, presented the paper and talked about its four main pillars: the definition of social market economy and its principles, the economic system in Palestine, the economic policies adopted by the Palestinian Authority, and the challenges in implementing it.

The encounter resulted in a number of outcomes, including:

-  The importance of having a clear, concrete economic policy that results from an assessment of the existing policies, the policies that are not implemented, and the missed opportunities;

- The importance of exploring the role of unions and civil organizations in pressuring the government to adopt certain social policies;

- The importance of examining the Palestinian adherence to international agreements, especially the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

At the end of the meeting, the participants stressed that it is important to constructively criticize the policies adopted by the Palestinian government to evaluate the present, and overcome obstacles and failures. The participants also pointed to other states’ experiences - such as Germany, Austria, Syria, and Jordan - with these issues and how Palestine can benefit from their successes.